By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
As you can see in the explanation for the draw procedure, teams from Pot 3 and Pot 4 will play the first game at home.
In theory teams from Pot 4 which will compete against the top teams of the regular season are in real trouble and also those from Pot 3 have to exceed expectations. However, in some cases, things are simply not that clear.
An underdog has already a fighting chance and this can be even more obvious when those teams despite not having the best of regular seasons, have all the assets in order to surprise anyone. So here are three teams that should not be considered easy prey.
PAOK (Pot 3)
After a rough start in the season, PAOK is proving to be ready to produce its best basketball in the most important time of the year. Despite having a modest budget and fewer marquee names than AEK, the team is currently sixth in the Greek league and managed to close the regular season in the Basketball Champions League with a 5-1 record. They beat Ventslips on the road by 21 points in order to secure qualification on the last day of the regular season and this may be a sign of things to come.
PAOK is coached by Ilias Papatheodorou, the coach of the Greek U20 national team which won the recent European championship and includes two key members of this team, Vasilis Charalampopoulos and Antonis Koniaris. It’s obvious that both the club and the players are on the rise.
Medi Bayreuth (Pot 4)
After losing to AEK, medi Bayreuth dropped to 4th spot in Group C and now they have to face Monaco, Tenerife or Besiktas.
With that being said, the Germans should not be overlooked. They are currently fourth in the German BBL with a 14-6 record and the players of coach Raoul Korner have proven that they know how to win. After all, they were defeated just by two points in Athens and an 8-6 record in any other regular season group in the Basketball Champions League may have given them a spot in the third pot. At least on paper, they are the strongest team of Pot 4.