Cluj and Ulm, two teams in a share of second place in Group B, are squaring off on Wednesday night in BT-Arena.
Cluj, Ulm clash in unlikely strength-on-strength derby
Article
3 Mins read
Before the 2023-24 season tipped off, it would have been hard for one to argue that Round 6 derby in Group B would be a clash between U-BT Cluj-Napoca and ratiopharm Ulm. This notion would have been based on their performances last season, which was Cluj's first in the competition, as well as a lack of traditional rivalry between the clubs.
However, not many teams have performed better than these two in the first five weeks of the new campaign, as they enter their head-to-head clash both sporting a 4-1 record in a share of second place.
Short rotation working for Cluj
While it might not be much of a surprise to see head coach Anton Gavel's Ulm, last year's EuroCup quarterfinalists and the reigning German champion, near the top of Group B standings, for Cluj, it's a night-and-day difference from last season.
Cluj did not pick up its fourth win of the season until early March and Round 15 last season, which led to the team being one of only four teams in the competition missing the playoffs. This season, its only loss in five games so far has been a 4-point defeat against a fellow 4-1 side, JL Mincidelice Bourg en Bresse.
So far, head Coach Mihail Silvasan has been using a nine-man rotation that has allowed third fewest points (72.6 ppg.), and held teams to just 15.6 assists per game, second fewest through five rounds.
Meanwhile, veterans D.J. Seeley (13.6 ppg.) and Andrija Stipanovic (12.8 ppg., 4.8 rpg.) have paced a balanced offense that has seven players average 7.0 points or more. Alongside Seeley, fellow newcomers Jerrell Eddie (9.8 ppg., 4.2 rpg.) and Bryce Jones (8.4 ppg., 4.4 rpg., 4.2 apg.) have both given a significant contribution, making a big difference compared to last season.
Can Jallow get hot again?
Cluj hopes that will all help to have a different outcome against Ulm compared to a season ago, when it got swept in their two regular-season clashes.
At BT-Arena, the same venue where this game will take place, in the first-ever meeting between the two clubs, Ulm rallied from a second-half double-digit deficit to an 81-84 win behind Robin Christen and Karim Jallow who combined for 47 points. Christen had 26 points and was 10-for-10 from the field in that game, and Jallow scored 21 points with 4 rebounds and a career-high 4 steals, all while hitting a game-deciding basket.
And while Christen is yet to play this season, Jallow arrives red-hot into his clash, having posted 23 points with 4 rebounds in last week's 108-103 overtime win over Slask Wroclaw, and has followed it up with a 17-point effort over the weekend in the German League action.
Ulm, unlike Cluj, has made the playoffs last season and reached the quarterfinals for the second consecutive year, before going to win its first domestic league crown.
Contributors aplenty
There was a good amount of uncertainty around Ulm before this season because of summer departure of several key protagonists. But Coach Gavel has had no trouble getting his offense to click, as it is averaging fourth-best 92.0 points and second-most 22.4 assists going into Round 6.
Ulm has five players scoring in double figures, led by Dakota Mathis (18.0 ppg.). Trevion Williams (13.8 ppg.) is EuroCup's rebounding leader (11.5 rpg.) and while Georginho De Paula (12.4 ppg., 5.2 apg.) is one of three Ulm players averaging at least more than 4.0 assists, along with Juan Nunez (4.3 apg.) and Thomas Klepeisz (4.0 apg.).
Behind such offense, Ulm will be aiming at its fourth consecutive win, but Cluj is determined to use its defense, and home-crowd support, to keep its perfect 3-0 home record intact. A strength-vs-strength derby, a game you don't want to miss on Wednesday night.
