By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
We are headed to a thrilling last stretch of the EuroCup Regular Season since only two Top 16 tickets are left for the taking. But that isn’t the only part that is going to make the upcoming Week deliciously exciting.
Three teams in the same Group are going to fight for these two spots. After Alba Berlin beat Lietuvos Rytas on the road, clinching a place in the Top 16, the Lithuanians will fight with Fuenlabrada and Bilbao for qualifying in the next stage. And the one responsible for this exciting situation is the Basque team that prevailed over Fuenlabrada in a game which would finish things in Group C if the latter had prevailed.
MVP: Elmedin Kikanovic (Alba Berlin)
The most unstoppable big guy of the competition struck again. This time it was in Vilnius, against Lietuvos Rytas that Elmedin Kikanovic made another case of his raw offensive power, putting on the table 29 points (13/18 two-pointers) in less than 30 minutes. He was particularly potent in the beginning of the fourth quarter punishing all mistakes of Rytas’ defense and setting the stage for the comeback that would give Alba Berlin victory on the road and the qualification to the Top 16.
Best Five of the Week:
- Ryan Toolson (Zenit St. Petersburg)
- Before Stefan Markovic hit the game winning buzzer beater, Toolson was the one to torture the defense of Buducnost in any way imaginable. It was one more game in which he spit fire in the face of his opponents, finishing with 32 points (7/13 two-pointers, 5/11 three-pointers) but also 4 assists and 4 rebounds.
- Matt Janning (Lokomotiv Kuban)
- Tough choice between him and Kevin Jones as they were both the most pivotal characters in Lokomotiv Kuban’s grand victory over Hapoel Jerusalem. We go with Janning since apart from making buckets (20 points, with solid shooting of 5/7 two-pointers, 3/6 from beyond the arc) he was the top creator of Loko with 6 assists, a career-high in the competition. A major source of danger and against his former team, no less.
- DeAndre Kane (Nizhny Novgorod)
- Not only did he register a season-high in points with 22 but delivered in all-around aspects of Nizhny Novgorod’s game, leading his team to win against MZT Skopje on the road. Apart from scoring, Kane dished out 6 assists and grabbed 5 rebounds. Oh and he missed only two shots (9/11 from the field)
- Elmedin Kikanovic (Alba Berlin)
- Our MVP.
- Micheal Eric (Bilbao)
- In a match with held a “life and death” meaning to Bilbao, Micheal Eric simply brought his top performance in the season so far helping his team immensely to get a victory over Fuenlabrada. The Nigerian guy ruled the area around the rim, dropping 16 points and grabbing 10 rebounds for 24 in PIR. 12 of his points came in the first half, when Bilbao began building a lead that served as a guide for the remainder of the match.
Coach of the Week: Carles Duran (Bilbao)
Bilbao got the biggest win of the Week, since it didn’t simply beat Fuenlabrada in a “do or die” game but got the desired result almost comfortably. What is more, the Basques accomplished what they wanted with sublime teamwork and an offensive fluidity that displayed how well they were prepared for this kind of battle. So kudos to coach Duran for getting his soldiers heated up appropriately in order to deliver the goods in a critical situation.
The Effort: Buducnost
They knew that they had been eliminated but Buducnost players fought tooth and nail to beat a much superior and more qualitative team such as Zenit St. Petersburg. They were always coming back in the game, never allowing their opponents to escape with a big lead. And in the end… it was a buzzer beating shot that stole them a chance to win in overtime. Fans of the Montenegrin squad gave their applause in the end, since they recognized the effort that their team made in order to say farewell to them in Eurocup with a victory. Even though it didn’t come.