The future of Betis Basketball is being written at the Caja Mágica in Madrid.

After nine months of competition and almost fifty matches between the regular season, playoffs, and Copa de España (46 in total), the future of Real Betis Baloncesto lies in Madrid. The green-and-white squad, which was assembled by Grupo Hereda to advance to the ACB, has overcome many obstacles during this time, especially in the form of injuries. And they have done so, except for two or three matches, always competing, regardless of the circumstances, reinventing themselves and staying on the winning track until reaching this final phase, the Final Four at the Caja Mágica , which will award the second and final spot in the Endesa League among four candidates. Only one can remain, and three will remain in the former LEB Oro. Hence, the Spanish Federation is using the hashtag #TodoOnada on its social media. The stakes are high. The difference between making the jump to the ACB and staying in the Primera FEB is (continues to be) abysmal.

To have a chance of reaching Sunday's final (5:30 PM), Betis Baloncesto will first have to eliminate Movistar Estudiantes , the host and their opponent in the semifinals (5:00 PM). This is a match between two historic clubs, both in dire straits, who set themselves the goal of promotion last summer. Today, one will fall by the wayside in a wide-open Final Four, with a truly uncertain outlook , featuring four teams that are very evenly matched on paper.

The Verdiblancos have had the least rest, finishing the playoff a week late after their series with Cartagena was extended to a fifth game. For the same reason, they should also be the team that arrives in the Spanish capital with the most rhythm. Verdiblancos and Colegiales (1-1 in their regular season matches) will play the first semifinal, kicking off the Final Four, and will precede the duel between Flexicar Fuenlabrada and Súper Agropal Palencia (8:00 PM) .

Betis Baloncesto reached this summit among contenders at the Caja Mágica after a strong regular season ( 26 wins in 34 matches ) and a quarter-final play-off in which they suffered immensely, to the point of looming on the brink of elimination. "We played two games with our backs to the wall," Betis coach García de Vitoria stated in a very graphic way. Betis was 2-1 down and saved a match point away from home. Then the work ended at home in San Pablo, where a very professional squad stood out, committed to the objective and determined to keep their word when many of their players agreed to come to Betis, moving from the ACB to the Primera FEB.

The Endesa League, which has seemed like a distant horizon these past two years, is now just a stone's throw away. Put like that, it seems like a simple undertaking. And it's far from it. The difficulty of a Final Four like this, with this format, is superlative , and that's why puffing out your chest isn't enough here. The glory of promotion is only achieved with two perfect days built on unity, hard work, and a rock-solid, uncompromising mentality. You have to reach the summit twice in 24 hours. The mission is very complex with no safety net. Whoever loses, is out. Betis Baloncesto heads into its semifinal against Movistar Estudiantes in the first round. The collegiate team is the host because it was their proposal to the Spanish Federation to hold the Final Four at the Caja Mágica, with a capacity for around 12,000 spectators. More added pressure for Ramito's team.

Unlike their rival, the Verdiblancos have had one less week to recover from the playoff and prepare for such a magnificent match. This isn't something that worries the squad or García de Vitoria. At this point in the season, when players are already struggling to train and prefer to hold back to avoid injury, it's almost better to have been competing and active, with that necessary level of tension in their bodies. This is even more so in the case of a veteran squad like this Betis , which has players who have competed in all kinds of arenas, including the most prestigious, and whose proven experience is relied upon for a crowning moment. You stay or you go. There's no other way.

The match is a sieve. And as such, it comes with a lot of responsibility, a euphemism for pressure. It falls especially to Movistar Estudiantes , who have been in the former LEB Oro for four consecutive seasons and are looking to escape now. But the Green-and-White club, now in Hereda's hands, also bears the burden, after a massive investment last summer to build a project designed to promote them in the short term. The squad has absorbed this pressure well. They've embraced it, and it's served as a spur to give their all . They couldn't keep up with the frantic pace of San Pablo Burgos's direct promotion, but they haven't missed this date with the F4.

The schoolboys, after changing coaches in the final stretch of the regular season, arrived at the playoffs with some doubts following a four-and-five run under Natxo Lezcano, but they immediately dispelled them thanks to their 3-0 defeat of Gipuzkoa Basket. Like Betis, Estudiantes boasts quality in spades. They have the services of the best point guard in the league (with Renfroe's permission), Granger ; an all-rounder of the caliber of Joaquín Rodríguez (formerly of the Betis team); and a very unbalanced center in this competition, Dejan Kravic. In addition, they have dangerous outside bishops ( Schmidt, Francis Alonso , etc.), important secondary players (Garino, Andric, Barro), and the always-needed skill of players like Rubio, Alderete, and Adams Sola. A team with varied resources and a tough defense, with a high level of physicality.

The fact that the Verdiblancos won one of their two regular season games, the one played in Sao Paulo, is extremely important mentally, so the players believe it's possible to do it again. The Verdiblancos certainly have a chance, but they'll need to put together a flawless and highly organized performance both on defense and offense. They may not have a center as complete as Kravic, but they do have a lot of physical ability in their paint ( Tunde, Kasibabu, Radoncic, DeBisschop... ) and a formidable backcourt led by their three tenors: Renfroe, Benite, and Hughes . They'll need help from Cvetkovic and Jelinek, the Czech guard-like but especially dangerous if he makes the first shot.

There are no recipes that allow you to win a Final Four , such is the number of variables that can affect it, but in this type of game, there are several key commandments that must be strictly followed. The first is to start well, and the second is to be mentally prepared to withstand the opponent's attacks and the bad moments of the game without switching off. If the shots aren't going in, the only way to keep your energy bar of confidence full is through defense . Rowing like a galley and giving your all even when there's no reward on offense, which is the most difficult aspect of this sport, must be done on a day like today when there's no turning back. Taking care of the ball and attacking the rebound like wolves are other fundamental principles worth refreshing. In a final like this, even if it comes disguised as a semifinal, you have to take care of every detail and not leave a single loose end .