Game Videos
- 00:27
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/12/03/BTGH04Yt0du0CkpC3jILvLWipkRMQLOn-1733264308516.jpg]()
Guzman with the massive dunk on the break! Magic Moment of the Night
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/ZxjzBnskLoA/maxresdefault.jpg]()
ratiopharm Ulm-Trefl Sopot | Round 10 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/9699c983-d978-48e4-ab59-59bd3a23002f.jpg]()
Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana-U-BT Cluj-Napoca | Round 10 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:09
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/6f2ab088-9fb2-49bf-8afa-cd5359c80bd6.jpg?crop=737%3A414%3Anowe%3A237%3A54]()
Hankins throws it down! Magic Moment
- 00:19
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/11/28/fqsidqDwWGesOmT3nVCvT8CS55xax7vp-1732833407181.jpg]()
Simpson-Hankins connection! Magic Moment of the Night
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/pxzySVr1rZE/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv-ratiopharm Ulm | Round 9 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/1IQTDgXgJiw/maxresdefault.jpg]()
U-BT Cluj-Napoca-Aris Midea Thessaloniki | Round 9 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/a35ae8c3-1be8-4f34-a6f6-21f2aa8cd913.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A115%3A38]()
Essengue swats it away! Magic Moment
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/09297ac2-b6ab-46cf-9f1c-0c365e106183.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A135%3A146]()
Karel Guzman throws it down! Magic Moment
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/eac35cf2-259e-4e41-9e87-d3f96e48eaa5.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A97%3A111]()
Simpson finds Stephens! Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/VM0eoWS6Y5M/maxresdefault.jpg]()
ratiopharm Ulm-Bahcesehir College Istanbul | Round 8 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/3eO7M5jQ2PM/maxresdefault.jpg]()
U-BT Cluj-Napoca-7-bet Lietkabelis Panevezys | Round 8 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:11
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/cd448098-5569-427c-8424-49c9c3cd0d6c.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A62%3A47]()
Hankins seals the win! Magic Moment
- 00:09
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/036b9fba-0741-4789-8c5e-a987b5bc4aed.jpg?crop=816%3A459%3Anowe%3A408%3A42]()
Mokoka's big block! Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/26a06284-eb65-4242-bd24-491c38e83538.jpg]()
Buducnost VOLI Podgorica-ratiopharm Ulm | Round 7 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/UUdbw5b2mWs/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Turk Telekom Ankara-U-BT Cluj-Napoca | Round 7 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:09
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/a35ae8c3-1be8-4f34-a6f6-21f2aa8cd913.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A106%3A44]()
Essengue drops the bounce back dime! Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/zCbK-dBI8zI/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul-Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade | RS Round 7 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:40
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/11/01/3tQ1yDjFInebhskfuM5bgiyclybBPC01-1730494080286.jpg]()
Nigel Hayes-Davis: ‘We have to be consistent on both ends, starting with me’
- 00:11
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/40043d1f-a1ff-4026-9f10-9edebe01c62a.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A97%3A80]()
Showtime basketball by Fenerbahce! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:15
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/f588be09-1100-4e04-b856-d4d7e396925b.jpg?crop=1008%3A566%3Anowe%3A0%3A46]()
Pokusevski denies Hall! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/69d9d31a-a625-46bd-b7bf-eff881d9ed56.jpg]()
ratiopharm Ulm-Dolomiti Energia Trento | Round 6 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/05-fy0KZRYY/maxresdefault.jpg]()
U-BT Cluj-Napoca-Umana Reyer Venice | Round 6 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:14
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/8d51e7a1-aa47-40e2-96c6-1ad3bfa71745.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A109%3A71]()
Teenage hookup: Saraf to Essengue for big alley-oop! Magic Moment
- 00:09
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/be225c53-61ae-4d64-8587-e394c30de726.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A18%3A161]()
Monster block by Mokoka! Magic Moment
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/684607d5-263f-45a7-8cc0-5b1a23babb9f.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A112%3A71]()
