By Antigoni Zachari / info@eurohoops.net
Week 7 of the Basketball Champions League tips off Monday and includes eight contests all around the Old Continent, with Groups C, D, G, and H on the spotlight and several teams with their backs against the wall.
Speaking of which, former champions AEK will seek to pick up their first win of the season in BCL against VEF Riga at home, in the Game of the Week. This will be a rematch of their November 3rd meeting in Riga when the hosts got away with a 92-76 victory. AEK looks not only to get its first win, but also snap back from its worst start in the BCL ever. VEF, on the other hand will seek to win this pairing in Athens, as the aforementioned clash marks their sole victory of this campaign.
Group D action will be concluded on Wednesday when undefeated Nutribullet Treviso is called to keep its place at the top intact against their strongest suitors, Falco Szombathely.
Unicaja wants to keep its perfect record in Group C when visiting JDA Dijon on Tuesday and sweep the series against the French after a dominant display at home on November 1st. On the other end of this group, Nizhny Novgorod is desperate to grab a win into the new season and will attempt to do so against a well-paced Lavrio which has only lost to Unicaja back in October.
All odds are open for Group G, though one thing is for certain: Happy Casa Brindisi needs a victory against Darussafaka, as much as their Turkish counterparts do. Brindisi is still winless, while Darussafaka will try and rise up in the pack, hoping to grab the second place of the group this week. That can only happen if Hapoel U-NET Holon keeps up its perfect record when they face U-BT Cluj Napoca on Wednesday.
Wednesday will also be a key date for Group H with both contests taking place on the same day. Hereda San Pablo Burgos parted ways with head coach Zan Tabak, and is called to get a positive result in Germany against EWE Baskets Oldenburg. The battle for the top in this group won’t be determined until December, though Besiktas Icrybex will seek to bounce back from their previous defeat when they face win-starved Rytas Vilnius on the road.
Basketball Champions League Regular Season Week 7 schedule:
Group A
Standings:
- MHP Riesen 7 (3-1)
- Lenovo Tenerife 7 (3-1)
- Prometey 5 (1-3)
- Banco di Sardegna Sassari 5 (1-3)
Group B
Standings:
- Baxi Manresa 8 (4-0)
- Pinar Karsiyaka 6 (2-2)
- Arged BM Stal Ostrow Wielkopolski 5 (1-3)
- Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem 5 (1-3)
Group C
Tuesday
JDA Dijon – Unicaja (20:30 CET)
Wednesday
Nizhny Novgorod – Lavrio Megabolt (17:00 CET)
Standings:
- Unicaja 6 (3-0)
- Lavrio Megabolt 5 (2-1)
- JDA Dijon 4 (1-2)
- Nizhny Novgorod 3 (0-3)
Group D
Monday
AEK – VEF Riga (18:30 CET)
Wednesday
Falco Szombathely – Nutribullet Treviso (18:00 CET)
Standings:
- Nutribullet Treviso 6 (3-0)
- Falco Szombathely 5 (2-1)
- VEF Riga 4 (1-2)
- AEK 3 (0-3)
Group E
Standings:
- Galatasaray Nef 7 (3-1)
- PAOK mateco 6 (2-2)
- ERA Nymburk 6 (2-2)
- Igokea 5 (1-3)
Group F
Standings:
- Tofas Bursa 7 (3-1)
- SIG Strasbourg 6 (2-2)
- Filou Oostende 6 (2-2)
- Kalev/Cramo 5 (1-3)
Group G
Tuesday
Happy Casa Brindisi – Darussafaka (20:30 CET)
Wednesday
U-BT Cluj Napoca – Hapoel U-NET Holon (18:30 CET)
Standings:
- U-BT Cluj Napoca 5 (2-1)
- Hapoel U-NET Holon 4 (2-0)
- Darussafaka 3 (1-1)
- Happy Casa Brindisi 3 (0-3)
Group H
Wednesday
Rytas Vilnius – Besiktas Icrypex (18:30 CET)
EWE Baskets Oldenburg – Hereda San Pablo Burgos (20:00 CET)
Standings:
- Hereda San Pablo Burgos 5 (2-1)
- Besiktas Icrypex 5 (2-1)
- EWE Baskets Oldenburg 4 (1-2)
- Rytas Vilnius 4 (1-2)
Photo: BCL