MIAMI (United States) – With a pair of Basketball Champions League Americas Season 5 group stages in the books, the third and last one will begin next Wednesday and determine the eight teams that will qualify to the Quarterfinals.

As of right now, only 2 teams have punched their ticket to the next round and only one has been eliminated. With the rest still fighting to advance, let’s take a look at how each team arrives to the final set of games in a new edition of our Power Rankings:

12. UdeC (-1)

Record: 0-4

The Chilean champions are the only team that failed to win any of their first four games and that led to their elimination. This has been, without a doubt, a disappointing performance after advancing to the Quarterfinals last year. They’re also not having a great showing in their domestic league, with a 2-2 record that has them in 10th place.

11. São Paulo (+1)

Record: 1-3

Despite notching their first victory, they’re still in a tough spot as they try to advance to the next round. On the positive side of the ledger, they’ll finish the group stage playing at home. On the negative one, they’re looking very inconsistent, boasting a 2-1 record in their last 3 games on Brazil’s NBB, but an overall 10-13 mark that is good for 13th place.

10. Gladiadores de Anzoátegui (-1)

Record: 2-2

The Venezuelan squad couldn’t take full advantage of playing at home and they’re the only team in Group A that hasn’t been able to win consecutive games. That’s what they’ll try to accomplish this time to qualify to the next round, but the task won’t be an easy one as they’ll play in Mexican soil. Another factor is that head coach Daniel Seoane won’t be back with the team due to his Venezuelan National Team duties, and the roster will have to adapt on the fly to a new head coach, to be named shortly.

9. Real Estelí (-6)

Record: 2-2

Real Estelí lost both of their games in the most recent stage and after sitting in first place, they’re now at risk due to having the worst point differential in Group A – which will determine who advances in case of multiple ties. However, this is a team with plenty of experience in this tournament, having advanced out of the group stage in the last four editions.

8. Obras (-2)

Record: 2-2

Obras has managed an even record in BCL Americas and already qualified to the Quarterfinals, but after a great start to their Argentinian LNB campaign, they’ve been stumbling with a 1-3 mark in their last 4 games. That gives them a 10-7 record, good for 6th place in the standings. However, they just lost head coach Peter Dominguez, who left to take another job, and that will cause a shift in their paradigm.

7. Boca Jrs (-2)

Record: 1-3

Boca is in a tough spot in Group C after a pair of recent losses, but they’ll now play at home and that could be what spurs positive change. With a little luck, they might still be able to advance with a pair of good performances. They currently have a 12-5 record at the domestic level and have won 3 out of their last 4 games.

6. Hebraica Macabi (+1)

Record: 2-2

In one of the toughest zones (Group C), the reigning Uruguayan champions have looked in good shape and were able to win the head-to-head matchup against Boca. Their foreign players are performing at an optimal level, but still need to improve in their domestic competition, where they boast an 11-7 mark that has them in 5th place in the standings.

5. Nacional (+3)

Record: 2-2

The other Uruguayan outfit in the competition took a huge step toward the next round after defeating São Paulo once again, securing the head-to-head matchup. However, they’ll need one more victory in Brazilian territory to not depend on other results. The team is firing on all cylinders in their domestic competition, with a 5-game winning streak and a 15-2 record that bodes well for their chances of advancing.

4. Halcones de Xalapa (+6)

Record: 2-2

The Mexican representative experienced a 180º turn with seven additions to their roster for the second stage. They managed to even up their record after starting with a pair of losses and looked sharp on both ends of the floor. That has raised their level of optimism significantly, knowing that now on their home turf they should be able to win the necessary matchups to secure their spot in the next round.

3. Flamengo (+1)

Record: 3-1

The Rio de Janeiro squad showed their dominance and righted the ship with consecutive wins to rise to the top of Group C. They do have a 2-2 record in their last 4 NBB games, but still sit in second place with a 19-4 overall mark. The team seems to be gaining momentum though and just advanced to the Super 8 Finals in Brazil, to be played this weekend.

2. Quimsa (-1)

Record: 3-1

The Argentinian champions lost their undefeated status against São Paulo and ceded the first spot in this ranking, but that was just their second defeat of the season, counting both the BCLA Group Stage and their domestic league. They currently hold a 16-1 mark in LNB and are on a 4-game winning streak. Despite the recent BCLA loss, they’re still one of the favorites to win it all.

1. SESI Franca (+1)

Record: 4-0

The reigning continental and intercontinental champions reclaimed the top spot in the ranking after staying as the only unbeaten team in the competition and becoming the first one to advance to the Quarterfinals. Despite only having 8 players during the previous stage, they notched comfortable wins over their Group D rivals. However, they need to keep their foot on the gas after their recent elimination in Brazil’s Super 8. They currently have an 18-4 mark in their domestic league and are on a 3-game winning streak.

*Power rankings are completely subjective and in no way represent true or accurate systems of qualification. All the comments are the writer’s own.

**The domestic league records are at the time of publication of this story.

FIBA