By Stelios Toromanidis/ info@eurohoops.net
This period was not selected randomly since the 1987-1988 season is when the competition entered the era of the Final Four. Having the champions emerge from a Final Four process has definitely given us (and keeps giving) intense emotions and amazing clashes between the best teams of each season.
But in order for a team to reach the big appointment, they will first have to emerge unscathed from the “abyss” of the quarterfinals.
This season, we are in the 31st EuroLeague with the above format of concluding the competition. There has always been a quarterfinal phase, except for three seasons (2001-2002, 2002-2003, 2003-2004). Originally (1987-1991) it was through a group stage from which the best four went through to the Final Four, and then (1991-today) in the form of playoffs.
In these 28 seasons, 47 different teams from 15 countries have battled it out in the quarterfinals, with the prize each season being a ticket to the big appointment of Europe’s top club competition.
Eurohoops singled out the Top 10 of those teams, based on most appearances. To be precise, the following list contains 11 teams, since there are two teams with the same number of appearances in 10th place. Before we start counting down, let’s take a look at how the other 36 teams that have appeared in the quarterfinals are ranked.
Notes:
1. The SuproLeague (2000-2001) is not included in this list as it coincided with the first season of the EuroLeague in its current form. Let us remind you that two competitions had been held that season. For the record, the teams that played in the quarterfinals of the SuproLeague were: Split, Efes, Panathinaikos, Alba Berlin, CSKA Moscow, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Villeurbanne and Pesaro.
2. That same season (2000-2001) the EuroLeague competition didn’t include a Final Four, but instead, the champions emerged through playoffs.
Positions 12-47:
|
Place
|
Team
|
Country
|
Appearances in quarterfinals
|
|
12
|
Turkey
|
5
|
|
|
–
|
Armani
|
Italy
|
5
|
|
–
|
Fortitudo
|
Italy
|
5
|
|
–
|
Pesaro
|
Italy
|
5
|
|
–
|
Benetton
|
Italy
|
5
|
|
17
|
Aris
|
Greece
|
4
|
|
–
|
Pau-Orthez
|
France
|
4
|
|
–
|
Siena
|
Italy
|
4
|
|
20
|
Jugoplastika
|
Croatia
|
3
|
|
–
|
Cibona
|
Croatia
|
3
|
|
–
|
Olimpija Ljubljana
|
Slovenia
|
3
|
|
–
|
Villeurbanne
|
France
|
3
|
|
24
|
Zalgiris Kaunas
|
Lithuania
|
2
|
|
–
|
Badalona
|
Spain
|
2
|
|
–
|
AEK
|
Greece
|
2
|
|
–
|
Ulker
|
Turkey
|
2
|
|
–
|
Den Bosch
|
Netherlands
|
2
|
|
29
|
Dynamo Moscow
|
Russia
|
1
|
|
–
|
Cologne
|
Germany
|
1
|
|
–
|
Den Helder
|
Netherlands
|
1
|
|
–
|
Lech Poznan
|
Poland
|
1
|
|
–
|
Bayer Leverkusen
|
Germany
|
1
|
|
–
|
Kingston Kings
|
UK
|
1
|
|
–
|
Estudiantes
|
Spain
|
1
|
|
–
|
PAOK
|
Greece
|
1
|
|
–
|
Alba Berlin
|
Germany
|
1
|
|
–
|
Malaga
|
Spain
|
1
|
|
–
|
Prokom
|
Poland
|
1
|
|
–
|
Spain
|
1
|
|
|
–
|
Bilbao
|
Spain
|
1
|
|
–
|
Unics Kazan
|
Russia
|
1
|
|
–
|
Turkey
|
1
|
|
|
–
|
Lokomotiv Kuban
|
Russia
|
1
|
|
–
|
Serbia
|
1
|
|
|
–
|
Darussafaka
|
Turkey
|
1
|
|
–
|
Khimki
|
Russia
|
1
|
11 Limoges (6 appearances)
Appearances in quarterfinals: 6 (1988-1989, 1989-1990, 1990-1991, 1992-1993, 1993-1994, 1994-1995)
Appearances in the Final Four: 3 (1989-1990, 1992-1993, 1994-1995)
EuroLeague titles: 1 (1993)
They may no longer be in the EuroLeague – the last time they took part being in the 2015-2016 season – but in the 90s they had some impressive runs that included appearances in the Final Four and winning a title, in 1993.
As far as their presences in the quarterfinals are concerned, those are six in number. In fact, except for the 1991-1992 season, the French team was in the quarterfinals uninterruptedly in the seven seasons between 1989 and 1995.
10 Partizan Belgrade (6 appearances)
Appearances in quarterfinals: 6 (1987-1988, 1991-1992, 1997-1998, 2007-2008, 2008-2009, 2009-2010)
Appearances in the Final Four: 4 (1987-1988, 1991-1992, 1997-1998, 2009-2010)
EuroLeague titles: 1 (1992)
One of the great powers of Serbian basketball. Even though they haven’t been taking part in Europe’s top club competition since 2014, they were one of its mainstays for more than two decades, during which time they made some amazing runs.
The highlight was the title of 1992 in Istanbul, with Sasa Djordjevic’s buzzer beater, but they also reached the Final Four four times, the last one being in the 2009-2010 season. They haven’t appeared in the quarterfinals since then.
9 Virtus Bologna (7 appearances)
Appearances in quarterfinals: 7 (1991-1992, 1992-1993, 1993-1994, 1994-1995, 1997-1998, 1998-1999, 2000-2001)
Appearances in the Final Four: 3 (1997-1998, 1998-1999, 2001-2002)
EuroLeague titles: 2 (1998, 2001)
They were one of the best teams in the EuroLeague from the late 90s until the early 00s, a period in which they won two titles with players like Manu Ginobili and Ettore Messina at the helm.
In ten years they count seven appearances in the quarterfinals, something that proves their consistency at a very high level for a long period of time.
8 Anadolu Efes (10 appearances)
Appearances in quarterfinals: 10 (1993-1994, 1996-1997, 1997-1998, 1998-1999, 1999-2000, 2004-2005, 2005-2006, 2012-2013, 2014-2015, 2016-2017)
Appearances in the Final Four: 1(2000)
EuroLeague titles: –
They are one of the two teams on our list that have never won a trophy, while they only have one appearance in the Final Four too. To be precise, that’s one plus one, since they have also appeared in the Final Four of the Suproleague in the 2000-2001 season.
Despite this, they are the most traditional team in Turkish basketball in the EuroLeague, although Fenerbahce won the title in 2017 and have been a superpower in recent years.
After all, they are one of only eight teams in Europe’s top club competition that have a double-digit number of appearances in the quarterfinal stage in 31 seasons.