By Stefan Djordjevic/ info@eurohoops.net
The Basketball Champions League had a well-deserved rest as the national teams took the stage in their race for a spot in the 2019 World Cup in China.
The clubs had three weeks off in order to rest, improve and prepare for the second part of the BCL regular season. Some will look to bounce back, some to get revenge and some to stay perfect and break records.
For Gameday 8, seven games are scheduled on Tuesday (11/12) and nine games on Wednesday (12/12).
Day 8 Preview
Group A
1. UCAM Murcia (6-1)
2. Sidigas Avellino (5-2)
3. Banvit (4-3)
4. Nizhny Novgorod (3-4)
5. Anwil (3-4)
6. Ventspils (3-4)
7. Le Mans (2-5)
8. MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg (2-5)
Teams in Group A will have one day longer to rest than most as all the games are scheduled for Wednesday. First to play will be Le Mans and Murcia with the Spaniards arriving to France in a better form. In the first clash, Murcia won 74-62.
Anwil and Ventspils both won four out of five last games in all competitions and both hold a 3-4 record in BCL. Anwil was convincing in the last game between the two as the guest (99-78). Will it be a repeat?
Although Banvit won the previous clash against Ludwigsburg, a lot has changed. Especially for the Germans who managed to bounce back from a devastating start of the season. Can they keep it up or will Banvit prove to be too big of a bite?
Lastly, Avellino will host Nizhny in the last game of Group A. The Italians managed to barely grab a win in the domestic league while the guests arrive off three straight losses.
Group B
1. Iberostar Tenerife (6-1)
2. Umana Reyer Venezia (5-2)
3. UNET Holon (5-2)
4. PAOK (4-3)
5. Nanterre 92 (3-4)
6. Telekom Baskets Bonn (3-4)
7. Fribourg Olympics (1-6)
8. Opava (1-6)
Iberostar Tenerife (61.7%) and Telekom Baskets Bonn (60.1%) clash as the two teams to have scored more than 60% of their two-pointers attempted this season. Both teams lost two domestic league games in a row and will look to bounce back.
PAOK managed to hand Tenerife first lost in BCL this season and have also grabbed two wins in the Greek League after that. On the other side, Venezia lost against Varese in their last game and will have a hard time upsetting PAOK in Greece.
Holon won their last five games in all competitions but Fribourg is in a good form as well. The first clash belonged to the Israelis and convincingly so (93-69). Will Fribourg manage to get revenge?
In the last Group B game for the week, Nanterre will host Opava. The French won three in a row in all competitions, however, Opava won only one game in BCL this season and it was against Nanterre (74-67). Can they take another one?
Group C
1. Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem (6-1)
2. AEK (6-1)
3. Brose Bamberg (4-3)
4. Lietkabelis (3-4)
5. Montakit Fuenlabrada (3-4)
6. Telenet Giants Antwerp (3-4)
7. CEZ Nymburk (2-5)
8. JDA Dijon (1-6)
CEZ Nymburk has scored the fewest points per game in the paint (24.9). However, JDA Dijon has allowed their opponents to grab 37.8% of the available rebounds on their own basket, the worst rebounding percentage among all teams in BCL this season. These could be the deciding factors, have the teams improved during the break?
Group C will also feature a clash of two title favorites. Reigning champion AEK has lost only one of their last 12 games in BCL but it was against Hapoel Jerusalem on Day 1 of the current season (75-79). Both sides also hold the top-scorers of the competition so far, Vince Hunter (124) and James Feldeine (123). Who will still the spotlight?
Antwerp will host Lietkabelis for the last Group C game and both teams are doing well. The first clash came down to details as the Belgian squad came out on top after overtime (91-87). Will this one be decided in the final seconds as well?
Group D
1. Segafredo Virtus Bologna (7-0)
2. Promitheas Patras (5-2)
3. SIG Strasbourg (4-3)
4. medi Bayreuth (3-4)
5. Besiktas Sompo Japan (3-4)
6. Neptunas Klaipeda (3-4)
7. Filou Oostende (2-5)
8. Petrol Olimpija (1-6)
In Turkey, Besiktas and Bayreuth will have the honor to kickstart the second part of the BCL regular season. Bayreuth arrives off seven straight wins in all competitions and led by Hassan Martin who has scored 72.2% of his attempted two-pointers in BCL this season. However, Besiktas is doing well too, especially in front of the home crowd.
Promitheas Patras have forced the most turnovers per game (17.6) and have scored the most points per game after turnovers (17.3). Their defense is merciless and it will be their main weapon as they try to bounce back from losses in the domestic league and BCL by edging Oostende. The Belgians won four in a row before losing their last game.
Olimpija has had a rough start but Miha Lapornik has scored an average of 17.8 points per game in his last four BCL appearances and will try to hand his squad the second win in BCL this season. It certainly won’t be easy to do against Strasbourg and on the road, but the French team has had its ups and downs as well recently.
Last but not least, Bologna will visit Neptunas in hopes of keeping the perfect streak going. Neptunas almost won the first time around as the Italians barely came out on top after overtime (83-78). Can they be the ones to finaly stop Bologna’s perfect streak?
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League