By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Hunting for a berth in the Quarterfinals of the Basketball Champions League extends to Gameday 5 of the Round of 16.
Likely to produce the first team or teams securing a ticket to the next round, the next batch of exciting contests are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. If pieces fall in a specific order, then the entire field of eight teams can be revealed until Wednesday evening.
Eight out of the sixteen remaining BCL contenders have placed themselves in a position to potentially progress to the Quarterfinals in Gameday 5.
Eurohoops presents clinching scenarios across the eight games to be played all around Europe next week.
Group I
| W-L | PTS | |
| Unicaja | 4-0 | 8 |
| Tofas | 2-2 | 6 |
| Cholet | 2-2 | 6 |
| SIG Strasbourg | 0-4 | 4 |
Reaching the Quarterfinals for the third year in a row, Unicaja does not even need to win. Riding a perfect 4-0 record, the team coached by Ibon Navarro can advance by overpowering Tofas in Bursa on Wednesday. In case of a loss, SIG Strasbourg defeating Cholet in Rhenus Sport would clinch a berth for the Malaga outfit later Wednesday night.
Invested heavily, the Turkish club requires a win and Strasbourg to take down Cholet in the battle of teams from France’s Betclic Elite to progress on a 3-2 record and favorable tiebreaker.
Currently tied with Tofas at 2-2, Cholet needs to win if the team based in Bursa defeats Unicaja to avoid elimination for a second straight week.
At 0-4, the fellow French club only hopes for two wins paired with two wins for Unicaja and edging out Tofas and Cholet in a projected three-way tie to salvage a berth in the Quarterfinals.
Group J
| W-L | PTS | |
| Telekom Baskets Bonn | 3-1 | 7 |
| MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg | 3-1 | 7 |
| JDA Dijon | 1-3 | 5 |
| Galatasaray Ekmas | 1-3 | 5 |
Defending champion Telekom Baskets Bonn can make it through with a home win versus JDA Dijon on Tuesday. A loss of up to nine points could be clinching if MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg knocked out Galatasaray Ekmas in Sinan Erdem Dome a few hours earlier.
Tied with easyCredit BBL rival at 3-1, Ludwigsburg clinches a spot in the Quarterfinals with a win in Istanbul or with a loss up to 19 points if Bonn defeats Dijon.
At 1-3, Galatasaray and Dijon need to avoid the above scenarios to extend the race into Gameday 6.
Group K
| W-L | PTS | |
| Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem | 3-1 | 7 |
| Lenovo Tenerife | 3-1 | 7 |
| Pinar Karsiyaka | 1-3 | 5 |
| Peristeri bwin | 1-3 | 5 |
Similar to the German sides in Group J, Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem and Lenovo Tenerife both enjoy a two-game advantage over their opponents in Group K.
The Israeli club faces Peristeri bwin in Szombathely’s Arena Savaria and can progress to the next stage with a win against the team coached by Vassilis Spanoulis. If the Canary Islands outfit takes down Pinar Karsiyaka, a loss by a margin of one point would be enough.
Potentially jumping to 4-1 clinches a berth in the Quarterfinals for the two-time champions as well. If Hapoel Jerusalem wins, a loss by a margin of eight points or less also punches in a ticket.
On the bottom end of the standings at 1-3, Peristeri and Karsiyaka only hope to avoid elimination this week, before possibly looking for more in the finale of the double-legged round-robin schedule.
Group L
| W-L | PTS | |
| UCAM Murcia | 3-1 | 7 |
| Promitheas | 3-1 | 7 |
| Hapoel Holon | 2-2 | 6 |
| AEK Betsson | 0-4 | 4 |
Hosting Hapoel Holon in Patras on Wednesday, Promitheas can reach the Quarterfinals with a win.
If UCAM Murcia prevails against eliminated AEK Betsson on Tuesday, a win for the team coached by Ilias Papatheodorou would also clinch a berth for the Universitarios.
Returning to Greece after the triple-overtime thriller in Athens, the Israeli club at 2-2, one game behind Murcia and Promitheas, needs a win to remain in the hunt if Murcia beats AEK. A potential win by ten points or more would secure the head-to-head advantage over Promitheas.
AEK is the only team knocked out of contention across all four groups.
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League