By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Almost two months ago, the first 7Days EuroCup Power Rankings were unveiled. After eight rounds of action, while few things changed at the top, there are plenty differences in the way each EuroCup team is ranked, this time according to their performance on the court and not only on paper.
The big picture remains pretty much the same with one very notable, if negative, exception. Five teams have made a jump of six or more spots in the rankings and it remains to be seen who will claim the last seven open spots for the Top 16.
1 Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar (7-1) qualified (-)
Despite a coaching change, with Vlada Jovanovic replacing Sasa Obradovic, Lokomotiv Kuban remains the team to beat. Their record is proof of their quality. Still, they were defeated at home by ALBA Berlin and they have to face the Germans on the road, so there might be a crack in their armor after all.
2 Unicaja Malaga (7-1) qualified (-)
They started the season as victims of an upset in Vilnius by Rytas. Since then, Unicaja has registered seven straight wins and there’s no sign of them slowing it down. They are playing like everyone expected them to.
3 UNICS Kazan (7-1) qualified (+1)
They gained a spot, and rightfully so. They were defeated only by Unicaja on the road and there’s a good chance that they will finish on top of Group D. Until this happens, they remain half a step behind their Spanish rivals.
4 Valencia Basket (6-2) qualified (-1)
They lost a spot, but still remain contenders. However, they lost two key games on the road against Zenit St. Petersburg and ASVEL. That doesn’t make them bad, but it makes them look more vulnerable than the top three of this ranking.
5 ALBA Berlin (6-2) qualified (+3)
Despite their injuries woes, they are producing an impressive brand of basketball and getting the right results. They lost twice to Cedevita and managed to beat Lokomotiv Kuban. They are the only team not named Darussafaka that has achieved this feat during the last two years in the EuroCup.
6 AS Monaco (6-2) qualified (+4)
Everyone expected them to be strong. On top of that, they proved to be ready. They are the only team that has already qualified from a really strong Group A; they have lost two games at home, to Crvena Zvezda and Brescia; but they have already taken their revenge by beating those two opponents on the road.
7 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (6-2) qualified (+5)
A powerhouse again? The Tony Parker project has lost only on the road to Valencia and Trento, has secured with ease a Top 16 spot, and is eager to take the next step. ASVEL has already made quite the jump compared to our initial prediction, by moving five spots higher in the power rankings.
8 Cedevita Zagreb (5-3) qualified (+1)
The Spanish project was abandoned, many changes were made, still, Cedevita remains among the top teams of the competition. They, too, have qualified to the next stage and, despite the turmoil in the team, seem to be back on track. The next two games, against Lokomotiv and Tofas Bursa, will indicate Cedevita’s true potential.
9 Morabanc Andorra (5-3) (+6)
MoraBanc has made the biggest jump forward – six places – compared to any other team in the top 10, and there’s a good reason for that. They have a positive record, they are half a step away from the Top 16 and, with the exception of Monaco, they have already beaten every other team in Group A.
10 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade (4-4) (-5)
After a hot 4-1 start, Zvezda lost three straight games, and that’s reflected in the power rankings. The potential is there, however. The Serbs were beaten by Monaco in their house and lost to Ulm and Andorra on the road. In any case, they are clearly playoff material.
11 Zenit St. Petersburg (4-4) (-5)
They also dropped five spots in the rankings, as Zvezda did. They parted ways with Brandon Jennings, who had a great start to the season but never became a real part of the team. And this turmoil is reflected in their results. They seem capable of the best and the worst, even during the same game.
12 Germani Brescia Leonessa (3-5) (+5)
Despite having just three wins, they managed to beat Crvena Zvezda and Galatasaray at home and also Monaco on the road. Plus they have the tiebreaker against the Turks and have lost to Ulm on the road just by one point. With two games left, against Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade and at home against Ulm, they might need just a two-point win against the Germans in order to be part of the Top 16.
13 Fraport Skyliners Frankfurt (5-3) qualified (+9)
They have made the biggest positive jump in the rankings, they have qualified to the Top 16, but they are still just in 13th place. Why is that? The answer is that the Skyliners maximized the chances they got in group D, which turned out to be the weakest of the competition. They have already lost three games to the better teams – Unicaja and UNICS – and they have beaten Rytas Vilnius two times, FIAT Turin also twice plus they got a home win against Mornar Bar. The record is great, but if you get a look at the teams that they have beaten, suddenly it’s not that impressive.