What a monster dunk by Guzman! Magic Moment
- 00:32
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/10/29/QZcSHhyjqfd18Ru8saFrdgGqvXb8Z7ap-1730242540579.jpg]()
Kuath puts on a show! Magic Moment of the Night
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/5xSLfevXOUI/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Veolia Hamburg Towers-Turk Telekom Ankara | Round 6 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:11
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/79bacce6-41d7-4846-861f-e7baaf9b00c4.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A132%3A126]()
Ogbe’s no-look dish to Kuath! Magic Moment
- 00:25
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/cf613784-87cc-4bf1-83e4-da8b30cb6238.png?crop=750%3A422%3Anowe%3A0%3A99]()
Kuath puts on a show! Magic Moment
- 00:16
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/d5a75175-ba74-4d42-8d91-81e9d40c0187.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A182%3A120]()
Makoundou throws it down! Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/MSuVFOJWT2A/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem-U-BT-Cluj-Napoca | Round 5 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/490337f5-542b-4164-9163-2ee81c1933e4.jpg]()
Dreamland Gran Canaria-ratiopharm Ulm | Round 5 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:21
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/10/22/cvLCOSFgLtdFYIEW1CX0GJnVacMGKFkd-1729630948053.jpg]()
Jensen's monster dunk! Magic Moment of the Night
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/nVv73iwP8Ws/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Veolia Towers Hamburg-U-BT Cluj-Napoca | Round 4 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/17fac900-fe26-4306-ad51-1afdc4da65d6.jpg]()
Besiktas Fibabank Istanbul-ratiopharm Ulm | Round 4 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 03:48
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/10/09/cQhjRbA9q1Cmm9p0gscm01y8OatbxvGN-1728499844772.jpg]()
U-BT Cluj-Napoca-Valencia Basket | Round 3 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:22
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/374362fb-7f20-4f6a-b455-a40ffe8b5cf3.png?crop=750%3A422%3Anowe%3A0%3A90]()
Guzman slams home a powerful dunk! Magic Moment
- 03:50
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/10/08/Rxm2AEGTwFJ51aYLfxsl5VaIWAawOccM-1728413713081.jpg]()
Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius-ratiopharm Ulm | Round 3 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:14
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/432fd3bd-3ec3-4596-8fba-b74cc2c969eb.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A126%3A27]()
Essengue skies for the block! Magic Moment
- 03:40
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/10/02/8Ti2tM5pWK6VShQkzCFb3IWcV9cWwoTE-1727900909529.jpg]()
Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse-U-BT Cluj-Napoca | Round 2 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 03:53
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/10/01/Xua0T5ISYcf6Zt9D7GNRhtHXXjzb942B-1727814309665.jpg]()
ratiopharm Ulm-Joventut Badalona | Round 2 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:09
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/c284da52-5bbb-461f-bb26-d5efc9471a52.png?crop=750%3A422%3Anowe%3A0%3A76]()
Magic Moment: Roby with a one-handed dunk!
- 04:04
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/d5136ad3-cee1-4480-8cd9-c07708002078.jpg]()
Trefl Sopot-ratiopharm Ulm | Round 1 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:32
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/70bab75f-b6f9-49e8-9281-6fcb08f95958.jpg]()
Magic Moment of the Night: Jessup for the win!
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/53b28aa1-5f33-456c-a904-c27b1a526504.jpg]()
Magic Moment: Essengue throws down poster dunk!
- 03:16
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/09/25/fvuSV7VRTndxYH7kKnN5u7OaPKvlqi7F-1727289697606.jpg]()
U-BT Cluj Napoca-Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana | Round 1 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:11
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/323ae3d6-1150-4cb7-8cff-4a9b3eacd8a9.jpg?crop=1228%3A691%3Anowe%3A45%3A47]()
Magic Moment: Saraf feeds Roby for the dunk!
- 03:51
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/03/13/iOJpzqtS6sxVogjU3plqthjkrB1CMXHG-1710358797738.jpg]()
U-BT Cluj-Napoca-London Lions | Quarterfinals Highlights | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup
- 00:22
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/d00a25ad-0bf5-4334-a5c9-7d0cd6c45bd2.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A152%3A140]()
Magic Moment: Bryce Jones makes an impossible finish
