An interesting matchup will take place when 7-Bet Lietkabelis Panevezys faces ratiopharm Ulm in Round 2 of the 7DAYS EuroCup Regular Season. Lietkabelis's Kristian Kullamae will test his scoring skills against Ulm's Fedor Zugic. 

Kullamae already showcased his ability in Round 1 against Prometey Slobozhanske with 13 points in 23 minutes. He also got 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Kullamae is a second-generation EuroCup player: his father Gert, a three-point specialist, played for Dutch side EiffelTowers in the 2004-05 campaign. Kristian is a more all-around player, who can pass the ball well, take the ball to the rim and, at age 23, he should be ready to keep making noise in his EuroCup debut season.

Game Videos

Game News

Kullamae should not have it easy against Zugic. Despite his young age – he turned 19 a month ago, Zugic is already in his third EuroCup season and going strong, as he proved in Round 1 against Umana Reyer Venice. He led Ulm with 18 points on 7-of-8 two-point shooting, 4 rebounds, 5 fouls drawn and a PIR of 22. Fun fact: Zugic is one of three players in this game chosen to the 2022 U20 European Championship's all-tournament team, along with his teammate Juan Nunez and Mantas Rubstavicius of Lietkabelis.

Marquee matchup: Lietkabelis's Kullamae vs. Ulm's Zugic 

7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys v ratiopharm Ulm (2022-10-19T16:00:00.000Z)

Two teams with very different results from Round 1 are set to face other for the first time since 2017 in Wednesday's early game. 7-Bet Lietkabelis Panevezys (0-1) takes on ratiopharm Ulm (1-0) in its home opener. Both teams have young talents ready to deliver, which adds even more anticipation to what should be a fun-to-watch showdown. 

Lietkabelis opened the 2022-23 7DAYS EuroCup with an 82-71 defeat against Prometey Slobozhanske. Zeljko Sakic scored 14 points in his EuroCup debut, Kristian Kullamae added 13 off the bench and center Gabrielus Maldunas had 12 for Lietkabelis, which paid a high price for not taking good care of the ball. It finished the game with 4 steals and 19 turnovers. Ten of the 11 Lietkabelis players who stepped on the court turned the ball over at least once, so head coach Nenad Canak knows what to focus on before this Round 2 game. 

Ulm registered an 81-80 win against Umana Reyer Venice behind 18 points from up-and-coming talent Fedor Zugic, who finished the game with a PIR of 22. Three EuroCup newcomers helped Ulm win the game: Devin Robinson had 13 points and 6 rebounds, Yago Dos Santos got 10 points and teenage sensation Juan Nunez contributed 9 points and 7 assists. Just like Lietkabelis, Ulm had too many turnovers (16) and not many steals (4), but was solid under the boards, getting 41 rebounds, 30 of them on the defensive end. 

Lietkabelis, Ulm meet for first time since 2017 

There is an interesting matchup in the Round 2 game between Umana Reyer Venice and Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse between point guards Jayson Granger and Hugo Benitez. 

Granger may come off the bench, but played almost 25 minutes in Round 1 against ratiopharm Ulm and tallied 8 points, 6 assists and 2 steals for a PIR of 12. Granger is in his first EuroCup season since 2011 and has played eight Turkish Airlines EuroLeague seasons with four different clubs. Though he can take shots off the dribble and attack the rim, Granger excels at finding the open teammate due to his great court vision. Strong, athletic and experienced, Granger needs to use his know-how against a younger opponent. 

Benitez is an up-and-coming talent who already proved his value in the 2021-22 EuroCup when he averaged 6.1 points and 3.4 assists in 17 EuroCup games while getting more steals (24) than turnovers (17). His assist-to-turnover ratio (3.35) ranked fifth overall. Benitez is fast, creative and eager to change games with his on-the-ball defense. He didn't play well in Round 1, going for 2 points, 2 steals and a PIR of -2 in 15 minutes. Benitez has a chance to bounce back against a well-rounded playmaker in Round 2.

