By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Basketball Champions League Regular Season Gameday 11 will be played this week with the eight games scheduled to take place Tuesday and Wednesday. Those contests will wrap up Group A, B, C, and D determining the holders of the six remaining playoff tickets leading into the next stage consisting of four new groups of four teams each. Group E, F, G, and H will be finished next week.
Four-way tie in play
All four Group C teams are still in the running with the hosts of the two remaining affairs one point behind the visitors. A win for AEK or Hapoel Unet-Credit Holon on the road would secure them through but a loss would bring in tiebreakers.
Cholet has to win by a margin greater than 10 points to earn the tiebreaker over Holon and advance if AEK wins. In a similar position, Tsmoki-Minsk needs to overcome the 26-point loss in Athens to progress if Holon wins.
If both home sides prevail, all four teams will be 3-3 and the two with the best overall points differential will punch-in a playoffs ticket. AEK is currently +17, Cholet +8, Holon +6, and Tsmoki-Minsk -31.
Nymburk all but qualified
Group B will be awarding both advancing spots but ERA Nymburk can only miss out with a loss by a margin greater than 58 points to Tofas Bursa. A win for the Czech outlet would equal their longest winning streak at home in the BCL, the eight in a row in the 2016-17 season.
Tofas will clinch with a win or if Keravnos bows out with a win of its own versus JDA Dijon. On its part, the French team will advance with a win in Cyprus if Nymburk prevails or if Tofas scores a win by a margin of 58 or more points.
Bears looking in
The Bakken Bears coming off two straight wins kept themselves in the hunt, but even extending the streak by taking down Iberostar Tenerife at home may not be enough. Dinamo Sassari will be in Turkey to face Galatasaray.
The Danish outlet can only advance with a win paired with a win for Galatasaray at the Sinan Erdem Dome. The Italian team will progress with a win or with a loss for the Bears at the Aarhus Arena.
Play-in game in Russia
Group D features a direct battle between Nizhny Novgorod and Falco Szombathely for a spot in the next round. The winning side at the FOK “Meshchersky” will improve to 4-2 and clinch.
In the other match, Casademont Zaragoza will host Pszczolka Start Lublin. The Spanish club will finish in first place and the Polish club will rank last regardless of the result.
Group A
Wednesday
Bakken Bears – Iberostar Tenerife (18:00 CET)
Galatasaray – Dinamo Sassari (18:00 CET)
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
ERA Nymburk – Tofas Bursa (18:30 CET)
Keravnos – JDA Dijon (18:30 CET)
Standings
1. ERA Nymburk 9 (4-1)
2. Tofas Bursa 8 (3-2)
3. JDA Dijon 8 (3-2)
4. x-Keravnos 5 (0-5)
Group C
Wednesday
Tsmoki-Minsk – AEK (18:30 CET)
Cholet – Hapoel Unet-Credit Holon (18:30 CET)
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
Tuesday
Nizhny Novgorod – Falco Szombathely (17:00 CET)
Casademont Zaragoza – Pszczolka Start Lublin (20:00 CET)
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
Standings
1. y-SIG Strasbourg 9 (4-1)
2. VEF Riga 8 (3-2)
3. Peristeri 7 (2-3)
4. x-Rytas Vilnius 6 (1-4)
Group F
Standings
1. y-Brose Bamberg 10 (5-0)
2. Pinar Karsiyaka 8 (3-2)
3. RETAbet Bilbao 7 (2-3)
4. x-Fortitudo Bologna 5 (0-5)
Group G
Standings
1. y-Turk Telekom 9 (4-1)
2. Igokea 8 (3-2)
3. Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem 7 (2-3)
4. x-Limoges CSP 6 (1-4)
Group H
Standings
1. y-Hereda San Pablo Burgos 9 (4-1)
2. y-Happy Casa Brindisi 9 (4-1)
3. x-Darussafaka Tekfen 6 (1-4)
4. x-Filou Oostende 6 (1-4)
y-clinched playoffs berth
x-eliminated
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League