MUNICH (FIBA Europe Cup) – There will be plenty of interesting storylines to follow in Group G of the FIBA Europe Cup, with an exciting mix of teams set not only to compete for places in the Second Round, but also perhaps to settle some old scores.

Whilst likely group favourites Gaziantep (TUR) will have their eyes on the main prize right from the get-go, KB Peja (KOS) will be taking things one step at a time as their first season in the FIBA Europe Cup will also be the first international campaign for the club.

There will be no love lost between the two other teams of the group, Petrolina AEK Larnaca (CYP) and U-BT Cluj-Napoca (ROU), as they already squared off in the Basketball Champions League (BCL) qualifiers this season.

Having defeated their current Group G rivals AEK in Qualification Round 1, Cluj-Napoca switched to the FIBA Europe Cup themselves after failing to progress through the Qualification Round 2.

U-BT Cluj-Napoca transfer BCL aspirations to FIBA Europe Cup

Teams travelling to face U-BT Cluj-Napoca in the world-famous Transylvania region should fear the Romanian club far more than Count Dracula himself, as coach Mihai Silvasan’s side comes into the season as one of the main contenders to do well in Group G.

After finishing only fourth in the Liga Nationala last season, the Cluj-Napoca team added a number of solid pieces to its roster during the summer and were one step from earning a spot in the BCL Regular Season.

The Romanian side defeated their current group opponents AEK in Qualification Round 1 before falling short 178-156 against Muratbey Usak Sportif (TUR) in Qualification Round 2.

Perhaps one of the key additions of the summer is Romania international Vlad Moldoveanu, who has been on fire in the first rounds of Liga Nationala action. He will be surrounded by talented players such as Kyndall Dykes, Aleksandar Rasic, Ousmane Barro and Filip Adamovic, who will together form the backbone of the team.

After the first three rounds in the domestic championship, Cluj-Napoca are fifth in the Liga National standings with a 2-1 record.

Petrolina AEK Larnaca out to get revenge 

After reaching the Round of 16 in the FIBA Europe Cup last season, Petrolina AEK Larnaca took care of business on the home front and successfully defended the Cypriot crown, sweeping the field in the Cypriot League Play-Offs.

It was the second consecutive domestic championship title and third overall for a club that has made great strides over the last couple of years to establish itself as a major powerhouse on the island.

However, the Larnaca club could not carry last season's momentum into the BCL Qualification Rounds, as coach Linos Gavriel's men were dismantled by U-BT Cluj-Napoca 145-106 on aggregate by the Romanian side.

Elimination from the BCL resulted in AEK joining the FIBA Europe Cup, where the Cypriots made it past the Regular Season and the Round of 32 stages last year, only to be stopped by eventual champions Fraport Skyliners (GER) in the first knock-out stage.

During the off-season, the Larnaca side had to say goodbye to last season's top scorer Thaddus McFadden, but retained the experienced Slovenian big man Primoz Brezec, who averaged an impressive 15 points and 7 rebounds in the previous FIBA Europe Cup campaign.

The guard duo of Anthony Hickey and Alex Harris will try to take some of the scoring load off the shoulders of the 37-year-old veteran Brezec, who proved that he still has plenty of tricks up his sleeve.

Gaziantep in search for new milestones

After only earning promotion to the Turkish BSL in 2012, Gazientep took another step forward in the club's evolution by making the Play-Offs in the top flight of Turkish basketball for the very first time.

Despite the fact that the Gaziantep side lost the Quarter-Final series 2-0 against the Istanbul powerhouse Anadolu Efes, it was an important milestone for the growing club and coach Stefan Dedos who took the reins midway through the season after Jure Zdovc's departure in December.

Gazientep also enjoyed a successful campaign in the FIBA Europe Cup last season, reaching the knock-out stages where they were eliminated by Openjobmetis Varese (ITA) in the Round of 16.

Having kept last year's top scorer Andrew Rautins and two key pieces in Jure Balazic and Tomislav Ruzic, the Turkish team added number of well-known names such as Marcus Haislip, Will Cherry, Dejan Ivanov, Nemanja Aleksandrov and Marcus Denmon.

It is no secret that Gaziantep will hope to progress even further in the FIBA Europe Cup this season and their body of work both on the domestic front and internationally suggests that the club is ready for another milestone.

KB Peja set to make European debut

It will be an historic season for the six-time Kosovo Superleague champions KB Peja, for whom the debut in the FIBA Europe Cup will double as the club’s first season in any European competition.

Having last won the domestic championship title back in 2013, the Eagles have been runners-up to Sigal Pristhina on all three occasions since, including last season. Despite topping the standings after the Regular Season with only one loss, the Peja club lost 3-2 to their main rivals in the Finals.

Advancing from a tough Group G might be a complicated task for Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia coach Aleksandar Todorov, but not an unimaginable one either if the Kosvar side can make the most of their home court advantage, which will undoubtedly be strengthened by their impressive fan support.

Foreign players will pull the main strings for Peja on offence, especially the American guard duo of Austin Tillotson and LaMarcus Reed who will be tasked with running the show offensively. Meanwhile, Noah Dahlman, Maksyn Ivshyn and Salih Nuhanovic will strengthen the front court.

The new squad got off to an excellent start to the season and pleased the club's fans with an 81-73 victory against main rivals from Prishtina.

FIBA