Marquee matchup: Reyer's Granger vs. Bourg's Benitez 

Umana Reyer Venice v Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (2022-10-18T18:00:00.000Z)

Fresh off a heartbreaking 1-point loss in Round 1, Umana Reyer Venice (0-1) hosts Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (1-0) in a Group A showdown. Both teams are 7DAYS EuroCup regulars; Reyer is in its fourth straight campaign and Bourg, which has never played in any other European competition, is in its third. 

Reyer registered an 81-80 road loss at ratiopharm Ulm. Allerik Freeman paced Reyer with 19 points and 6 assists, Amedeo Tessitori added 12 points and Mitchell Watt had 10 for Reyer, which had the game's final possession. Jayson Granger tried a desperation midcourt shot that was off the mark. After Granger gave Reyer a 70-72 edge, a 10-3 run allowed Ulm to take the lead for good. Heading into Round 2, Reyer relies on Watt and Freeman to keep leading the way and expects veteran players like Marco Spissu and Michael Bramos to take a step forward, especially on offense. 

Bourg had a much more pleasant season debut, edging U-BT Cluj-Napoca 88-85 at home. James Palmer had a strong EuroCup debut with 17 points, 5 rebounds and a PIR of 20. EuroCup veteran Pierre Pelos added 16 points while three other players – Franck Massenat, Isiaha Mike and Jordan Floyd – each had 10 in a winning effort. In Round 2, Bourg relies on Massenat, Axel Julien and Hugo Benitez, the team's playmakers, to set the right game tempo against Reyer, which excels in the half court. After its initial loss, Reyer has more pressure and that could work in Bourg's favor, too. 

Reyer faces Bourg in home opener 

Veolia Hamburg Towers hosts Turk Telekom Ankara in its home opener on Tuesday night. Here are some factors that could decide the game. 

### Hamburg will look to push the pace

Even though it was held to 73 points on the road in its Round 1 victory at Buducnost VOLI Podgorica last week, Hamburg is traditionally a team that plays at a fast pace and it has scored at least 90 in two of its last three games. Turk Telekom can also play at a higher pace, though that style of play cost it in Round 1 against Paris Basket. Coach Erdem Can’s side may be better suited to playing slower and controlling the paint. The matchup between starting point guards Kendale McCullum of Hamburg and Jerian Grant of Turk Telekom may prove pivotal. 

### Turk Telekom needs to control the glass

Turk Telekom collected 13 offensive rebounds in Round 1 against Paris Basket, but could only convert those into 12 second-chance points. It will try to do a better job of that against a smaller, but more athletic Hamburg squad. Hamburg has only one player taller than 2.03 meters – backup center Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann stands 2.08 meters – and often plays without a traditional center on the floor. Turk Telekom has nine registered players taller than 2.08 meters and started two of them (Berk Demir at power forward and Tyrique Jones at center) last week. A strong rebounding effort would boost Turk Telekom’s chances this week in Germany.

Keys to victory: Hamburg vs. Turk Telekom

Veolia Towers Hamburg v Turk Telekom Ankara (2022-10-18T17:30:00.000Z)

Round 2 of the 7DAYS EuroCup Regular Season begins in Germany with a showdown between Veolia Hamburg Towers and Turk Telekom Ankara. The two teams are coming off much different opening games with Turk Telekom losing an early lead and falling at home to Paris Basket. Hamburg scored a road win at Buducnost VOLI Podgorica. 

This marks the second straight season in which these teams meet. Last season, each team won in a blowout at home, though very few of the catalysts on those teams remain on the current squads. 

Hamburg overcame 15 turnovers and getting outrebounded 43-32 to triumph last week. Its greatest weapon was three-point shooting; the team made 50% of its 20 tries from downtown with second-string guard Ziga Samar and starting small forward Lukas Meisner leading the way with 3 triples apiece. Turk Telekom also committed 15 turnovers in Round 1, but made just 9 of 30 threes (30%) and shot 8 for 15 (53.3%) from the foul line. Shooting and turnovers could tell the story of this game. 

