The two faced off for the first time last season, splitting their two meetings
Quarterfinals breakdown: Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse vs. Prometey Slobozhanske
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Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse gets its journey underway in the BKT EuroCup Playoffs on Tuesday night by hosting Prometey Slobozhanske in the quarterfinals. Having finished as the leader in Group B following the 18-game regular season, Bourg secured a bye in the eighthfinals. Prometey, meanwhile, defeated Aris Midea Thessaloniki 95-67 in the eighthfinals last Wednesday night but now has to travel to France for an exciting-looking matchup.
This is the third time that Bourg and Prometey have met each other in the EuroCup, with the French side winning 92-85 at Ekinox in Round 7 last season before the Ukrainian side triumphed 96-82 in Riga, Latvia, in Round 16. As such, the home-court factor could end up playing into Bourg’s hands this time around.
A season to remember for Bourg
Bourg closed the regular season with a 14-4 record, which is its best mark to date in its four-year history in the EuroCup. Led by the likes of Zaccharie Risacher, the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Isiaha Mike and Jeremy Morgan, Bourg consistently impressed all season long and now enters the playoffs at the quarterfinal stage, the furthest point it has ever reached. Entering the playoffs with the second-best defense in the EuroCup, giving up 81.9 points per game, Bourg will look to make things difficult for Prometey’s array of offensive weapons.
The 18-year-old Risacher was Bourg’s leading scorer in the regular season, posting 13.1 points per game, and his ability to score from both inside and outside the arc makes him a huge weapon for Tuesday night’s hosts. As the campaign wore on, Risacher continued to show just why so many NBA teams are interested in him, posting 20 or more points in three of Bourg’s last four games to close the regular season atop the pile in Group B.
Another youngster, Hugo Benitez, was set for a breakout season this year but injury struck in Round 4 against Dreamland Gran Canaria as he suffered a broken foot. The 23-year-old made his return in Round 18, the last game of the regular season, and finished with 13 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal. Both Risacher and Benitez certainly have what it takes to continue Bourg’s fairy-tale journey into the postseason.
Prometey means business
Despite having a potentially tough-looking draw in the eighthfinals, Prometey swatted Aris aside with a 95-67 triumph in Riga. Ondrej Balvin was one of many stars on the night, posting 12 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks in 23:39 minutes on the floor, while Prometey also had three players hit 16 points – Gian Clavell, Caleb Agada and Ivan Tkachenko – and Ronald March add 15 plus 7 assists. That’s 75 points between them, so a similar level of performance against Bourg could see a potential upset take place.
Prometey has won four of its last five games and is 7-3 over its last 10, meaning it should be feeling pretty good about itself after a turbulent first half of the campaign. This is Prometey’s second season in the EuroCup and, having last year reached the semifinals where it lost to Turk Telekom Ankara, there is confidence at the club about what could be achieved during this postseason. However, its visit to Bourg will be its first-ever playoff game played outside of Riga after hosting three postseason fixtures at Arena Riga in 2022-23 and one there this season.
One thing that is for certain is that Prometey will have to try and carry its home form on the road, having gone 7-2 in Latvia and 3-6 on its travels. Bourg, meanwhile, is 8-1 at Ekinox, with its only home loss of the campaign coming in Round 18 against ratiopharm Ulm, 81-85. Will Prometey be able to make it back-to-back home defeats for the No. 1 seed from Group B?
The key matchup
Plenty of players will be leaned on in this fixture, but the matchup between Risacher and Agada could be key. Risacher is very much aware that Bourg’s hopes are likely to rest on his shoulders, though he’ll have it tough against a two-way player like Agada, who is having another strong season playing under the orders of head coach Ronen Ginzburg.
If Agada is able to keep Risacher quiet, that should provide the platform for March, Clavell and Balvin, among others, to put Prometey on course for a road win. Conversely, if Risacher keeps up his impressive level of performance, that will allow Benitez, Mike and Morgan to also cause damage on the offensive end. The Risacher-Agada matchup could be vital in this playoff tie.