By Stefan Djordjevic/ info@eurohoops.net
Four teams managed to clinch a playoff spot last week and with four Gamedays remaining in the Basketball Champions League regular season, they will look to secure the best possible seed while the rest of the squads try to catch up.
This week, seven games are scheduled for Tuesday (15/1) while nine will be played out on Wednesday (16/1).
Day 11 Preview
Group A
| POSITION | TEAM | % VICTORY | GP | GW | GL | PTS + | PTS – | GA |
| 1 | UCAM Murcia | 90 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 780 | 700 | 1.1142 |
| 2 | Sidigas Avellino | 70 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 845 | 831 | 1.0168 |
| 3 | Banvit | 60 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 812 | 743 | 1.0928 |
| 4 | Nizhny Novgorod | 50 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 804 | 781 | 1.0294 |
| 5 | Anwil Wloclawek | 40 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 796 | 816 | 0.9754 |
| 6 | Le Mans | 40 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 722 | 757 | 0.9537 |
| 7 | Ventspils | 30 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 776 | 836 | 0.9282 |
| 8 | MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg | 20 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 761 | 832 | 0.9146 |
Group A will kick off the week with Ventspils hosting Le Mans. Both squads are in a fairly good form but the French side has some trouble away from home as they won just two out of last ten road games in all competitions.
The schedule will continue on Wednesday as Nizhny clashes with Banvit which is in a convincing four-game winning streak, unlike the hosts who lost their last two games.
Anwil needs a win in order to catch Nizhny in the playoff race but on their doorstep arrives Ludwigsburg which comes off a strong win against Bayreuth in the domestic league.
Last Group A game this week will be the fight between Avellino and Murcia, the top two teams in the group. The Spaniards have already secured a playoff spot but will look to cement their number one position before it starts. However, it won’t be an easy task against Avellino which won seven straight matches.
Group B
| POSITION | TEAM | % VICTORY | GP | GW | GL | PTS + | PTS – | GA |
| 1 | Iberostar Tenerife | 90 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 816 | 673 | 1.2124 |
| 2 | Umana Reyer Venezia | 70 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 860 | 803 | 1.0709 |
| 3 | PAOK | 60 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 803 | 765 | 1.0496 |
| 4 | Hapoel Holon | 60 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 826 | 800 | 1.0325 |
| 5 | Nanterre | 50 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 834 | 744 | 1.1209 |
| 6 | Telekom Baskets Bonn | 40 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 822 | 886 | 0.9277 |
| 7 | Fribourg Olympic | 20 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 780 | 873 | 0.8934 |
| 8 | Opava | 10 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 734 | 931 | 0.7883 |
Bonn played one of the worst games in club history last week as Nanterre won with a 47-point margin but their chance at redemption comes against Fribourg and in front of the home crowd. However, they will have to find an answer for Babacar Toure who is averaging a double-double this season in BCL.
Next up, Tenerife hosts Venezia as they try to record their fifth straight win in all competitions and secure the number one spot in group B.
Opava has lost all the chances at a playoff ticket but will try to qualify for FIBA Europe Cup. Their way comes Holon which will fight to keep Nanterre of their back and get ahead of PAOK in the playoff race.
The above-mentioned squads are the ones playing the last game in this group in France. Nanterre managed to get a big win against Bonn and after that beat ASVEL in the domestic league. PAOK also has some good results as they won three in a row and the last one against Peristeri, the third team in the Greek League.
Group C
| POSITION | TEAM | % VICTORY | GP | GW | GL | PTS + | PTS – | GA |
| 1 | Hapoel Jerusalem | 80 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 875 | 764 | 1.1452 |
| 2 | AEK Athens | 80 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 802 | 755 | 1.0622 |
| 3 | Brose Bamberg | 70 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 836 | 800 | 1.045 |
| 4 | Antwerp Giants | 50 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 814 | 805 | 1.0111 |
| 5 | Lietkabelis | 30 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 748 | 779 | 0.9602 |
| 6 | Dijon | 30 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 757 | 795 | 0.9522 |
| 7 | CEZ Nymburk | 30 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 770 | 822 | 0.9367 |
| 8 | Fuenlabrada | 30 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 758 | 840 | 0.9023 |
Hapoel has scored more points per game (87.5) and grabbed more rebounds per game (43.7) than any other team this season in BCL. They’ve lost just one of their last eight games while Fuenlabrada, vice versa, won just one of the last eight.
Antwerp has two wins more than the four teams out of the playoff picture and will try to keep the distance against Nymburk squad which won five straight games in all competitions.
Lietkabelis will host Bamberg as both teams have had their ups and downs recently. However, the Germans arrive with a new head coach and aren’t under major pressure as they need just one more win to secure a playoff spot while the hosts trail behind and must use every shot at victory.
The reigning champion AEK secured the playoff ticket and will host Dijon which arrives off a big win over Strasbourg in the domestic league. The ‘Queen’ needs this win as they race with Hapoel for the first spot of Group C.
Group D
| POSITION | TEAM | % VICTORY | GP | GW | GL | PTS + | PTS – | GA |
| 1 | Virtus Segafredo Bologna | 80 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 862 | 771 | 1.1180 |
| 2 | Promitheas | 70 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 832 | 810 | 1.0271 |
| 3 | Strasbourg | 60 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 763 | 744 | 1.0255 |
| 4 | Besiktas S.J. | 50 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 761 | 774 | 0.9832 |
| 5 | BC Oostende | 50 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 753 | 808 | 0.9319 |
| 6 | Medi Bayreuth | 40 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 784 | 763 | 1.0275 |
| 7 | Neptunas | 40 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 829 | 834 | 0.9940 |
| 8 | Petrol Olimpjia | 10 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 760 | 840 | 0.9047 |
The first clash this week in Group D features two squads not to keen on jumping. Besiktas has grabbed less offensive rebounds (67) and Promitheas Patras have grabbed less defensive rebounds (211) than any other team in BCL this season.
Strasbourg and Neptunas clash in France and both squads are trying to recover from losses on all fronts. The French side more so as they lost last four games while Neptunas fell twice by a close margin.
Next up, Bayreuth and Bologna. This is the only group in which teams didn’t secure a spot in the playoffs but the Italians might do just that if they win and the rest of the games go their way.
The last game of the day will be played out between Olimpija and Oostende. The Slovenian squad must win this match in order to keep any hope of qualifying for the playoffs or the FIBA Europe Cup. They come off a win over Mega Bemax in the ABA League and Oostende is the only team they’ve beaten so far in the BCL. Maybe it’s time for a repeat?
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League