By Stefan Djordjevic/ info@eurohoops.net
After five Gamedays of action, the Basketball Champions League doesn’t stop to amaze. Only one week didn’t feature an exciting overtime thriller while new faces regularly rise up to the challenge and try to steal the spotlight from the well-known and experienced veterans.
It’s time for the BCL Gameday 6 and as usual, the games will be divided between Tuesday (12/11) and Wednesday (13/11).
Day 6 Preview
Group A
1. UCAM Murcia (5-0)
2. Sidigas Avellino (4-1)
3. Banvit (3-2)
4. Nizhny Novgorod (2-3)
5. Anwil (2-3)
6. Le Mans (2-3)
7. Ventspils (2-3)
8. Ludwigsburg (0-5)
The first game of Day 5 will feature Banvit and Anwil as the Turkish team tries to keep their home court unscathed. A highly effective game is expected as both team harbor a fast playstyle. Banvit has scored 22.2 points per game in fast break situations (more than any other team) while Anwil scored at least 93 points in all three of the away games.
Another game for Group A will be played on Tuesday as winless Ludwigsburg hosts undefeated Murcia. The German squad lost ten games in a row before beating Ulm in the domestic league. They might’ve gotten some confidence boost but will it be enough to beat the perfect Spaniards?
On Wednesday, Ventspils will clash against Nizhny Novgorod and both teams arrive in a good mood. They won both their last BCL and domestic league games.
Last game in the group will be Avellino squad traveling to France for the match against Le Mans. Just one of the last ten games the Italian team played saw a double-digit margin and two featured overtimes. Will they treat the crowd with another exciting finish?
Group B
1. Iberostar Tenerife (5-0)
2. Umana Reyer Venezia (4-1)
3. UNET Holon (3-2)
4. Nanterre 92 (2-3)
5. PAOK (2-3)
6. Telekom Baskets Bonn (2-3)
7. Fribourg Olympic (1-4)
8. Opava (1-4)
Holon will host Bonn for the first game of Group B as they look to stay perfect on the home court (3-0). They’ve won all home games with an average margin of 14.7 and Bonn will be just another victim unless they step up on the defensive end (they allow opponents to score 53% of their field goals).
Next up is the clash between Venezia and Nanterre. Both teams lost just one out of five games in all competitions and although the Italians are ranked better, Nanterre has improved their performance significantly. They posted 85 points on average in their last three games (in comparison to 62.5 before) and their x-factor might be Haukur Palsson who scored 68.2% of his three-point attempts so far (15/22), the best scoring ratio among all players.
Opava will try to make an upset as they host Tenerife on Wednesday but the Spaniards are undoubtedly the favorites. They won all five of their BCL games and have done so by a total margin of 98 points, the highest among all teams so far.
PAOK and Fribourg will play the last game for Group B this week in Greece. The Greek team is in a four-game winning streak in all competitions and have lost only one game this season on the home court. Fribourg, on the other hand, arrives off two straight losses.