Hamburg takes on Turk Telekom in home opener

London Lions hosts Dolomiti Energia Trento in Round 2 of the 7DAYS EuroCup on Tuesday night, with two forwards set to enjoy plenty of the spotlight: London's Ovie Soko and Trento's Drew Crawford. After both London and Trento recorded defeats in the opening round, one of the two teams will be able to get back on track at Copper Box Arena.

There was plenty of excitement heading into London's EuroCup opener away at Hapoel Tel Aviv, yet one of the London players who did not hit the heights in the 76-59 defeat was Soko, who had 6 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists. With London gearing up for its home debut in the competition, team captain Soko will have his sights set on an improved performance en route to a positive result for the Lions. London had its troubles on the defensive end in Round 1 against Hapoel, so Soko will be among those tasked with keeping Crawford quiet when Trento comes to town.

Like London, Trento also failed to get its season off to a winning start in Round 1, losing 76-89 at home to Promitheas Patras. Crawford was one of four Trento players who managed to finish with a double-digit number of points, scoring 13 points to go with 5 rebounds, so he will hope that he can enjoy some success against a London team that struggled to stop Hapoel from putting points on the board. Playing in his third EuroCup season, Crawford should be able to use his experience to make life difficult for Soko and London.

Marquee matchup: London's Soko vs Trento's Crawford

London Lions v Dolomiti Energia Trento (2022-10-18T18:30:00.000Z)

The first week of the 7DAYS EuroCup did not go to plan for London Lions and Dolomiti Energia Trento, as they fell to Round 1 defeats. Both teams get the chance to make amends in Round 2, with London set to welcome Trento to Copper Box Arena in its home opener on Tuesday night.

London fell to a 76-59 loss on the road to Hapoel Tel Aviv, yet the game was marked from the Lions' perspective by the ankle injury suffered by star signing Sam Dekker inside the opening 5 minutes. Despite the defeat, fellow new arrivals Kosta Koufos and Tomislav Zubcic had impressive European debuts with their new team, with Koufos recording a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double and Zubcic putting up 21 points and 8 rebounds. Heading into Round 2, with Dekker's status unclear, London will look for Koufos and Zubcic to step up once again and hope that the likes of Ovie Soko and Luke Nelson can have better performances back on their home floor.

Trento, meanwhile, heads on the road for the first time this season after suffering a 76-89 loss at BLM Group Arena against Promitheas Patras. Diego Flaccadori had 14 points and 7 assists for Trento, with a PIR of 24, yet his team's slow start in the first half gave it a mountain to climb in the final two quarters. The positive for Trento is that Luca Conti (13 points), Drew Crawford (13) and Andrejs Grazulis (12) also had double-digit scoring totals, so another similar set of performances on this end of the floor should see the Italians cause a lot of problems for London. 

London vs. Trento: Lions ready to roar in home debut

Germani Brescia and Prometey Slobozhanske enter their Round 2 meeting at PalaLeonessa A2A after differing displays in the opening round, with Brescia losing on the road to Joventut Badalona and Prometey winning at home to 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys. For both teams, there are some specific areas in which they must have success if they are to emerge with the win.

### Making threes can help Brescia

In Round 1, Brescia was able to keep pace with Joventut until the fourth quarter, when the hosts pulled away and sealed a 17-point triumph. Better outside shooting could aid Brescia this time as it hit just 6 of 28 attempts (21.4%) from behind the arc in its opener. Another key area in which Brescia should seek improvement is with its ball movement, having notched just 7 assists to Joventut's 23 in Round 1. Amedeo Della Valle had 4 of Brescia's assists himself, so sharing the ball around will be crucial when Prometey visits PalaLeonessa A2A.

### Prometey must keep the turnovers to a minimum

Prometey shined brightly in its opening-round win over Lietkabelis, but there are two areas that it could focus on to improve its chances of a win against Brescia. First, a better night from three-point range could make life a little easier for everyone, having gone 5 of 25 (20.0%) from deep in Round 1. Then, although it did a good job of sharing the ball with 22 assists, the 14 turnovers it committed could prove to be a problem on the road, so taking better care of the ball will be key.

Keys to victory: Brescia vs. Prometey

Germani Brescia v Prometey Slobozhanske (2022-10-19T18:30:00.000Z)