14 Tofas Bursa (3-5) (-7)
Coach Orhun Ene is forced to have a limited rotation and that seems to be the reason for the huge drop in their performance and also in their ranking. Simply put, they have to pick their fights, and so far have beaten only Cedevita at home and Arka Gdynia twice. It may come down to Tofas winning at home against Limoges to survive, which is a lot closer call than many expected for this team.
15 Turk Telekom Ankara (3-5) (+2)
The team of Coach Burak Goren is in a pretty good shape in order to make it to the Top 16. They have to beat Dolomiti Energia Trento at home even by one point – since they have beat them by four on the road – and that might be enough in order to book their ticket. Not bad at all for a team which competed in the Turkish second division last year and started with a 0-3 record in Group C.
16 Galatasaray Istanbul (3-5) (-2)
Being ranked at 16 doesn’t mean that you can make it to the Top 16. Galatasaray is fighting for the fourth spot of Group A and Brescia has the advantage. To be exact, Galatasaray doesn’t have the tiebreaker with Brescia, but it does with Ulm. And things will not be easy since they are playing Monaco on the road and Crvena Zvezda at home. Still, they have beaten Andorra and that result is keeping them alive.
17 Dolomiti Energia Trento (3-5) (-6)
They have dropped six places and the next game is a do-or-die situation for them. They are the flipside of Turk Telekom Ankara; at this point they are underachieving. Their comeback win against Zenit is what gives them hope that after adding Aaron Craft, they can make it to the Top 16.
18 Ratiopharm Ulm (3-5) (+2)
Their effort is solid, but in order to advance, Ulm is walking on thin ice with so much as one more defeat, depending on other results. The highlight so far is the team’s 95-80 home win over Crvena Zvezda. Ulm will want to channel that effort for the last two rounds, but even winning both games, its chances of advancing are not 100% guaranteed.
19 Rytas Vilnius (3-5) (-)
Despite a huge win over Unicaja to start the season, they have beaten only Fiat Turin at home and Mornar Bar on the road. Yes, they are the favorites to reach the Top 16, since they play on the road in Turin and at home against Mornar Bar, but they are far from being impressive. Their excuse is the injury to Chris Kramer, so the late addition of Rok Stipcevic can only help them.
20 Mornar Bar (2-6) (+3)
Despite having just two wins, Mornar Bar is still alive in the Top 16 race and they have signed new players to get a boost and make a small miracle happen. If Rytas beats Turin, Mornar will need a home win against Fraport Skyliners Frankfurt – which has already qualified – and a road win of 23 points or more against Rytas in the last game of the regular season. If Turin gets the win against Rytas, then two wins even by one point will be enough for Mornar Bar. Rytas is the favorite but Mornar can hope.
21 Limoges CSP (2-6) (-3)
Nothing worked for Limoges. They made roster changes and just promoted assistant coach Francois Peronnet to replace Kyle Milling but it seems that it’s too late. Limoges started with a win against Cedevita, then beat Tofas in the fourth round, but have since had four straight defeats. In theory, they still have a chance, but they would have to beat Tofas away.
22 Partizan NIS Belgrade (2-6) (-1)
They added a big-time coach in Andrea Trinchieri and he led them to a home win over Trento. This alone is not enough for a Top 16 spot, however. Partizan has to win out, against ASVEL on the road and Turk Telekom at home, to have a chance of survival.
23 Arka Gdynia (1-7) (+1)
Yes, despite a 1-7 record Gdynia gained a spot in the power rankings. How did this happen? Just read below.
24 FIAT Turin (0-8) eliminated (-11)
“On paper, this is by far the most interesting team of the EuroCup…This team has amazing potential. Still, nobody can tell yet how the experiment will turn out.” That was written by yours truly in volume one of the power rankings. It’s safe to say that the experiment failed miserably. Yes, Turin had many injuries and even coach Larry Brown went to the United States over several games for medical reasons. However, at this point, the team is in danger of finishing the EuroCup Regular Season without a win. The record drop of 11 spots is spectacular but totally justified.