By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
The 2022-23 Basketball Champions League Regular Season is heading towards its hottest stage, with several teams fighting to advance to the Round of 16. In Week 8, two of them managed to do so.
In Group A, Luca Banchi’s SIG Strasbourg keeps on winning in both Europe and France, extending its winning streak to five consecutive games. The 82-70 victory against UCAM Murcia means first spot and ticket to the next round. In Hungary, instead, Falco Szombathely says goodbye to the competition after losing 77-64 by the hands of Tofas Bursa and of Berk Ugurlu’s double-double.
The other team which managed to qualify in Week 8 is in Group B. Telekom Baskets Bonn, dragged by its superstar TJ Shorts II, who became the only player ever to score 25 or more points in five consecutive BCL games, overcame Pinar Karsiyaka on the road to book a direct flight to the Round of 16. In Greece, after that AEK fans beat up fifteen Italian supporters before the tip-off, the black-and-yellow team won 68-59 against Reggio Emilia.
In Group C, things are getting spicy. Joe Ragland wrote history by becoming the player with the most assists in a single game (18) and in a single calendar year (158) in the BCL against Legia Warszawa. But the upset came from Istanbul, where Galatasaray got suprised by Filou Oostende and Keye van der Vuurst de Vries’s late three-pointer.
To sum it up, in Group F the newly arrived SL Benfica is shining. The Portoguese team took the lead after beating and eliminating VEF Riga from the competition. BAXI Manresa, instead, lost at home against Limoges CSP and will now fight to not find itself in the difficult Play-Ins.
Basketball Champions League Regular Season standings and Week 8 results:
Group A
Falco Vulcano Szombathely – Tofas Bursa 64-77
SIG Strasbourg – UCAM Murcia 82-70
Standings
1. y-SIG Strasbourg 9 (4-1)
2. UCAM Murcia 8 (3-2)
3. Tofas Bursa 7 (2-3)
4. Falco Vulcano Szombathely 6 (1-4)
Group B
Pinar Karsiyaka – Telekom Baskets Bonn 80-89
AEK – UNAHOTELS Reggio Emilia 68-59
Standings
1. y-Telekom Baskets Bonn 9 (4-1)
2. AEK 7 (2-3)
3. Pinar Karsiyaka 7 (2-3)
4. UNAHOTELS Reggio Emilia 7 (2-3)
Group C
Galatasaray Nef – Filou Oostende 85-91
Hapoel Atsmon Holon – Legia Warszawa 101-79
Standings
1. Hapoel Atsmon Holon 9 (4-1)
2. Galatasaray Nef 8 (3-2)
3. Filou Oostende 7 (2-3)
4. Legia Warszawa 6 (1-4)
Group D
Standings
1. Surne Bilbao 7 (3-1)
2. Bahcesehir Koleji 6 (2-2)
3. Igokea m:tel 6 (2-2)
4. ERA Nymburk 5 (1-3)
Group E
Standings
1. MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg 7 (3-1)
2. Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem 7 (3-1)
3. Darussafaka 6 (2-2)
4. Bakken Bears 4 (0-4)
Group F
Benfica – VEF Riga 84-71
BAXI Manresa – Limoges CSP 77-88
Standings
1. Benfica 9 (4-1)
2. BAXI Manresa 8 (3-2)
3. Limoges CSP 7 (2-3)
4. VEF Riga 6 (1-4)
Group G
Standings
1. y-Unicaja 8 (4-0)
2. JDA Dijon 6 (2-2)
3. PAOK mateco 5 (1-3)
4. Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari 5 (1-3)
Group H
Standings
1. Lenovo Tenerife 7 (3-1)
2. Rytas Vilnius 6 (2-2)
3. Peristeri bwin 6 (2-2)
4. Bnei Ofek Dist Herzliya 5 (1-3)
*Top team of each group advances to the Round of 16
*Second- and third-placed teams of each group advance to Play-Ins
PHOTO CREDIT: Basketball Champions League