By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
From Game 1 to Game 2 of the best-of-three series across the Quarterfinals field of the Basketball Champions League, two of the four visiting sides have yet to taste defeat away from home throughout the 2022-23 season.
The uncommon trend can keep Telekom Baskets Bonn alive and clinch a Final Four berth for Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem. But a demanding challenge lies ahead for both sides.
They have both won all six games on the road between the Regular Season and the Round of 16. Checking more Game 2 visitors, Unicaja is 5-1. Defending BCL champion Lenovo Tenerife sitting at a solid 3-3 is not equally successful but certainly a threat for any host. Except for Bonn, the remaining three teams have the chance to reach the Final Four with a possible sweep.
Game 2 of the best-of-three series leading to the Final Four switches to the opposite venues, therefore, sending the two undefeated teams and entourage away from home, maybe for the best. Actually enjoying homecourt perks, AEK, BAXI Manresa, and UCAM Murcia will be looking to force a Game 3, but SIG Strasbourg snatching the Game 1 win in the nearby visit to Bonn can complete the upset and eliminate Tuomas Iisalo’s side instead of returning to Telekom Dome. The great matchups promise more excitement.
Scrolling down, Eurohoops presents the away W-L tallies of all four Game 2 visitors from the Champions League to domestic competitions.
Basketball Champions League Playoffs Game 2 visitors
| Basketball Champions League Away W-L | Overall this season | |
| Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem | 6-0 | 16-2 |
| Telekom Baskets Bonn | 6-0 | 17-3 |
| Unicaja | 5-1 | 14-7 |
| Lenovo Tenerife | 3-3 | 12-9 |
Previous six-game winning streak
Mastermind Aleksandar Dzikic guided Hapoel Jerusalem to put on a defensive clinic and earn the 1-0 lead over AEK. The Pais Arena fans were once more terrific. However, Game 2 in Athens will be different with the opposing loyals making plenty of noise in Ano Liosia Olympic Hall.
Back in the 2018-19 season, the Israeli club launched yet another six-game winning streak on the road but failed to make it seven in a row. Taking down the Queen and reaching the Final Four would create the first seven-game streak in team history.
Overall this season, Hapoel Jerusalem has prevailed in 16 of the 18 away games, including the 9-2 run in Israel’s Winner League to finish the initial stage of the Regular Season in third place. Capturing the Migdal State Cup in Pais Arena was an added bonus boosting confidence for the rest of the season.
Must-win situation
Opposite to the remaining visiting sides of the Game 2 schedule, Bonn must keep winning on the road to avoid elimination. T.J. Shorts II and teammates will cross the border and in a relatively short distance of 334km will face Strasbourg at Rhenus Sport.
The six previous BCL visits of the season marked wins by a margin of at least seven points. However, this will be the first must-win situation.
Combined with domestic competitions, Bonn packed 17 wins in 20 away games. Sharing the lead in Germany’s easyCredit BBL with ALBA Berlin is the prize, apart from winning both Regular Season Group B and Round of 16 Group J.
Upping the game
Compared to the previous season and debuting in the Champions League, Unicaja went from a 2-5 record to five wins in six away games heading to Murcia. Calling it a massive improvement can be an understatement.
In the toughest domestic league all around Europe, the Malaga outfit has been taking names in Spain’s Liga Endesa as well. Also, the three wins in a neutral venue, Badalona, to lift the Copa del Rey trophy stretched from powerhouses FC Barcelona and Real Madrid to fellow BCL contender Tenerife in the final.
Not as spectacular
Tenerife’s 3-3 record in the Champions League and 12-9 overall seems underwhelming but is it, really? Similar to Jerusalem, Bonn, and Unicaja, it also won the group in both the Regular Season and Round of 16 and if not for the team based in Malaga would have one additional win and a domestic trophy in the display alongside the Basketball Champions League and FIBA Intercontinental Cup titles.
Txus Vidorreta’s side prevailed in 21 of the last 24 BCL contests, except for those three away losses. The streak includes the 2022 Final Four in Bilbao. But getting the job done in Manresa and skipping a do-or-die Game 3 is a whole different beast, considering the current conditions and last season’s runner-ups keen on giving it another go in Santiago Martin.