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11 Taurean James Green (Bnei Herzliya) (photo: Oded Karni)
20/12/2016
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Will Bnei Herzliya's perfect home record stand the test of Nanterre?

MUNICH (FIBA Europe Cup) – There is basketball for all tastes in another busy Wednesday on the FIBA Europe Cup schedule, with Second Round battles taking place in seven different European countries.

Some teams will be looking to fortify their positions in the standings after getting off to a quick start last week, while others will be eager catch up to the leaders.

Prievidza and Buyukcekmece qualify to the former category after starting Group L play with victories last week and both of these teams have a shot to finish the calendar year atop the group.

Later in the day, Bnei Herzliya will test their undefeated home record against none other than Group N rivals Nanterre 92, who have not lost a single game in the FIBA Europe Cup this season.

All of the days contests, like all FIBA Europe Cup games, will be available to watch LIVE and FREE on YouTube.com/FIBA.

Prievidza (1-0) v Demir Insaat (1-0), 18:00 CET

Not many expected Prievidza to make it this far in the competition, but the Slovakian side continued its darling run by surprising BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque with an unexpected victory on the road in France last week.

It was the team's first win away from home, but Prievidza have actually been rock solid in front of their own fans, winning all three Regular Season games against Lukoil Academic, Bnei Herzliya and Steaua CSM.

A packed Nike Arena in the in the central-western Slovakian town has been both a regular feature and a source of inspiration for coach Miljan Curovic's side, who average 83 points per game at home in comparison to just 77 points on the road, even taking into account last week's 98-95 victory.

The team's starting point guard Andre Jones had an inconsistent start to the year, but finally burst out of his shooting slump by going 13-of-19 from the field for 30 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists against Gravelines.

Zo Svitu odvážame dva body! Ďakujem za podporu.

A video posted by BC Prievidza (@bcprievidza_official) on

On the other end of the court, Demir Insaat, are in many ways a polar opposite to the Group L underdogs from Slovakia, with a number of of big-name players accompanied by lofty expectations.

In spite of losing two games in the Regular Season, the Buyukcekmece side have for the most part been functioning like clockwork and the recent addition of Jerry Johnson only opened up even more options for Ozhan Civgin.

The biggest strength for Demir Insaat is the length of its bench, with six different players averaging double figures and a couple more hovering just below the mark.

Bnei Herzliya (0-1) v Nanterre 92 (1-0), 19:00 CET

Bnei Herzliya have been hit-or-miss in the FIBA Europe Cup this season, with most of the hitting happening on their home court and most of the missing occurring on the road.

Having won all three games at the Hyuvel Hall, Mickey Gorka's side has not found the same success away from home, picking up a lone victory in Bucharest against Steaua CSM and losing their other three contests.

Why has that happened? Examining the numbers, it is hard to overlook the stunning difference in the three-point percentage graph, with Bnei Herzliya making 23-of-51 shots from downtown on their home floor in comparison to just 21-of-76 on the road.

The same trend continued last week in Minsk, where the Israeli slide slumped to an 89-76 defeat in the Group N opener after shooting a sluggish 4-of-16 from three-point range.

The situation was not helped by the fact that the team's all-around sensation Karam Mashour, who is averaging 17.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.0 block per game, was limited due to foul trouble.

Nanterre coach Pascal Donnadieau hasn't had to worry about any philosophical or mathematical home-or-away debates, as his side is yet to lose a single game in the FIBA Europe Cup this season.

Having swept through the Regular Season, the French side continued its unbeaten run, now up to seven games, by starting the Second Round with an 87-77 victory against Kormend.

However, all considered, the game in Israel will also be a tough test and in all likelihood a close game for Nanterre who have recorded double-digit wins in only three of their wins.

FIBA