By John Rammas/ irammas@eurohoops.net
Status, dynamics, form and the significance of results were the criteria for ranking the 16 teams.
#16 DARUSSAFAKA TEKFEN ISTANBUL
Previous ranking: 16 (-)
Record: 3-21
At home: 3-9
Away: 0-12
Offense-Defense: 74.3-84.8
Darussafaka has been stuck at the bottom of the rankings since Round 7, and with three wins separating them from the next-to-last team, that is where they’re expected to finish the race. This outcome makes sense for the worst offense and third-worst defense in the competition. Darussafaka’s interest in the remaining games is whether they can cause disruption among the teams that aspire to get in the playoffs, as they recently did against KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (80-75 in Round 20). That’s only likely to happen at home against Panathinaikos OPAP Athens or FC Bayern Munich), since Darussafaka has not won away this season.
#15 HERBALIFE GRAN CANARIA
Previous ranking: 15 (-)
Record: 6-18
At home: 4-9
Away: 2-9
Offense-Defense: 79.1-89
Gran Canaria counts nine consecutive defeats and has an unchanged ranking that, with four of its remaining six games being away from home, seems unlikely to move up or down. If their offense (ninth best) tries for something better, their defense (worst in the competition) will most likely prevent it for the umpteenth time. On the other hand, Gran Canaria’s six wins so far is perhaps a satisfactory number for a team that experienced everything – on the court (changing coaches) and off (continuous long trips) – in its first appearance in the EuroLeague.
#14 BUDUCNOST VOLI PODGORICA
Previous ranking: 14 (-)
Record: 6-18
At home: 6-7
Away: 0-11
Offense-Defense: 74.6-84.6
Its three consecutive wins between Round 18 and Round 20 were perhaps too many for the well-meaning Buducnost. Since then, this team has four defeats in a row and continues being third-to-last in the rankings, its consistent position since Round 10. A change is not expected, and not with the EuroLeague’s second-worst offense and fourth-worst defense, and not with the remaining games being against top four teams and other teams looking to make the playoffs. Whether Buducnost will be able to make some noise in home games against Olympiacos Piraeus (Round 25) and Anadolu Efes Istanbul (Round 28), as the team did against CSKA Moscow and Real Madrid, is something that remains to be seen.