By Stefan Djordjevic/ info@eurohoops.net
Seven teams have secured a playoff ticket but there are nine more left as the race heats up with two Gamedays remaining in Basketball Champions League regular season.
The games will be split equally this week as usual with eight scheduled for Tuesday (29/1) and eight more for Wednesday (30/1).
Day 13 Preview
Group A
| Position | Team | % Victory | GP | GW | GL | PTS + | PTS – | GA |
| 1 | UCAM Murcia | 91.67 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 921 | 827 | 1.1136 |
| 2 | Banvit | 66.67 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 983 | 903 | 1.0885 |
| 3 | Sidigas Avellino | 58.33 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 990 | 990 | 1 |
| 4 | Nizhny Novgorod | 41.67 | 12 | 5 | 7 | 950 | 945 | 1.0052 |
| 5 | Ventspils | 41.67 | 12 | 5 | 7 | 963 | 994 | 0.9688 |
| 6 | Le Mans | 41.67 | 12 | 5 | 7 | 888 | 919 | 0.9662 |
| 7 | Anwil Wloclawek | 33.33 | 12 | 4 | 8 | 940 | 981 | 0.9582 |
| 8 | MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg | 25 | 12 | 3 | 9 | 929 | 1005 | 0.9243 |
Nizhny and Ventspils will kickstart the week in Russia as both squads stand at a 5-7 record and are fighting directly for the advantage in the playoff race. Ventspils arrives off five straight wins in all competitions while had some ups and downs recently.
Next up, Murcia will host Ludwigsburg. The German team lost all chances for the playoffs but since Murcia already secured the first spot in the group and replaced the head coach, there might be room for a surprise.
On Wednesday, Anwil takes on Banvit as they try to stay alive in the playoff race while Banvit looks to secure the second spot in the group. The Turks are in excellent form as they’ve won seven games straight in all competitions.
For the last game in this group, Avellino will clash with Le Mans in front of the home crowd. Avellino faces some trouble recently due to injuries but Keifer Sykes stepped up, and now that Caleb Green is back, it would be a surprise if the Italians didn’t secure the well-deserved playoff ticket.
Group B
| Position | Team | % Victory | GP | GW | GL | PTS + | PTS – | GA |
| 1 | Iberostar Tenerife | 83.33 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 982 | 830 | 1.1831 |
| 2 | Umana Reyer Venezia | 66.67 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 1009 | 954 | 1.0576 |
| 3 | Nanterre | 58.33 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 1005 | 895 | 1.1229 |
| 4 | PAOK | 58.33 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 966 | 887 | 1.0890 |
| 5 | Hapoel Holon | 58.33 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 1000 | 952 | 1.0504 |
| 6 | Telekom Baskets Bonn | 41.67 | 12 | 5 | 7 | 958 | 1025 | 0.9346 |
| 7 | Fribourg Olympic | 25 | 12 | 3 | 9 | 931 | 1028 | 0.9056 |
| 8 | Opava | 8.33 | 12 | 1 | 11 | 841 | 1121 | 0.7502 |
Bonn and Holon will start the fun for group B and an effective game is to be expected. Both are among the six teams which scored 1000+ points in BCL this season. Bonn doesn’t have any room for mistakes if they want to reach the playoffs while Holon is in a better situation but won’t allow themselves to fall behind.
PAOK will travel to Switzerland to clash with Fribourg and go ahead in the playoff race. The Greek squad plays very good recently and are arriving off a win over AEK in the domestic league. Fribourg, on the other hand, is out of the playoffs and anything but PAOK’s win would be quite unexpected.
Nanterre holds a 7-5 record together with PAOK and Holon, and their next opponent is Venezia. The French side wants to pull ahead in the playoff fight but Venezia is not safe yet and wishes to secure the playoffs and the second spot in group B.
Tenerife will host Opava, the first-placed vs. the last-placed, the team with second-best margin in the competition (152) vs. the team with the worst margin (-280). Tenerife is the clear favorite here and anything but a dominant win would be a major surprise.
Group C
| Position | Team | % Victory | GP | GW | GL | PTS + | PTS – | GA |
| 1 | Hapoel Jerusalem | 83.33 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 1077 | 921 | 1.1693 |
| 2 | AEK Athens | 83.33 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 972 | 893 | 1.0884 |
| 3 | Brose Bamberg | 66.67 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 985 | 962 | 1.0239 |
| 4 | Antwerp Giants | 50 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 977 | 959 | 1.0187 |
| 5 | Lietkabelis | 33.33 | 12 | 4 | 8 | 923 | 945 | 0.9767 |
| 6 | Dijon | 33.33 | 12 | 4 | 8 | 912 | 966 | 0.9440 |
| 7 | CEZ Nymburk | 25 | 12 | 3 | 9 | 922 | 1018 | 0.9056 |
| 8 | Fuenlabrada | 25 | 12 | 3 | 9 | 917 | 1021 | 0.8981 |
The first game of group C features Lietkabelis and AEK. The Lithuanian hosts are trying to stay alive in the playoff race while AEK aims for the first spot in the group. One of the main factors will be AEK’s Vince Hunter who has averaged 20.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game in his last nine BCL appearances.
Next up, Nymburk and Fuenlabrada. Both squads are out of the playoffs with 3-9 records but will look for a win to boost their confidence, especially Fuenlabrada which won just two out of the last 15 games in all competitions.
Antwerp will host Dijon and the win would send the Belgian team to playoffs while Dijon must win in order to keep playoff chances alive. Antwerp added Trevor Thompson to the roster who will debut in BCL this week as he joins his former teammate Jae’Sean Tate.
On Wednesday, Hapoel will clash with Bamberg as both squads try to secure the best possible spot in front of the playoffs. Hapoel has been in a great form although they lost in the domestic league against Ironi Nahariya while Bamberg won their last three games.
Group D
| Position | Team | % Victory | GP | GW | GL | PTS + | PTS – | GA |
| 1 | Virtus Segafredo Bologna | 75 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 1025 | 925 | 1.1081 |
| 2 | Promitheas | 66.67 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 983 | 970 | 1.0134 |
| 3 | Besiktas S.J. | 58.33 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 928 | 918 | 1.0108 |
| 4 | BC Oostende | 58.33 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 906 | 939 | 0.9648 |
| 5 | Neptunas | 50 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 1001 | 988 | 1.0131 |
| 6 | Strasbourg | 50 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 907 | 911 | 0.9956 |
| 7 | Medi Bayreuth | 33.33 | 12 | 4 | 8 | 929 | 938 | 0.9904 |
| 8 | Petrol Olimpjia | 8.33 | 12 | 1 | 11 | 903 | 993 | 0.9093 |
Besiktas and Oostende kickstart group D schedule as they are both at a 7-5 record and fight for a playoff ticket. A lot will depend on Jason Rich who has averaged 19.6 points per game in his last five BCL appearances.
Next up, Strasbourg and Bologna. The French are facing some hardship lately but have to find a way to bounce back in order to reach the playoffs. Bologna already secured a playoff ticket but aims for the first spot in the group and need this win to do it.
Promitheas hosts Neptunas as they chase Bologna at the first spot but the guests want this win to keep the playoff chances alive. Both squads arrive off a winning streak and this game could go either way.
Last game belongs to Bayreuth and Olimpija. Both squads are out of the playoffs and both squads have been in quite a bad form recently. The Germans lost six in a row while Olimpija won just one game in the same span.
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League