Both teams come into this Round 3 matchup flying high.
Unbeaten starts on the line when Bourg, Cluj meet
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Both Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (2-0) and U-BT Cluj-Napoca (2-0) have got off to the perfect start in the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season, with each winning their two opening games. At Ekinox on Tuesday night (19:30 CET), one of those 100% records will come to an end.
Come the end of Round 3, either Bourg or Cluj could find itself as the only team in Group B with a winning record, although this depends on how Dreamland Gran Canaria gets on against Dolomiti Energia Trento in Italy.
A fascinating backcourt matchup
Two of the standout players in the EuroCup this season have been Bourg’s Hugo Benitez and Cluj’s D.J. Seeley, who have played important roles in ensuring that their teams are 2-0. Benitez, 22, has taken a big step forward and established himself as Bourg’s go-to guy through the first two rounds, while the 33-year-old Seeley has put his experience to good use by leading Cluj to two wins.
To this point, Benitez has posted 14.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.5 steals, while he is yet to commit a turnover. Seeley, meanwhile, is averaging 18.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 3.0 steals, although he has committed a total of 3 turnovers so far.
Crucially for Cluj, Seeley came up clutch down the final stretch as it defeated Slask Wroclaw 67-70 on the road. For Benitez, he dished a career-high 9 assists as Bourg defeated Dolomiti Energia Trento, also on the road, 72-79. Therefore, one of the keys to the game may end up being which of these two guards has the better night.
Bourg has found its groove on offense
Along with Benitez, another Bourg player who is averaging 14.5 points per night is Bryce Brown. The EuroCup rookie had 12 points in Bourg’s 90-74 win against Slask on his debut before coming up with 17 points at Trento. Brown has adapted to this level incredibly quickly, and he will be another threat on offense for Tuesday night’s hosts.
A further five members of Bourg’s squad are posting 8.0 points per game or more, which goes to show the array of options that head coach Frederic Fauthoux has at his disposal. It always helps when bench players can offer consistent production and Bourg has that in Maksim Salash and Zaccharie Risacher, who have combined to average 19.5 points per contest through Rounds 1 and 2.
Cluj leans on its starters
Unlike Bourg, Cluj has five players netting 8.0 points per night or more – and all of them are starters. In addition to Seeley’s 18.0 points, veteran center Andrija Stipanovic and guard Bryce Jones are scoring 12.0 points per game to help Cluj’s efforts. Impressively for a guard, Jones is also averaging 6.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists, which are the most by any Cluj player.
Fellow starters Karel Guzman (10.5 ppg.) and Jarell Eddie (8.0 ppg.) are also stepping up on offense, as is Adam Mokoka (7.5 ppg.) off the bench. However, Cluj head coach Mihai Silvasan will be hoping for more production from his reserves, as they are contributing a combined total of just 14.5 points per contest.
Last season, Cluj went a dismal 1-8 on its travels, but coming off a win against Slask in Poland, the Romanian side has the chance to not only go 3-0 but to already better last season’s road record. Bourg also had its ups and downs at Equinox, going 4-5 on its home floor in 2022-23, so advancing to 3-0 – and having two of those wins coming in Bourg – would be a big step in the right direction.
Bourg won both of its meetings against Cluj in the 2022-23 campaign, 88-85 at home and then 79-88 on the road, so perhaps Tuesday's visitors will be hoping to exact a bit of revenge.