By Antigoni Zachari / info@eurohoops.net
The first five rounds of the 2020-21 7DAYS EuroCup season are in the books and it’s time to evaluate all 20 teams again to see where they stand in comparison to Vol. 1 of the Power Rankings.
To do so, we will take into account their respective progress, current standings, and their overall dynamic in the games which have been played.
#20 Slask Wroclaw
Previous ranking: #20 (-)
Record: 0-5
Home: 0-2
Away: 0-3
Offense – Defense: 70.4 – 82.4
After five rounds, the Polish team remains the only winless team in the competition, despite putting up a fight against some of the strongest teams. The most characteristic example of their resilience was their game against Boulogne on the road, in which they led in the second half, though they couldn’t resist the French team’s comeback.
#19 Dolomiti Energia Trento
Previous ranking: #13 (-6)
Record: 1-4
Home: 1-2
Away: 0-2
Offense – Defense: 67.8 – 82
Trento was faced with four consecutive defeats though managed to turn over a new page before the break, as they got away with an overtime victory against Slask at home. Defensive struggles have been plaguing the Italians so far and they have a very packed schedule ahead.
#18 JL Bourg
Previous ranking: #17 (-1)
Record: 1-4
Home: 1-1
Away: 0-3
Offense – Defense: 75.4- 80.4
Bourg nearly “stole” a W against Valencia in Round 5, but Sam Van Rossom’s experience prevented another upset. The French team’s brightest night so far has been a 30-point win over Promitheas in Round 3, though they collapsed in Round 4 against Gran Canaria, where they scored just 49 points. This inconsistent outlook is showing in their results, although they have proved to be a significant opponent.
#17 Hamburg Towers
Previous ranking: #17 (+1)
Record: 1-4
Home: 0-3
Away: 1-1
Offense – Defense: 85.2 – 93.2
The debutants set the mood since Round 1, when they poured in 97 points against Partizan. Although they couldn’t come away with an upset, they are one of the most dangerous underdogs in EuroCup this season, with a noteworthy offensive-defensive rating. Their sole win came once again after a shootout, as they edged Lietkabelis 100-96 on the road in Round 4.
#16 Promitheas Patras
Previous ranking: #14 (-2)
Record: 2-3
Home: 1-1
Away: 1-2
Offense – Defense: 72.8 – 80.4
Promitheas had a far from the ideal start to the new season, which resulted in a quick head coach change, with Luis Casimiro replaced by Elias Zouros on the team’s bench. So far, this seems to be working in their favor, as they have won their last two games, bouncing back from three consecutive defeats.
#15 ratiopharm Ulm
Previous ranking: #16 (+1)
Record: 2-3
Home: 1-3
Away: 1-1
Offense – Defense: 73.4 – 78.2
Ulm had a rough start into the new season with back-to-back defeats to Buducnost and Virtus Bologna, though the tide turned and the German team won two straight, both at home and on the road. Their sole road win came after a rare and epic double-overtime battle against Cedevita, paced by Jaron Blossomgame’s heroics, which earned him the Round 4 MVP honor.
#14 Cedevita Olimpija Ljulbljana
Previous ranking: #9 (-5)
Record: 2-3
Home: 1-1
Away: 1-2
Offense – Defense: 77 – 82.2
So far, Cedevita is a team of opposite speeds. After delivering an upset to Gran Canaria on the road and outlasting JL Bourg at home, it all went downhill. The latest example of this inconsistency was their derby against fellow ABA League competitors Buducnost, in which they were completely overpowered.
