Four teams have enjoyed a perfect start to the season so far
At a glance: Round 4 has arrived!
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8 Mins read
The action in Round 4 of the BKT EuroCup is spread over four days, and features five teams looking to stay perfect. Here’s your guide to the upcoming action.
Monday, October 14
Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul vs. ratiopharm Ulm (19:00 CEST)
Round 4 starts with one game on Monday, when Besiktas (1-2) will look to topple high-flying Ulm (3-0). The Turkish team has lost two games in a row and needs to offer better protection of its backboard, averaging only 30 rebounds per game compared to Ulm’s 37.3. The German team will hope that Philipp Herkenhoff can continue to crash the boards after he paired 12 points with 9 rebounds to help overcome Wolves last week, while Justinian Jessup is aiming to maintain his hot streak after netting 27 in that win. Against that pair, Besiktas needs a big game from Dustin Sleva who has posted impressive numbers of 8.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals so far.
Tuesday, October 15
Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana vs. 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys (18:30 CEST)
In Tuesday’s opener, Cedevita (2-1) will look to bounce back to winning ways against a Lietkabelis team (0-3) still in search of its first victory. Last week’s heavy home loss to Aris was a serious setback for the Lithuanian team, which will hope for another strong performance from youngster Mantas Rubstavicius after his career-high 15 points. The hosts' perfect start was ended by Turk Telekom last week, and will hope to gain a major edge in three point shooting: Cedevita ranks first in the competition in long-range accuracy (42.3%), helped by Aleksej Nikolic (56.2%), whereas Lietkabelis is dead-last with just 18.3% of three-pointers made – and none at all last week.
Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv vs. Dreamland Gran Canaria (19:00 CEST)
Two teams with high ambitions go head to head as Hapoel Tel Aviv (2-1) faces unbeaten Gran Canaria (3-0). The host is the most accurate two-point shooting team in the EuroCup (66.4%), with a major role for last week’s MVP Johnathan Motley, who averages 17 points per game on a near-unstoppable 75% two-point conversion rate. Up against him inside the paint, Gran Canaria will need another strong performance from veteran Mike Tobey, who has struggled for scoring in the last couple of weeks but grabbed 11 rebounds in the Round 3 victory over Bahcesehir. The Spanish team gained that win by only allowing 63 points and needs another defensive masterclass this week.
Veolia Towers Hamburg vs. U-BT Cluj-Napoca (19:30 CEST)
A first win of the season is the valuable prize as Hamburg (0-3) welcomes Cluj (0-3) at the bottom of Group B. The Romanian team has looked more likely to claim that prize, leading for most of the game against Valencia last week, and can count upon the EuroCup’s assists leader in Zavier Simpson (7.3 per game). Hamburg has lost every game by at least 15 points and needs to drastically improve a competition-worst defense, which has allowed a whopping 98 points per game. At the other end of the court, the German team will look for scoring from guard Jaizec Lottie, who has averaged 15.0 points in the last two games.
Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse vs. Turk Telekom Ankara (19:30 CEST)
Something has to give at the top of Group B as two unbeaten teams go head to head with Bourg (3-0) rolling out the welcome mat for Turk Telekom (3-0). It’s a clear clash of styles as the Turkish team bases its success on dominant defense, allowing a league-low 66.3 points per game, whereas Bourg has the third-best offense with 90.7 points per game scored. The French team’s engine is forward Adrian Nelson, who averages 12.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per night. Turk Telekom will look to slow down the game and control the tempo through the EuroCup’s best rebounding unit (45.0 boards per night), powered by second-ranked rebounder Kyle Alexander (11.0 rebounds per game).
Wednesday, October 16
Bahcesehir College Istanbul vs. Dolomiti Energia Trento (18:00 CEST)
Wednesday’s action begins in Istanbul, with Bahcesehir (2-1) aiming to stay near the top of Group A by overcoming Trento (1-2). Both teams are looking to bounce back from low scoring losses, and the host will hope that Jaleen Smith (10.7 points per game) can continue to lead the way from long-range after making 5 of his 8 three-point attempts over the last two games. Overall, Bahceshir ranks sixth in the competition in three-point shooting accuracy (38.9%). Trento’s strong inside game (55.5% of two-point shots made, sixth in the EuroCup) leans heavily on big man Selom Mawugbe, who has 8.7 points on 70.6% two-point shooting as well as gathering 5.7 rebounds per game.
Aris Midea Thessaloniki vs. Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem (19:00 CEST)
After gaining its first victory last week, Aris (1-2) will look to keep the feelgood factor by downing Jerusalem (2-1), which is also confident after two straight wins. The Greek team’s comfortable win at Lietkabelis was led by a remarkable 6-of-8 three-point shooting night from guard Vassilis Toliopoulos, who has made multiple triples every game this season. Jerusalem’s main strength lies in its rebounding, ranking third in the competition (39.3 per night). That includes an average of 13 offensive boards, with Austin Wiley (4.0 OR per game) leading the way to give valuable extra possessions to the competition’s top scorer, Jared Harper (23.0 points per game).
Buducnost VOLI Podgorica vs. Trefl Sopot (19:00 CEST)
In the first-ever EuroCup meeting between the teams, Buducnost (1-2) will defend its home court against a Trefl team (0-3) hoping for a first win of the season. Trefl has always competed well, losing all three games by no more than 6 points, and will believe that its luck can soon turn if Tarik Phillip maintains his spectacular all-round contributions of 15.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 6 assists. Buducnost cruised to its first win last week by thrashing Trento on the road, and will hope for another strong night from Yogi Ferrell after he netted 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field.
Joventut Badalona vs. Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius (20:30 CEST)
Joventut (2-1) will look to strengthen its position near the top of Group A with a visit from winless Wolves. The Spanish team took a tight one last week at Trefl with a strong contribution from Kassius Robertson (20 points, 6 assists), and will hope that consistent big men Ante Tomic and Devon Dotson (13.7 and 15.0 points per game, respectively) can control the paint. Wolves has struggled for consistency on offense, and will hope that offensive leader Anthony Cowan can start to find his range from beyond the arc after only making 21.1% of his three-point attempts, including just 2 of 14 in the last two games.
Thursday, October 17
Valencia Basket vs. Umana Reyer Venice (19:00 CEST)
In Thursday’s sole game, red-hot Valencia (3-0) will look to stay perfect with a visit from Reyer (1-2), which has to offer a big recovery from last week’s 22-point home loss to Bourg. Valencia is the EuroCup’s leading scorer (96.7 points per game) after passing the 100-points mark in two straight games, with Xabi Lopez-Arostegui hitting 6 of a club-record 20 three-pointers last week at Cluj. Reyer will hope to base its challenge around a third-straight double-double from outstanding center Mfiondu Kabengele, who leads the competition in rebounding (12.3 per game) and two-pointers scored (6.7 per night), but also needs a strong defense to stop the Taronjas whirlwind.