Which teams can maintain their 100% record, or which sides can get back on track after an opening-round defeat?
At a glance: Plenty of heavyweight battles await in Round 2
Round 2 of the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup season will see last week's winners attempt to defend their perfect records, including an exciting Istanbul derby. Here's your overview of the upcoming action.
Tuesday, October 1
7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys vs. Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem (18:00 CEST)
A first win is up for grabs as two of last week’s losers meet. Lietkabelis needs to improve offensively after managing just 66 points in the loss at Turk Telekom, and starting center Gabrielius Maldunas will be particularly keen to find his radar after scoring 0 points in that game. The Lithuanian team did grab 14 offensive rebounds in the loss so will look for more dominance in the paint to overcome a Hapoel Jerusalem team which also struggled to score last week, managing just 64 points against Valencia. Jared Harper accounted for 27 of those, but he needs more help this time around.
Bahcesehir College Istanbul vs. Besiktas Fibabank Istanbul (18:00 CEST)
An all-Istanbul showdown will see Bahcesehir welcome Besitkas, with both teams in a confident mood after starting the season on a winning path. The first-ever EuroCup meeting between the teams could be a high-scoring encounter after Besiktas poured in 94 points last week against Buducnost, paced by playmaker Derek Needham pairing 18 points with 6 assists. The host only allowed 69 points to overcome Wolves, and Bahcesehir will again look to control the pace of the game through big man Tai Odiase, who had impressive numbers of 14 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocked shots in the season opening win.
ratiopharm Ulm vs. Joventut Badalona (19:00 CEST)
An intriguing matchup will see last week’s two narrowest winners go head-to-head as Ulm welcomes Joventut. The German team started its campaign by overcoming Trefl in overtime behind the all-action Justinian Jessup, who played for nearly 40 minutes in the process of registering 20 points – including 6 three-pointers – and 6 rebounds. Ulm also had a great debut from teenager Ben Saraf, with 17 points and 10 assists, and his matchup with Joventut veteran Guillem Vives could be crucial. The Spanish team just edged out Hapoel Tel Aviv last week as Ante Tomic shined with 17 points and 12 boards, and Ulm must find a way to control Tomic’s influence.
Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv vs. Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius (19:45 CEST)
After starting the season with losses, Hapoel Tel Aviv and Wolves will be fighting hard for a first victory at Samokov Arena in Bulgaria. Hapoel Tel Aviv’s powerfully reloaded roster slipped to defeat at Joventut last week largely due to poor shooting from three-point range (25.7%) and the foul line (53.3%), so will look for better accuracy from shooters like Patrick Beverley and Joe Ragland, who went a combined 6 of 23 from the field last week. Wolves will hope for a similar upturn from Andrew Andrews, who made just 3 of his 10 shots in the season opening loss at home to Bahcesehir.
Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana vs. Umana Reyer Venice (20:00 CEST)
An offensive showdown awaits as Cedevita hosts Reyer, with both teams exceeding 90 points to start the season with a bang last week. Cedevita’s win over Cluj owed a lot to new guard Devante Jones, who made an instant impact on both sides of the ball with 15 points, 7 assists and 4 steals, while Devin Robinson showed his ability to dominate inside by scoring 8 two-pointers in his 20-point haul. Reyer’s hopes of overcoming that multifaceted offense will be powered by veteran forward Jordan Parks, who paired 17 points with 7 rebounds to help beat Aris last week.
Wednesday, October 2
Aris Midea Thessaloniki vs. Turk Telekom Ankara (19:00 CEST)
After starting the season with a 20-point mauling against Reyer, Aris will attempt to respond against a Turk Telekom team which leaned on strong defense to overcome Lietkabelis. Aris needs to focus on taking better care of the basketball after recording more turnovers (17) than assists (14) in Round 1, negating a solid debut from forward Landers Nolley (14 points on 4-of-6 three-point shooting). Turk Telekom also enjoyed a strong first game from Anthony Brown, who bagged a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds, and that all-American duel could be crucial on Wednesday.
Buducnost VOLI Podgorica vs. Dreamland Gran Canaria (19:00 CEST)
Powerhouse Gran Canaria will aim to go 2-0 with a trip to Buducnost, which suffered an 18-point thrashing against Besiktas last week. Gran Canaria benefitted from a strong debut by Mike Tobey, with 20 points and 8 boards, to overcome Trento, and will look to him and John Shurna to control the paint. Buducnost will continue to be powered by the do-everything Rasheed Sulaimon – 13 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists in Round 1 – but needs to tighten up defensively after allowing Besiktas to convert 60.5% of its two-point shots, which cannot be repeated against Tobey, Shurna and co. on Wednesday.
Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse vs. U-BT Cluj-Napoca (19:30 CEST)
After starting the season in stunning fashion with a 100-points haul in Hamburg, last season’s runner-up Bourg will attempt to inflict a second straight loss on Cluj. Newcomer Adrian Nelson led the French team’s rout in Round 1 by scoring 18 points, while Xavier Castaneda also excelled on debut by hitting 4 triples to suggest Bourg will be a major threat again this season. Cluj also had a player enjoy a great debut as Zavier Simpson flirted with a triple-double (16 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists), but defensive improvement is badly needed after allowing Cedevita to score 93 points and now facing another offensive juggernaut.
Dolomiti Energia Trento vs. Trefl Sopot (20:00 CEST)
Two teams aiming to bounce back from unlucky defeats go face to face as Trento hosts Trefl. A remarkable performance from Jordan Ford – 32 points on 14-of-15 shooting from the field – was not quite enough for Trento to take victory at Gran Canaria last week, and Paolo Galbiati will expect his team to show better decision-making after committing 17 turnovers in that game. Trefl came even closer to victory but was edged out by Ulm in overtime, and the Polish team will hope that big man Geoffrey Groselle can again dominate the paint after recording a double-double of 11 points and 10 boards.
Valencia Basket vs. Veolia Towers Hamburg (20:30 CEST)
After starting out with a road win at Hapoel Jerusalem, a strong-looking Valencia will aim to protect its home court against a visiting Hamburg team which must focus on defensive improvement after allowing 100 points against Bourg. Center Benedikt Tuduric impressed in that game, scoring 19 points without a miss and grabbing 4 offensive rebounds, but he faces a tough night in the paint against Valencia’s Matt Costello and Nate Sestina, who combined for 26 points and 10 rebounds to help give their team a winning start. Indeed, Valencia grabbed a remarkable 52 rebounds last week, so competing on the boards is Hamburg’s minimum requirement.