By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The 2020-21 Basketball Champions League Regular Season continues with nine games scheduled to take place Tuesday and Wednesday in venues stretched all around Europe. With the schedule of the current group stage winding down, during Week 11 several teams can clinch a spot in the next round consisting of the top 16 teams split into four new groups. Brose Bamberg, Casademont Zaragoza, and Iberostar Tenerife are already through.
Starting off with Group H, defending champion Hereda San Pablo Burgos will host Filou Oostende and will march into the playoffs with a “W”. The same goes for Happy Casa Brindisi but on the road against Darussafaka Tekfen. The opposite sides need to improve to 2-3 in order to remain in contention ahead of a direct collision in the final round.
A clinching opportunity presents itself for Turk Telekom but an away game versus Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem is a challenging undertaking despite the Israeli outlet currently going through the process of a head coaching change with Oded Kattash expected to move to Panathinaikos OPAP. Major playoff implications for Igokea and Limoges CSP in the other Group G match as well.
JDA Dijon on the happy side of its previous four BCL games against Turkish teams can clear out Group B with a home win over Tofas Bursa advancing both themselves and ERA Nymburk. The visitors prevailing in the rescheduled Gameday 7 contest would keep all three teams in the playoffs race moving into the final round.
Group E will feature at least one clinching team as the 3-1 and 1-3 sides collide with each other. SIG Strasbourg will progress with Peristeri beating Rytas Vilnius or a win of its own versus VEF Riga, while the Latvian outlet needs Rytas to prevail in Greece or a “W” in France.
Pinar Karsiyaka and RETAbet Bilbao tied at 2-2 will battle for a Group F playoffs berth in Turkey, but will look for an additional advantage this week. The Turkish club will take on eliminated Fortitudo Bologna on the road and the Spanish outlet will be in Germany to face advanced Brose Bamberg.
Group A
Standings
1. y-Iberostar Tenerife 9 (4-1)
2. Dinamo Sassari 8 (3-2)
3. Bakken Bears 7 (2-3)
4. x-Galatasaray 6 (1-4)
Group B
Tuesday
JDA Dijon – Tofas Bursa (20:30 CET)
Standings
1. ERA Nymburk 9 (4-1)
2. JDA Dijon 7 (3-1)
3. Tofas Bursa 6 (2-2)
4. x-Keravnos 5 (0-5)
Group C
Standings
1. Hapoel Unet-Credit Holon 8 (3-2)
2. AEK 8 (3-2)
3. Cholet 7 (2-3)
4. Tsmoki-Minsk 7 (2-3)
Group D
Standings
1. y-Casademont Zaragoza 9 (4-1)
2. Nizhny Novgorod 8 (3-2)
3. Falco Szombathely 8 (3-2)
4. x-Pszczolka Start Lublin 5 (0-5)
Group E
Tuesday
Peristeri – Rytas Vilnius (18:30 CET)
Wednesday
SIG Strasbourg – VEF Riga (20:30 CET)
Standings
1. SIG Strasbourg 7 (3-1)
2. VEF Riga 7 (3-1)
3. Peristeri 5 (1-3)
4. Rytas Vilnius 5 (1-3)
Group F
Tuesday
Brose Bamberg – RETAbet Bilbao (20:00 CET)
Fortitudo Bologna – Pinar Karsiyaka (20:30 CET)
Standings
1. y-Brose Bamberg 8 (4-0)
2. Pinar Karsiyaka 6 (2-2)
3. RETAbet Bilbao 6 (2-2)
4. x-Fortitudo Bologna 4 (0-4)
Group G
Tuesday
Igokea – Limoges CSP (18:30 CET)
Wednesday
Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem – Turk Telekom (20:00 CET)
Standings
1. Turk Telekom 7 (3-1)
2. Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem 6 (2-2)
3. Igokea 6 (2-2)
4. Limoges CSP 5 (1-3)
Group H
Tuesday
Hereda San Pablo Burgos – Filou Oostende (18:30 CET)
Wednesday
Darussafaka Tekfen – Happy Casa Brindisi (18:00 CET)
Standings
1. Hereda San Pablo Burgos 7 (3-1)
2. Happy Casa Brindisi 7 (3-1)
3. Darussafaka Tekfen 5 (1-3)
4. Filou Oostende 5 (1-3)
y-advanced to the next round
x-eliminated
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League