By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
At the halfway point of the 7DAYS EuroCup Regular Season, it’s time to revisit the Power Rankings. A lot of things have changed.
The Spanish and the French teams proved to be better than expected while Buducnost VOLI is delivering and Dolomiti Energia Trento is the new trend from Italy.
With the rule being that the biggest jump permitted in the standings forward or backward is six positions, here are the upcoming rankings which include quite a few surprises.
1. Segafredo Virtus Bologna (5-0)
The Italians are the team to beat and they are proving it on the court, being the only perfect team in very competitive Group C. The numbers are in this team’s favor. Virtus has won three games on the road already and is clearly aiming for the trophy and a spot in the EuroLeague.
2. Unicaja Malaga (4-1)
Despite its share of injury woes and COVID-related issues, Unicaja is back for good and may end up being the main obstacle that Virtus will have to overcome in order to get the trophy. Its only defeat came on the road to Mornar Bar, so the Spaniards are still in full control of the Group B standings.
3. Lokomotiv Kuban (4-1) +2
Can this be the year of Loko after all? They lost only to Virtus by six points on the road and Alan Williams is making a case for being the best big man in the competition. That’s why they have climbed two spots in the Power Rankings and they are aiming for higher ground if they can beat the Italians at home.
4. Herbalife Gran Canaria (3-1) +5
This is the first big jump in the rankings as Gran Canaria is emerging as a solid contender despite parting ways with Amedeo Della Valle. However, sometimes less is more and so far they have proven that by getting two road wins in three games, losing only to Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana.
5. AS Monaco (3-2) -1
Monaco lost one position and two games so far, but in their defense, they are part of Group C, which includes Virtus and Lokomotiv, the number one and number three teams of the rankings. Those are the two teams that have defeated the French side and especially that home defeat by Loko hurt them a lot, practically pushing them down to number 5, instead of elevating them to number 3.
6. Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (3-2) +4
That’s also a big jump in the standings and very well deserved. Despite losing to Unicaja and Mornar Bar on the road (the latter by 3 in overtime), the talent of the roster is delivering and we will probably see them in the playoffs. Number six in the standings may be a little bit high, but the six-position-jump prohibition is pushing them higher since it prevents the perfect team below from taking their spot…
7. Joventut Badalona (5-0) +6
Yes, you guessed right. The perfect team that could be even higher – and should probably be in the next edition of the power rankings – is Joventut Badalona, who has taken the competition by storm. They have won all their games, including against UNICS Kazan on the road without their two most experienced players, Pau Ribas and Ante Tomic. They are already a lock for the playoffs and who knows what else they might do?
8. UNICS Kazan (2-2) -5
The flipside of Badalona is UNICS, which currently has played one game less (on the road against Bourg) and so far they are not performing on the level they would like to. To be exact they have just two home wins against Partizan and Bahcesehir and they will continue to drop if they don’t turn things around.
9. Mornar Bar (3-2) +6
That’s the second six-position jump after the one made by Joventut – and for a good reason. Despite losing to Ulm in the first game, they have won all the contests in their gym, including the games against Unicaja Malaga and Buducnost. They are still kind of a mixed bag, but they seem bound for the Top16.
10. Dolomiti Energia Trento (4-0) +6
Yes, they also advanced six positions in the standings and they deserve it arguably even more than Mornar Bar. They haven’t lost a game yet, they are leading the Group D standings and they made the jump from being a marginal Top 16 team to a solid unit that has beaten everyone with the exception of fourth-ranked Gran Canaria. Their game was postponed, but if they can do that too, then Trento’s rise will continue.
11. Promitheas Patras (2-2) -5
After a slow start, Promitheas lost five positions due to a 2-2 record after losing to Gran Canaria at home and to Trento on the road. Still, in their last blowout win against Nanterre 92 (88-72) they showed their real potential. The question is if they will keep the momentum after staying out of action last week due to COVID cases within the team.
12. Umana Reyer Venice (2-2) -5
Despite a solid win against UNICS to start the season, Venice lost to Partizan and to Joventut and then beat Bahcesehir at home, while the game against Bourg is going to be rescheduled. They are still a team that can make it to the Top 16, but exactly like Promitheas, they are not yet in the shape they were in last year.
13. Partizan NIS Belgrade (2-3) -5
After a disappointing start, Partizan is trying to turn things around. It’s not going to be easy, there are four teams so far in Group A with two wins, but only Partizan has three defeats already.
14. MoraBanc Andorra (2-3) -3
Andorra started the season out of the Top 10 spots and has lost even more ground. Still, it’s hard to hold that against them, since they are part of Group C and they did what they have to. They beat Lietkabelis and Antwerp, but they lost to Virtus, Lokomotiv, and Monaco. It’s obvious that they can make it to the Top 16 and then they will have a second chance in the new group to prove their real worth.
15. Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (1-2) -3
Cedevita Olimpija also dropped but it’s really hard to have a feel for a team that played only three games so far, lost to Nanterre and Trento on the road, but beat at home with ease Gran Canaria. Taking into account the fact that they lost only by 4 points to Nanterre, they can make Top 16 plans.
16. Boulogne Metropolitans 92 (3-2) +6
Coach Jure Zdovc and his team are proving to be a tough nut to crack, being part of a three-way tie at 3-2 with Buducnost and Mornar Bar. So they totally deserve their own six-position jump and they are favored to make it to the Top 16 after beating on the road Ulm and Brescia. That said, out of the top teams of their group, they have beaten only Mornar Bar at home and lost to Buducnost at home and to Unicaja on the road.
17. JL Bourg en Bresse (2-1) +6
This is the second French team that made a six-position jump, having a 2-1 record and the chance to climb even higher. Their highlight of course that made this jump a necessity was their road win at Partizan.
18. Germani Brescia (1-4) -4
So far they have beaten only Ulm at home just by three points and were competitive despite losing at home by 5 against Metropolitans. We expected better after last season’s Top 16 run, but there are simply better teams than them in Group B.
19. Ratiopharm Ulm (1-4) -2
They have also dropped, but having said that, Ulm has been competitive in all games so far, losing by an average of just 5 points. Still, after an 84-76 home win against Mornar Bar in Round 1, they have lost four straight.
20. Nanterre 92 (1-3) -1
Nanterre proved to be the exception in the rise of the French clubs, but on paper, they can still make it to the Top 16 and they are pretty much performing as they were expected to. They have six games left to turn things around.
21. Lietkabelis Panevezys (1-4) -1
Lietkabelis also performed as expected, being a victim of the competition in Group C. They have only beaten Antwerp, losing to Virtus, Monaco, Lokomotiv and Andorra.
22. Frutti Extra Bursaspor (0-3) -4
This is also not a surprise, but Bursaspor should have performed a bit better, considering the fact that they lost three games at home. They have seven games left, five of them on the road so it’s hard to imagine that they can really turn things around against Trento, Promitheas, Gran Canaria and Cedevita Olimpija.
23. Bahcesehir Kolej Istanbul (0-5) -2
They were ranked low and couldn’t get any better results than expected, at least so far. Despite solid names in their roster, the 0-5 record speaks for itself.
24. Telenet Giants Antwerp (0-5)
Antwerp knew that the EuroCup was not going to be a walk in the park and that’s been proven with a 5-0 record.