By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
The Top 16 ride in the 7DAYS EuroCup is getting to be a wild one. While the top teams are performing as expected, there have been quite of few surprises, one coming from Turkey, in Tofas Bursa, and also a huge downfall from MoraBanc Andorra.
Can the favorites go all the way to the finals and next season’s Turkish Airlines EuroLeague? It seems that with the notable exception of Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar, which was eliminated in the regular season, the main contenders are on track to do so.
1. Segafredo Virtus Bologna 3-1(-)
They have emerged as the top favorite since the previous edition of the power rankings and nothing happened that could change this perception. Yes, they are tied with Partizan on top of the Group E standings and they have lost in Belgrade, but they are hosting Partizan this week and can get the advantage over them for the first place.
2. Unicaja Malaga 3-1 (-)
They are also currently tied with Tofas with a 3-1 record in Group H, but they are also hosting the Turkish side this week and they have lost just by two points in Bursa. Any way you put it, Unicaja still has the upper hand and, given their experience in the competition, it’s obvious that they can go all the way.
3. Partizan NIS Belgrade 3-1 (+1)
Even if they lose to Virtus, they are on the verge of making it to the playoffs and they have probably the strongest home court of the competition. That makes even the competition finals a visible target for them. Not bad at all for the Serbs, who are proving this season that they are ready again for the top European level.
4. UNICS Kazan 2-2 (+3)
After many roster changes, UNICS is still trying to figure things out and live up to its real potential. However, they have the tie-breaker against Galatasaray in Group G where all teams are tied at 2-2, a home win this week against Rytas by six points, combined by a defeat of Galatasaray to Monaco, will give them the ticket to the playoffs. They should be also considered title contenders.
5. Promitheas Patras 2-2 (+1)
All teams are also tied in Group F and Promitheas also made a ton of changes to the roster, losing Octavius Ellis, their starting big man, to Olympiacos last week. Still even without him, thanks to a monster game by Loukas Mavrokefalidis (28 points, 13 rebounds) they prevailed on the road over Umana Reyes Venice by 18 points. As a result, they have the tie-breaker over arguably their main contender for the top of the group standings. A home win over Germani Brescia Leonessa by seven points, combined with a win by Venice over Oldenburg, can be enough for them to make it to the playoffs.
6. Umana Reyer Venice 2-2 (-3)
Venice lost badly to Promitheas, but they are still masters of their destiny if they perform as they did in the regular season, in which they had an 8-2 record. They are hosting Oldenburg – by whom they were defeated by 11 points (98-87) – and then face Germani Brescia Leonessa on the road. If they get to wins, they are getting the tickets to the playoffs.
7. Galatasaray Doga Sigorta Istanbul 2-2 (+2)
Galatasaray is a totally mixed bag, but they get the benefit of the doubt. They beat Monaco on the road (85-73) and then lost at home to Rytas Vilnius by 16 (89-73). That result turned everything upside down in Group G and now all teams are tied at 2-2. This week’s home game between Galatasaray and Monaco will make or break the EuroCup season of those two teams.
8. Tofas Bursa 3-1 (+6)
Tofas should have been much higher in the Power Rankings, but they are held back by our unofficial rule that each jump shouldn’t be higher than six positions. However, even if they lose on the road to Unicaja this week, they have the tie-breaker of Joventut Badalona and they will need just a home win over Morabanc Andorra to get to the playoffs. Not bad for a team that had a 5-5 regular-season record.
9. AS Monaco 2-2 (-1)
They are the flipside of Galatasaray and arguably they can still improve, considering the talent they have on their roster. They lost to the Turks at home, then got the road win over UNICS Kazan, then lost on the road to Rytas, before beating the Lithuanians at home. It was a roller coaster ride that led them to this week’s big game in Istanbul. Now, it’s do or die.
10. EWE Baskets Oldenburg 2-2 (-)
Solid as expected, the Germans have two home wins and two road losses, plus the tie-breaker over Brescia. Still, they are hunting Venice, whom they play on the road this week, before they host Promitheas in Round 6. You can make an argument that they are still in the playoffs race – and yes, mathematically, they are – but they are facing two better teams.
11. MoraBanc Andorra 0-4 (-6)
The injury woes finally caught up with Andorra in the Top 16, after a strong finish in the regular season and a solid 7-3 record. But they are out of the playoffs race. The only reason they are ranked 11th is the six-spots-jump rule and the fact that they finished the regular season being among the top teams in the standings with a 7-3 record. They did their best in the Top 16, losing the first three games by three, six and four points. There was no coming back after that.
12. Darussafaka Tekfen Istanbul 2-2 (-)
Darussafaka will probably get the road win against winless Trento this week. However, they will need much more in order to advance to the playoffs. To be exact they will also need to beat Virtus Bologna at home in the last Top 16 round and also Partizan must beat Virtus in Bologna this week in order for the Turks to stay alive in the playoffs race. Dacka had a solid season, but they ended up being part of a Top 16 group with two real contenders.