By John Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Sixteen games stretched around Europe will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday. Basketball Champions League Regular Season Gameday 11 is coming our way promising more excitement with the playoffs inching closer.
No team has officially qualified for the playoffs, but situations change presumably immediately. Various sides have all but advanced and results going their way will land them in the Round of 16 in the course of the next couple of days.
The preview of Gameday 11 follows.
Group A
1. BAXI Manresa 17 (7-3)
2. Turk Telekom 17 (7-3)
3. Dinamo Sassari 17 (7-3)
4. Filou Oostende 15 (5-5)
5. Lietkabelis 14 (4-6)
6. UNET Holon 14 (4-6)
7. SIG Strasbourg 14 (4-6)
8. Polski Cukier Torun 12 (2-8)
Crucial match at the Ankara Arena, with Turk Telekom hosting BAXI Manresa. Both teams sit on top of Group A alongside Dinamo Sassari, all riding a 7-3 W-L tally. During the weekend, the team coached by Burak Goren fell to 7-9 in Turkey’s Super Ligi, while Pedro Martinez’s side extended its ACB winning streak jumping to 8-9 in the process.
Lietkabelis and Filou Oostende will collide at the Cido Arena with the home side at 4-6 and the visitors at 5-5. Dario Gjergja’s team win by a margin of 14 points in Belgium might come in play. Nenad Canak’s side recently improved to 12-6 in LKL. A 9-3 tally makes out Oostende EuroMillions Basketball League performance so far.
Co-leading Dinamo Sassari will take on Polski Cukier Torun at the PalaSerradimigni. The visitors sitting at 2-8 have no more room for error, even in Italy. As for their national leagues, Gianmarco Pozzecco’s club is second in LBA Serie A with a 14-3 record, while Sebastian Machowski’s team is 12-4 in PLK.
Rounding up the schedule are UNET Holon and SIG Strasbourg. Both teams are coming off drastic changes and carry a 4-6 W-L record. Domestically, Stefanos Dedas’ club is 7-7 in Israel’s Super League and Vincent Collet’s side is 8-10 in Jeep Elite Pro A.
Gameday 11 schedule:
Tuesday
UNET Holon – SIG Strasbourg
Lietkabelis – Filou Oostende
Wednesday
Turk Telekom – BAXI Manresa
Dinamo Sassari – Polski Cukier Torun
Group B
1. AEK 17 (7-3)
2. Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem 17 (7-3)
3. San Pablo Burgos 16 (6-4)
4. RASTA Vechta 15 (5-5)
5. Anwil Wloclawek 15 (5-5)
6. Teksut Bandirma 14 (4-6)
7. Telenet Giants Antwerp 13 (3-7)
8. EB Pau-Lacq-Orthez 13 (3-7)
With confidence stemming from the 4-1 tally at the Hala Mistrzow, Anwil Wloclawek looks to jump to 6-5 in Group B. Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem at 7-3 is coming to visit and aiming for the top spot. Ahead of the big game, Igor Milicic’ team improved to 12-4 in PLK. Oded Kattash’s side made a step in the opposite direction by falling to 12-2 in Super League.
In Greece, AEK will face Teskut Bandirma. The Queen is 7-3 overall and 4-1 at home, still needs victories for first place. The Turkish club at 4-6 will settle for any playoffs spot. Since previous Champions League action, Ilias Papatheodorou’s team improved to 11-4 in Basket League, while Hakan Demir’s club dropped to 9-7 in BSL.
Despite being only 2-3 at the Rasta Dome Vechta during the current Champions League campaign, RASTA Vechta is 5-5 overall with Telenet Giants Antwerp coming to visit sporting a 3-7 W-L tally. As for easyCredit BBL, Pedro Calles’ club is 8-6. Christophe Beghin has guided his players to a 9-3 EuroMillions Basketball League record.
More wins are necessary for EB Pau-Lacq-Orthez with upcoming foe San Pablo Burgos set to travel to France with winning intentions for its own purposes. Laurent Vila’s squad is 3-7 in BCL and 8-10 in France. Joan Penarroya’s team is standing at 6-4 in the group and 9-8 in Spain.
Gameday 11 schedule:
Tuesday
AEK – Teksut Bandirma
RASTA Vechta – Telenet Giants Antwerp
EB Pau-Lacq-Orthez – San Pablo Burgos
Wednesday
Anwil Wloclawek – Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem