By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
All 18 EuroLeague teams were rated by Eurohoops based on status, dynamics, form and the significance of their results. Τhe current ranking is not representing only the current EuroLeague standings, but also the last impression left from each team during the most recent rounds of action.
With that in mind, here’s the third volume of the official EuroLeague Power Rankings.
#18 ZALGIRIS KAUNAS
Previous Ranking: 18 (-)
Record: 3-9
Home: 2-3
Away: 0-7
Offense-Defense: 71-81.1
After nine losses in a row, Zalgiris Kaunas finally got off the mark defeating Panathinaikos OPAP, 76-69, in Round 10 and went back-to-back beating Fenerbahce Beko, 86-75, in Round 11. Still sitting in last place lacking the quality to move up the standings. Bringing in Zoran Dragic and replacing Emmanuel Mudiay with Tai Webster are a step in the right direction.
#17 BITCI BASKONIA VITORIA-GASTEIZ
Previous Ranking: 15 (-2)
Record: 4-8
Home: 3-4
Away: 1-4
Offense-Defense: 69.9-80.2
Despite the head coaching change with Neven Spahija taking over after the dismissal of Dusko Ivanovic, the struggles continue for Bitci Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz. Baskonia has lost six out of its last seven last games with a 93-74 win over Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade in Round 10 the lone exception. The point differential at negative 20.2 points per game in this stretch says a great deal about this difficult period.
#16 CRVENA ZVEZDA MTS BELGRADE
Previous Ranking: 17 (+1)
Record: 4-8
Home: 3-2
Away: 1-6
Offense-Defense: 70.1-72.9
Back-to-back wins over Panathinaikos OPAP Athens and LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne have become a distant memory. The fighting spirit of Crvena Zvezda mts Belgarde is gone. After being bested in its last three outings, the Serbian champs must regroup ahead of a demanding stretch of games over the first half of December, featuring a visit to Zenit St Petersburg and home games versus Olympiacos Piraeus and FC Barcelona.
#15 FENERBAHCE BEKO ISTANBUL
Previous Ranking: 12 (-3)
Record: 3-9
Home: 2-2
Away: 1-7
Offense-Defense: 71.8-73.5
Looking like underachievers, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul cannot be ignored. Seven losses in the last eight games – including the last four in a row – have put the team in an unfamiliar spot. Strangely, the loss to archrival Anadolu Efes Istanbul 89-84 in Round 12 was a bigger blow than being among the two teams dropping a game to Zalgiris Kaunas, which occurred in Round 11. Fenerbahce still has a long way to go.
#14 ALBA BERLIN
Previous Ranking: 16 (+2)
Record: 4-8
Home: 2-4
Away: 2-4
Offense-Defense: 74.3-79.7
Restricted to hurting other teams rather than helping itself, ALBA Berlin has been between 13th and 18th place and ranks 14th after beating Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 91-86 in Round 12. The German champs were coming off three losses in a row ranging between the margins of 9 points against Zenit St Petersburg in Round 10 and 27 points to Anadolu Efes Istanbul in Round 9. Before last week, ALBA carried the worst home record and remains one of the two sides with a losing home record along with Zalgiris Kaunas.
#13 PANATHINAIKOS OPAP ATHENS
Previous Ranking: 14 (+1)
Record: 3-9
Home: 3-2
Away: 0-7
Offense-Defense: 72.8-78.1
Looking to get its first road win, Panathinaikos OPAP Athens fell into the habit of losing at home. At least before snapping its five-game losing streak by prevailing 70-64 over Zenit St Petersburg in the Greek capital. Nailed down to 17th place since Round 8, improvement is necessary to get on a better path.
#12 AS MONACO
Previous Ranking: 7 (-5)
Record: 5-7
Home: 4-2
Away: 1-5
Offense-Defense: 80.6-81.4
After Round 9, AS Monaco was at 5-4. The three losses in a row since, including LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne prevailing at the buzzer, 85-84 in Round 12, have knocked the EuroCup holders down to 11th place. La Roca Team must get the job done on the road, starting with a visit to Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul this week, to regain its previous status.
#11 FC BAYERN MUNICH
Previous Ranking: 8 (-3)
Record: 5-7
Home: 3-2
Away: 2-5
Offense-Defense: 75.4-76
With five wins in the last eight rounds, FC Bayern Munich has covered most of the lost ground generated by a 0-4 start. Bayern could have easily won even more games, considering the narrow defeats to Real Madrid, 80-76, in Round 8 and to CSKA Moscow, 77-74, in Round 12. The team now has an opportunity to confirm its form as LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne and Anadolu Efes Istanbul are set to visit Munich.
#10 LDLC ASVEL VILLEURBANNE
Previous Ranking: 5 (-5)
Record: 7-5
Home: 4-3
Away: 3-2
Offense-Defense: 76.3-77.2
Besides FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Olympiacos Piraeus and AX Armani Exchange Milan, the fifth team to be one of the top eight teams since the beginning of the seasons is LDLC ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne. Credit to William Howard’s crazy game-winner in the 85-84 triumph over AS Monaco in Round 12. Undermanned and coming off three losses in a row, ASVEL was in desperate need of a break.
#9 MACCABI PLAYTIKA TEL AVIV
Previous Ranking: 3 (-6)
Record: 7-5
Home: 5-1
Away: 2-4
Offense-Defense: 79.1-76.8
After reaching fourth place in Round 10, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv has been trending downwards. The Israeli champion is in danger of dropping out of the playoff zone for the first time since Round 5. Three losses in four games, all on the road, have been the issue. It can be simple to look past dropping the games in Moscow, 74 – 73, in Round 9, and in Piraeus, 90-73, in Round 11, but the same does not apply to the loss in Berlin, 91-86, in Round 12.
#8 CSKA MOSCOW
Previous Ranking: 9 (+1)
Record: 7-5
Home: 5-1
Away: 2-4
Offense-Defense: 79.3-80.4
CSKA Moscow is certainly not shining but has managed to keep it real by gaining in the win column. Additional improvement is necessary to avoid being on the wrong end of close games after edging Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, 74-73, in Round 9, and FC Bayern Munich, 77-74, in Round 12. Nikola Milutinov becoming the latest key player returning to action is likely to help.
#7 AX ARMANI EXCHANGE MILAN
Previous Ranking: 1 (-6)
Record: 8-4
Home: 6-1
Away: 2-3
Offense-Defense: 75.4-72.9
AX Armani Exchange Milan was in first place through Round 9 but has since dropped three straight games to fall to 8-4. The three-game losing steak includes the first defeat at home, 93-72, against Olympiacos in Round 12. To make matters worse, Dinos Mitoglou was forced to the sidelines for the next two months during the rough patch.