#13 Lietkabelis Panavezys
Previous ranking: #19 (+6)
Record: 2-3
Home: 0-2
Away: 2-1
Offense – Defense: 80.8 – 77.8
Perhaps the team that has exceeded expectations the most this season, though that’s not quite visible yet in their current record. Lietkabelis put up a fight against two strong suitors for the title, Lokomotiv and Partizan. They only lost by one point against the Russians and by seven against Zeljko Obradovic’s squad on the road. Gediminas Orelik showed that he can be a real threat from the three-point line and so can Panagiotis Kalaitzakis, who is on the rise this season with
#12 Frutti Extra Bursaspor
Previous ranking: #15 (+3)
Record: 2-3
Home: 1-2
Away: 1-1
Offense – Defense: 77.6 – 80
Allerik Freeman has given Bursaspor the needed boost to compete in a challenging Group B, and so far the results are convincing, bearing in mind the depth and strength of their opponents. After a tough defeat to Virtus Bologna in the opener, Bursaspor emerged with back-to-back wins, though lost its last two games with a margin of three and nine points respectively against Promitheas and Gran Canaria. They will face JL Bourg when action returns in December, and they have a good chance to stand out in the 2-3 pack of Group B if they hold it together in France.
#11 Umana Reyer Venice
Previous ranking: #10 (-1)
Record: 2-3
Home: 1-1
Away: 1-2
Offense – Defense: 73.4 – 73
Reyer was the first team to stop the furious Buducnost squad, an upset that helped them rise up to the middle of Group B. Their offense and defense are pretty balanced that this point, with a slight edge to the former. Mitchell Watt and Austin Daye serve as the top-scoring duo for the Italians, and long-term Venezia resident Stefano Tonut provides for his team when needed.
#10 Turk Telekom Ankara
Previous ranking: #11 (+1)
Record: 3-2
Home: 3-0
Away: 0-2
Offense – Defense: 75.2 -76.8
Turk Telekom’s solid frontcourt shined as they took down Lokomotiv in the last round before the break, but that has been the case all season long. Former Olympiacos teammates Aaron Harrison and Octavius Ellis keep getting the job done for the Turkish team upon its return to the competition and are just one win away from Group A leaders. The addition of Anthony Clemmons to Burak Goren’s roster could really be a game-changer. Once they start picking up wins on the road, as well, we can talk about a strong playoffs contender.
#9 MoraBanc Andorra
Previous ranking: #12 (+3)
Record: 3-2
Home: 2-0
Away: 1-2
Offense – Defense: 81 – 81.4
In a recent blog, Oriol Paul said that Andorra “will go far”. And for sure, we have to admit that this is a team that has also exceeded expectations. Their upset against Partizan has been their brightest moment of the season, in a slow-tempo game that was unlike both teams. Codi Miller-McIntyre proved to be a key addition to the squad and Drew Crawford joins him to create a solid backcourt duo.
#8 Boulogne Metropolitans 92
Previous ranking: #6 (-2)
Record: 3-2
Home: 2-0
Away: 1-2
Offense – Defense: 84.6 – 83.8
Vincent Collet has found a leader in Will Cummings as expected and Boulogne is going upwards. They grabbed back-to-back wins in the last two rounds, bouncing back from a defeat against Lokomotiv. The two reasons that made them lose some ground in comparison to the initial rankings are the rise of other teams and their slight difficulty on the defensive end.
#7 Valencia Basket
Previous ranking: #3 (-4)
Record: 3-2
Home: 2-1
Away: 1-1
Offense – Defense: 89.2 – 86.8
Valencia started this season as strong favorites and maybe the pressure has taken a toll. For sure they can’t be ruled out for the title, they are just not at the right momentum at this time of the season. After back-to-back defeats to Buducnost and Gran Canaria by just a point difference, they turned the tide to beat Virtus Bologna and JL Bourg with hard-fought efforts. However, a big question mark for Joan Penarroya’s team is their defensive struggles.
#6 Buducnost VOLI Podgorica
Previous ranking: #8 (+2)
Record: 4-1
Home: 3-0
Away: 1-1
Offense – Defense: 80.2 – 74.4
The Montenegrin squad has been quite a revelation and currently holds the best record in the league among four more teams. After beating favorites Valencia and Virtus at home, they suffered an “unexpected” defeat to Reyer (given their momentum), from which they bounced back in the best way possible. Veteran Justin Cobbs went off for a career-high game in Round 5 to keep Cedevita at bay.