An unexpected epilogue doesn't stop Barça

BarcelonaEpic comeback. Barça, who at the end of February were in eleventh place and out of contention for the title, got the job done against Virtus Segafredo Bologna (91-87) and, thanks to six wins in their last seven games, will reach the Euroleague quarterfinals without having to go through the playoffs. The Blaugrana team, who suffered more than expected, will play for a ticket to the Euroleague. final four against an AS Monaco side that they have already beaten twice this season. Madrid, on the other hand, will go to play-in.

Rounding out the standings was no easy task. Barça squandered a 12-point lead and faced a toss-up against Virtus. After a few weeks of bad news in the form of injuries and losses, Joan Peñarroya brought back Jan Vesely. The Czech center, who will need time to find his rhythm, had as much emotional as practical influence on the victory against the second-to-last Euroleague team.

Dusko Ivanovic's Virtus, with nothing to play for, tried to close out a disappointing European season with a victory at the Palau Blaugrana. After a first half without much defensive effort, Barça went into the break with a seven-point lead (45-38). The Italian team refused to give up and were able to turn around a game full of twists and turns.

Unable to find a decisive opportunity, Barça went into the decisive stretch with their opponents more alive than they would have liked (76-81). The final six minutes were filled with nerves. A basket by Joel Parra with half a minute left put the Blaugrana team ahead, which led to a turnover by the opponent in the following play, and Jabari Parker sealed the victory from the free throw line.