Several key matchups between direct rivals highlight Round 11 of the BKT EuroCup, which could go a long way toward deciding progress to the playoffs. Here’s your guide to the action.
At a glance: What to expect from Round 11
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Trefl Sopot vs. Dolomiti Energia Trento
Trefl (0-10) will attempt to end its long wait for a first victory by overcoming Group A’s ninth-placed team, Trento (3-7), which faces a must-win game in its hopes of pushing for the playoffs. The Italian team has not won on the road all season and is on a three-game losing streak, but triumphed 84-76 when the teams met in October behind 20 points from Jordan Ford. This could be a low-scoring game between two teams who struggle offensively, especially from long-range as they’re respectively ranked next-to-last and last in three-point conversion rate (28.8% vs. 28.2%). Trefl will try to control the game in the paint through big man Geoffrey Groselle, who had 11 points and 9 rebounds in last week’s loss to Ulm.
Veolia Towers Hamburg vs. Valencia Basket
It’s bottom against top in Group B, with Hamburg (2-8) hoping to become the first team this season to inflict defeat upon rampant Valencia (9-0), which also leads the competition in scoring with 96.8 points per game. The Spanish side enjoyed a 27-point winning margin when the teams met earlier this season, so Hamburg knows it has to slow down the visiting playmakers after allowing 28 assists in that game – including 11 from rising star Jean Montero. The German team’s resistance on that occasion was led by a season-high 19 points from guard Brae Ivey, who is now targeting a return to form from long-range after only making 2 of his 9 three-point attempts in the last two games.
Turk Telekom Ankara vs. Aris Midea Thessaloniki
Turk Telekom (5-5) will attempt to protect its place in the all-important top six by overcoming struggling Aris (2-8). The Turkish team will look to build more momentum after last week’s crucial high-scoring win at Lietkabelis, powered by an MVP of the round performance from forward Braian Angola. Turk Telekom’s more usual blueprint for success is the defense-first victory it took over Aris earlier this season, winning in Greece 63-68 after restricting the dangerous Vassilis Toliopoulos to a season-low 8 points. Aris has the worst offensive production in the league, averaging just 74.5 points per game, so it needs its best performance of the season to snap a four-game losing streak and reignite its playoff hopes.
Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius vs. Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv
A key battle between direct Group A rivals will see Wolves (5-5) seek a return to winning ways with a visit from Hapoel (6-4). The Lithuanian team has lost its way with two straight defeats and faces a Tel Aviv team searching for consistency after failing to win consecutive games since October. The visitors will be missing the injured Patrick Beverley, but are expected to have star center Johnathan Motley back. Meanwhile, backcourt signing Antonio Blakeney, who powered last week’s comfortable victory over Joventut by pouring in 20 points, is rounding into form. Wolves, which must win by 6 to take the head-to-head advantage, will answer him with key guard Anthony Cowan, who averages more than 30 minutes per game and netted 23 points on 4-of-5 three-point shooting in last week’s loss at Bahcesehir.
U-BT Cluj-Napoca vs. Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse
Another of this week’s many crucial battles in the playoff race sees Group B’s fifth welcome third as Cluj (5-5) takes on Bourg (6-4). Bourg won 84-73 when the teams met in October, so the Romanian team needs a victory of 12 points or more to wrestle back the head-to-head advantage. There should be plenty of points between the second and third highest-scoring teams in the EuroCup, respectively averaging 88.8 and 86.3 points. Expect key roles for Cluj playmaker Zavier Simpson, who tops the competition in assists with 6.9 per night, and Bourg’s young guard Hugo Benitez, who last week had his best game of the season with 17 points, 4 assists and 3 steals to help down Hamburg.
Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul vs. Bahcesehir College Istanbul
An Istanbul derby with plenty of significance in the race for postseason qualification sees Besiktas (6-4) welcome Group A leader Bahcesehir (9-1). The visitors have strung together a seven-game winning streak, recently beating Wolves last week behind 19 points from all-around threat Axel Bouteille, and boast the best defense in the competition with just 71.9 points per game allowed. But Besiktas is also confident after winning three of its last four and has the EuroCup’s highest three-point shooting conversion rate (39.9%), partly thanks to Dustin Sleva shooting an impressive 59.1% from deep including 3-of-4 in last week’s thrilling win over Buducnost. Bahcesehir won 87-66 when the teams met in October – expect this one to be much closer.
Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem vs. 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys
Hapoel Jerusalem (7-3) will look to maintain second place in Group B by overcoming a Lietkabelis team (2-7) desperate to relaunch its playoff push. Jerusalem is aiming to bounce straight back from last week’s loss at Valencia and will hope that forward Chris Johnson repeats his outstanding performance from that game (15 points, 12 rebounds). Lietkabelis has lost three in a row due to a leaky defense which has allowed 100, 100 and 98 points in those games, so improvement is needed against league-leading scorer Jared Harper (22.3 points per game). Offensively, the Lithuanian team will look for guard Martynas Varnas to continue the form which has seen him average 14 points over the last four games.
Umana Reyer Venice vs. Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana
Another vital showdown in Group B will see in-form Reyer (5-5) seek the 6-point victory it needs to overtake Cedevita (6-4) in the standings. Cedevita edged the Round 2 meeting between the teams, 87-82, thanks to 17 points and 9 rebounds from Devin Robinson – who last week delivered his best performance of the season with 25 points to help overcome Cluj. Reyer has revitalized its challenge by rolling to three straight victories, partly thanks to the return from injury of Tyler Ennis. The Canadian guard netted 19 points on 7-of-11 two-point shooting in last week’s win over Aris, and his ability to penetrate the paint will be a key factor in this crucial encounter.
Joventut Badalona vs. ratiopharm Ulm
Struggling Joventut (3-7) will look to recover lost ground on the top six by overcoming an Ulm team (6-4) battling to at least maintain a share of third place in Group A. The Spanish team is coming off a pair of bad road losses, still unable to find a way of supporting the consistent excellence of big man Ante Tomic, and would benefit from more hustle after forcing a league-low 9.6 turnovers per game. Ulm is back in the groove after two straight wins, and teenage guard Ben Saraf returned to form last week by netting 15 points in the home victory over Trefl. Joventut will also be wary of Nelson Weidemann, who netted 17 points when the German team narrowly won in Round 2, 87-83.
Dreamland Gran Canaria vs. Buducnost VOLI Podgorica
The round concludes with Group A’s second-placed Gran Canaria (8-2) attempting to take a step closer to playoff qualification by overcoming visiting Buducnost (4-6). Gran Canaria has won three games straight and boasts an all-time 10-1 record against the Montenegrin team, which has never won this matchup on the road. To change that, Buducnost needs another strong display from big man Kenan Kamenjas, who posted a career-high 21 points in last week’s narrow loss to Besiktas. Gran Canaria needed overtime to prevail when the teams met in October and will hope that Caleb Homesley – who has netted 10 triples in the last three games – can help provide a more comfortable victory this time around.