By John Rammas/ irammas@eurohoops.net
All 18 EuroLeague teams have been rated by Eurohoops based on status, dynamics, form and the significance of their results.
#18 ZALGIRIS KAUNAS
Previous Ranking: 18 (-)
Record: 3-13
Home: 3-5
Away: 0-8
Offense-Defense: 70.4-80.4
Winning three of the last seven games has not been enough for Zalgiris to get unstuck from the bottom. The Lithuanian champion has ranked last since Round 3 and has not exceeded 17th place this season.
#17 PANATHINAIKOS OPAP ATHENS
Previous Ranking: 13 (-4)
Record: 4-13
Home: 4-4
Away: 0-9
Offense-Defense: 72.5-79.1
Panathinaikos has been 17th since Round 8. Irregular improvements have been the main highlights so far. It can’t get much better without a win on the road and it is still possible to fall further down the table.
#16 MACCABI PLAYTIKA TEL AVIV
Previous Ranking: 9 (-7)
Record: 7-11
Home: 5-3
Away: 2-8
Offense-Defense: 77.6-78.7
Not too long ago, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv was fourth in the standings. After eight losses in a row, the team sits 12th. Being unable to win a game since November 17 seems to have shifted issues from the court to the mental side of the game. It is getting complicated.
#15 ALBA BERLIN
Previous Ranking: 14 (-1)
Record: 6-11
Home: 4-5
Away: 2-6
Offense-Defense: 75.6-81.1
Despite ending its recent slump with a win against AS Monaco, ALBA has slipped in the standings. On the plus side, six teams are currently one win away. Taking it up a notch is necessary to recover lost ground.
#14 AS MONACO
Previous Ranking: 12 (-2)
Record: 7-11
Home: 5-4
Away: 2-7
Offense-Defense: 81.4-83.1
Beating Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv could have meant a lot more. However, the second win in the last nine games merely retained the 14th spot. AS Monaco has not budged from the season-low 14th place since Round 14.
#13 CRVENA ZVEZDA MTS BELGRADE
Previous Ranking: 16 (-3)
Record: 7-11
Home: 5-4
Away: 2-7
Offense-Defense: 72.2-73.7
Its recent losses against Anadolu Efes and Zenit St Petersburg felt cruel. Only a couple of wins outside the playoffs zone, Crvena Zvezda sitting at 13th seems much farther away than the real distance.
#12 FC BAYERN MUNICH
Previous Ranking: 11 (-1)
Record: 7-10
Home: 5-3
Away: 2-7
Offense-Defense: 74.4-76.1
FC Bayern Munich is one of the four teams that have not entered the top eight spots at any point of the season. ALBA, Panathinaikos and Zalgiris complete the list. Three losses in a row after gaining ninth place in Round 14 ruined its momentum.
#11 BITCI BASKONIA VITORIA-GASTEIZ
Previous Ranking: 17 (+6)
Record: 7-11
Home: 5-4
Away: 2-7
Offense-Defense: 72.1-78.5
After ranking 16th for five consecutive rounds, back-to-back wins for the first time since October lifted Baskonia. The Basque team seems capable of further improving or falling back into bad habits. Time will tell.
#10 LDLC ASVEL VILLEURBANNE
Previous Ranking: 10 (-)
Record: 8-9
Home: 5-4
Away: 3-5
Offense-Defense: 73.3-78.4
Back in Round 12, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne was comfortably among the top eight teams. After seven losses in the next nine games, the team has fallen back up the standings. Climbing back into the playoff zone will be a challenge.