The penultimate round of the regular season is going to be full of drama
Round 17 at a glance: Will the playoff floodgates open this week?
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With just two rounds remaining in the regular season, playoff places and seeded status could be decided in Round 17 of the BKT EuroCup. Here's your guide to Tuesday and Wednesday's action.
Tuesday, January 28, 2025
Bahcesehir College Istanbul vs. ratiopharm Ulm (17:00 CET)
Group A winner Bahcesehir (13-3) will look to gear up for the playoffs against an Ulm team (9-7) fighting to stay in the all-important top six. The German team has dipped in form at the worst time, losing three straight games, including last week’s potentially costly home defeat to Buducnost. Bahcesehir is coming off an 84-77 loss against Hapoel, but could be forgiven for taking its foot off the gas with first place already secured. The all-action Sehmus Hazer was key when the teams last met, combining 20 points with 5 assists and 4 steals to propel a 72-80 Bahcesehir road win. Ulm, which would clinch a playoff berth with a win, desperately needs to improve its defense this week, having allowed at least 83 points in six consecutive games.
Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana vs. Valencia Basket (18:30 CET)
Second-placed Cedevita (10-6) will look for a vital home win to retain that position with a visit from group winner Valencia (14-2). Facing the competition’s most prolific offense, the Slovenian team needs to tighten up after allowing 20 assists in last week’s loss at Bourg. Cedevita guard DJ Stewart is one of the best ball thieves in the EuroCup, snaring 3 steals last week, and that pressure will be crucial to disrupt the rhythm of Valencia orchestrators Stefan Jovic and Jean Montero, who combined for 16 assists in last week’s thumping of Aris. The Spanish team’s offensive potential was on full display when the teams met in Round 8, winning 109-80 with seven different double-digit scorers, so Cedevita knows how tough its task is.
Dolomiti Energia Trento vs. Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius (20:00 CET)
Wolves (8-8) will try to force their way into the top six with a trip to face already-eliminated Trento (6-10). The Lithuanian team gave its playoff hopes a massive boost with last week’s dominant victory over Gran Canaria, when big man Marek Blazevic was unstoppable as he netted 27 points alongside 6 rebounds. Trento also won big last time out, putting 100 points on the board against Joventut, and Blazevic faces a good battle against rising star Saliou Niang, who's averaged a PIR of 16.3 over the last three games and looks better every week. Wolves won 88-83 when the teams met in Round 8 and another win would only boost its chances of playoff progression.
Wednesday, January 29, 2025
Turk Telekom Ankara vs. Umana Reyer Venice (17:30 CET)
Two of the five teams tied for third place in an incredibly competitive Group B go head to head, with Turk Telekom (9-7) welcoming Reyer (9-7). The hosts need a 9-point victory to also claim the potentially decisive head-to-head advantage, with Reyer winning 75-67 in Round 8’s first-ever meeting between the teams behind 10 points and 15 rebounds from dynamic big man Mfiondu Kabengele. So Turk Telekom will need another strong game from its own in-form center Yoan Makoundou, who's averaged 15.0 points over the last three games. The presence of Kabengele helps make Reyer the third-best rebounding team in the competition (37.2 boards per game), so Turk Telekom will have to fight hard to gain extra scoring opportunities for an offense that has misfired in the last three games, averaging just 78.7 points.
Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv vs. Trefl Sopot (18:00 CET)
Hapoel (10-6) will look to stay in Group A's second place by taking a home win against the competition's worst team, Trefl (1-13). The Israeli team has won four of its last five, last week downing group winner Bahcesehir thanks to 19 points and an impressive 7 assists from big man Johnathan Motley. Another win would guarantee Hapoel at a minimum home-court advantage in the eighthfinals and a win coupled with a Gran Canaria loss would wrap up second place for Coach Itoudis's side. Considering the stakes and the talent gap between the teams, a Trefl win would be a massive surprise, but playmaker Jakub Schenk showed he is capable of exploiting any defensive weaknesses by combining 15 points with 9 assists in last week’s loss at Besiktas. Hapoel powered to a 64-93 road win when the teams met in Round 8 behind 21 points from Marcus Foster, and will expect similar dominance this week.
7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys vs. U-BT Cluj-Napoca (18:00 CET)
Eliminated Lietkabelis (4-12) will look to upset the playoff dreams of a Cluj team (9-7) still fighting to claim second place in Group B. The Romanian champion gained its third win in four with a solid victory over Turk Telekom last week as DJ Seeley continued his outstanding form by sinking 8-of-9 three-pointers in his 31 points. Cluj also boasts the competition’s top-ranked distributor Zavier Simpson (7.2 assists per night), so there’s clearly a big defensive challenge for a Lietkabelis team that has lost four in a row, most recently against lowly Hamburg. New signing Djordje Gagic did excel in that game with 27 points and the center will need to be at his best again.
Aris Midea Thessaloniki vs. Veolia Towers Hamburg (19:00 CET)
A battle to avoid finishing with Group B's wooden spoon will take place between Aris (3-13) and Hamburg (4-12). The teams head into the game in contrasting spirits, with Aris showing arguably the worst form in competition history after losing by 41 points in two consecutive games. Avoiding another defeat will not be straightforward against a Hamburg team that last week climbed off the foot of the standings by overcoming Lietkabelis 84-77 on the back of 22 points from Johnathan Stove, who has scored in double digits in all seven games for the team. Hamburg also won easily when the teams last met, 93-69, so it can mathematically avoid last place by prevailing in Greece on Wednesday.
Buducnost VOLI Podgorica vs. Joventut Badalona (19:00 CET)
Buducnost (8-8) will be determined to stay in the top six - and keep its top-four hopes alive - by defeating already-eliminated Joventut (6-10). The Montenegrin team is on a hot streak after winning four of its last five games, and will look to exploit a Joventut defense that allowed 100 points in last week’s loss against Trento. Buducnost will be confident after taking the Round 8 meeting between the teams 78-72, courtesy of 28 points from Devon Dotson. Buducnost will hope Rasheed Sulaimon stays hot after netting multiple triples in four of the last five games.
Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse vs. Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem (19:30 CET)
It's third against fourth with everything to play for between two teams that could finish anywhere between second and seventh, with Bourg (9-7) hosting Hapoel Jerusalem (9-7). The hosts will be confident after gaining a strong win over Cedevita last week, when big man Maksim Salash delivered his best performance of the season with 22 points and 7 rebounds. He faces a good battle with Gabriel Chachasvili, whose double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds helped secure an 86-77 victory for Jerusalem when the teams met in Round 8. The visitor’s quest for a key road win will also be led by guard Khadeen Carrington, who has scored at least 15 points in the last five games.
Dreamland Gran Canaria vs. Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul (21:00 CET)
Gran Canaria (10-6) will look to keep its top-two hopes alive by taking on another team still fighting for an eighthfinals bye, Besiktas (9-7). The Turkish team, which has lost four straight on the road, needs to win by 3 points or more to claim the potential head-to-head tiebreak advantage after Gran Canaria triumphed 74-76 in Istanbul in November. Caleb Homesley was key to that victory with 17 points and he will want to stay hot after netting 20 in last week’s loss to Wolves. Besiktas has won two games in a row and has Jonah Mathews in top form with 27 and 21 points in those triumphs. A Besiktas victory will see it formally clinch a ticket to the playoffs.