Basketball Champions League – Day 5 Preview

By John Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net Basketball Champions League Regular Season Gameday 5 is set to unfold on Tuesday and Wednesday. Making it to the playoffs is a common goal for most teams, other participating sides aim even higher towards the home-court advantage in spring. Iberostar Tenerife feels at home on the road but has an actual home challenge ahead, while ten players are off to hot shooting start with over 60% beyond the arc. Nicolas De Jong was the previous MVP of the Week. Aside exciting action and accomplishments, Dwayne Evans and Juvonte Reddic hope to extend Dinamo Sassari’s and Falco Szombahely’s early pushes. Below the preview of Basketball Champions League Gameday 5. Group A Standings 1. Turk Telekom 7 (3-1) 2. BAXI Manresa 7 (3-1) 3. Dinamo Sassari 7 (3-1) 4. SIG Strasbourg 6 (2-2) 5. Filou Oostende 6 (2-2) 6. UNET Holon 6 (2-2) 7. Polski Cukier Torun 5 (1-3) 8. Lietkabelis 4 (0-4) UNET Holon is shooting 45.4% from three-point range so far and is set to host BAXI Manresa in an important Group A affair. The hosts are 2-2, while the visitors will travel to Israel with a 3-1 W-L tally. Holon is also 3-3 domestically. Pedro Martinez’s side is 2-6 in the ACB. Despite leading the Champions League field with 378 points scored and 103 assists, Polski Cukier Torun is down 1-3 ahead of the road game against winless Lietkabelis. Domestically, the Polish team is 6-1. The home side of the Round 5 affair is 4-3 in LKL. Muhammed Baygul is among the two players with the league-leading 21 made free throws and Turk Telekom is 3-1 ahead of the home match versus Filou Oostende that sits at 2-2. In domestic league action, the Turkish team is 3-4 in Super Ligi and the Belgian side is 5-1 in EuroMillions Basketball League. Additionally Dinamo Sassari will face SIG Strasbourg. The Italian club is 3-1 over the 2-2 W-L record its opponents carry in the group, is 5-2 in LBA Serie A as well. Vincent Collet’s side is 3-5 in Jeep Elite Pro A. Gameday 5 schedule: Tuesday Lietkabelis – Polski Cukier Torun Wednesday Turk Telekom – Filou Oostende UNET Holon – BAXI Manresa Dinamo Sassari – SIG Strasbourg Group B Standings 1. Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem 8 (4-0) 2. AEK 7 (3-1) 3. RASTA Vechta 7 (3-1) 4. San Pablo Burgos 6 (2-2) 5. Anwil Wloclawek 5 (1-3) 6. Telenet Giants Antwerp 5 (1-3) 7. Teksut Bandirma 5 (1-3) 8. EB Pau-Lacq-Orthez 5 (1-3) Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem is dominating Group B so far and gearing up for the match opposite to EB Pau-Lacq-Orthez. Up 4-0 in BCL, 4-1 in Israel’s Super League, Oded Kattash’s squad will test its strength against the team sitting at 1-3 in the Basketball Champions League and 2-6 in the Jeep Elite Pro A. With Keith Langford averaging 21 points per game, AEK will host San Pablo Burgos. The Queen is 3-1 in the Basketball Champions League and 2-4 in Basket League. The Spanish team is 2-2 in the BCL, down 4-4 in the ACB following four consecutive losses. Don’t look away with RASTA Vechta gunning for a 4-1 start. The German side up 4-3 in easyCredit BBL behind a four-game winning streak will get Teskut Bandirma in Germany with the Turkish team 1-3 in the group, but 5-2 in Super Ligi. The other Gameday 5 affair has Anwil Wloclawek hosting Telenet Giants Antwerp. Both teams are 1-3 in the Basketball Champions League, but sit on a 5-2 PLK record and a 4-0 EuroMillions Basketball League W-L tally, respecively. Gameday 5 schedule: Tuesday RASTA Vechta – Teksut Bandirma EB Pau-Lacq-Orthez – Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem Wednesday AEK – San Pablo Burgos Anwil Wloclawek – Telenet Giants Antwerp Group C Standings 1. Iberostar Tenerife 8 (4-0) 2. ERA Nymburk 7 (3-1) 3. Nizhny Novgorod 7 (3-1) 4. Peristeri winmasters 6 (2-2) 5. Brose Bamberg 6 (2-2) 6. Gaziantep 5 (1-3) 7. VEF Riga 5 (1-3) 8. Mornar Bar 4 (0-4) ERA Nymburk, the best rebounding team of BCL so far, makes its way to Russia for a confrontation with Nizhny Novgorod. The winning side will secure a 4-1 start in Group C. The Czech Republic representative is 9-0 in NBL, while Zoran Lukic’s side is 3-2 in the VTB United League. Nymburk shares the lead in blocks with Peristeri winmasters that will go against Mornar Bar at Montenegro this week. The Greek team is 2-2 in BCL, 5-1 in Greece’s Basket League and recently made it to the Greek Cup semifinals. Its opposite is still in search for the first BCL win, but is 3-3 in the ABA League. Iberostar Tenerife is the last remaining unbeaten team of the group behind its league-leading 41 steals, will try for a 5-0 start facing Gaziantep at home. Txus Vidorreta’s squad is 5-3 in the ACB as well, while the Turkish team sits at 2-5 in Super Ligi. The other Round 5 tilt features Brose Bamberg at Latvia to collide with VEF Riga. The visitors are 2-2 in the group, 6-1 in easyCredit BBL, while their upcoming rivals are 1-3 in FIBA’s premier club competition and 7-0 in the Latvia-Estonian League. Gameday 5 schedule: Tuesday Mornar Bar – Peristeri winmasters Wednesday Nizhny Novgorod – ERA Nymburk VEF Riga – Brose Bamberg Iberostar Tenerife - Gaziantep Group D Standings 1. JDA Dijon 8 (4-0) 2. Neptunas 7 (3-1) 3. Telekom Baskets Bonn 6 (2-2) 4. Falco Szombathely 6 (2-2) 5. Casademont Zaragoza 6 (2-2) 6. Happy Casa Brindisi 6 (2-2) 7. Besiktas Sompo Sigorta 5 (1-3) 8. PAOK 4 (0-4) Undefeated JDA Dijon will visit Casademont Zaragoza that wants to improve to 3-2 in Group D. The French team is off to hot start in Jeep Elite Pro A as well with its 7-1 W-L tally. The hosts of the Gameday 5 tilt are 6-2 in ACB stirring a hot matchup. Neptunas Klaipeda is 3-1 in the group, will collide with 2-2 side Telekom Baskets Bonn in Germany. Fresh off its third straight LKL victory and improving to 5-4, the Lithuanian team wishes to build on its momentum, while its upcoming opponent is down 1-4 in easyCredit BBL. Besiktas Sompo Sigorta at 1-3 is set to host Falco Szombathely up 2-2. Dusko Ivanovic’s team recently fell to 2-5 in Super Ligi, while the Hungarian side is 5-0 domestically. On its part, PAOK down 0-4 will get Happy Casa Brindisi at Thessaloniki. A slightly better 2-4 Basket League tally does not improve the situation for the Greek club. The visitors are 2-2 in BCL, 6-2 in LBA Serie A. Gameday 5 schedule: Tuesday PAOK – Happy Casa Brindisi Besiktas Sompo Sigorta – Falco Szombathely Telekom Baskets Bonn – Neptunas Klaipeda Casademont Zaragoza – JDA Dijon