Power Rankings: Le Portel and Demir Insaat leading the pack; Hungarians aiming to go higher

MUNICH (FIBA Europe Cup) - We present the first edition of the FIBA Europe Cup Power Rankings for the 2017-18 season, a quick and fun way to keep up to date with all of the action throughout the Second Round and into the Play-Offs.

RANK	CLUB	MOVE
16			It's easier to push off, when you're at the very bottom. The positive in this situation for Daniel Goethals is the fact that Belfius Mons-Hainaut aren't knee-deep into trouble yet and there's plenty of time to get their efforts back on track. They have actually been pretty solid in the Belgian championship, but a stagnant offense and a not-good-enough-to-make-up-for-it defense leave us with no choice but to circle out the Mons-Hainaut club as the early underdogs.
15			The good? Christopher Horton threw down a season's worth of dunks in a single game. The bad? Alba Fehervar came up short 90-87 against Nevezis in overtime. The ugly? Uhm… There's really nothing all that ugly in Szekesfehervar but we can't have everyone in the top half of the table.
14			They were the last undefeated team in the Regular Season back in November, but Egis Kormend have gone on a massive slide since, picking up three L's in a row and putting them in a less-than-desired 14th place in the first edition of the Power Rankings. Having Eric Fanning back to full fitness – which finally looks to be the case – is a good starting place to make the streak of L's disappear.
13			For a long time, the arrow was pointing up for Kataja Basket in the FIBA Europe Cup but things didn't exactly go their way at the end of the Regular Season and a not-very-competitive loss against Nizhny Novgorod deepened their mid-season slump. Things also aren't going particularly well in the Korisliiga, where the Greg Gibson-coached Finnish champs are just sixth.
12			They are probably too good to be so far down in the Power Rankings. But, apparently, not good enough to avoid a 17-point meltdown against Mornar Bar. The highest-ranked of the three Hungarian teams in the Power Rankings, Szolnoki Olaj have the potential to be much higher, but two losses in a row have put David Vojvoda and company back to square one. They will need to prove themselves all over again. Once they oil their machine, they probably will.
11			You would think a dragon would defeat a bear, wouldn't you? Oh wait... Those are just team names. Despite another solid game from Devon Saddler, the Minsk-based Dragons, aka Tsmoki-Minsk, lost their Second Round opener to Bakken Bears and now have some ground to make up.
10			While U-BT Cluj-Napoca did not get off to a start they had hoped for in Group L, the Romanian champions remain one of the most intriguing teams in the competition. Adding to the nice international mix of players, they shuffled the deck in the last days of December by signing Miha Lapornik. We'll see if the Slovene guard can be a lucky charm for coach Mihai Silvasan's side.
9			Istanbul BBSK were supposed to be showcasing their title credentials to start the Second Round, but either forgot how to play basketball or sent a group of poorly-trained doppelgangers to France. There is no other explanation for a 37-point defeat to ESSM Le Portel. Or was it the aliens?
8			If the Power Rankings were about rim-bending dunks, the Bakken Bears would take the top spot without much of a contest. But they aren't. The individually-gifted group of players, paced by DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell, have all the athleticism in the world and will not think twice about choking you with a full-court press, but they haven't managed to avoid some turbulence themselves. Don't be surprised to see them jump in the coming weeks…both on the court and in the Power Rankings.
7			You can't have it all your way. A successful Regular Season performance and a positive start to the Second Round in the shape of an overtime win over Alba Fehervar has been somewhat overshadowed by a poor stretch of play in the Lithuanian championship, where Nevezis have lost 10 out of their last 11 games. But, as they say, always look on the bright side of life – they are doing well in the FIBA Europe Cup and the arrival of top Lithuanian prospect Tadas Sedekerskis on loan has Kedainiai buzzing.
6			The Cypriot champions from the Nicosia suburb of Strovolou have been a revelation this season, but they received an unexpected blow after Cade Davis suffered a season-ending injury just before the turn of the calendar. To spice things up, Keravnos signed a familiar FIBA Europe Cup face in Dalton Pepper and brought back Ronald Ross, who was part of the team last year. Knock on wood. Hopefully not more injuries.
5			They came, they saw, they conquered. Donar Groningen were only one of two teams to escape with a road win in the first go-around in the Second Round. They have been impressive in the FIBA Europe Cup even with star point guard Brandyn Curry failing to find his stroke and making a career-low 23% of attempts from three-point range. Now imagine if he finally gets it going!
4			There were serious question marks whether the Montenegrins would make it through to the Second Round, but Mornar Bar brushed aside their offensive struggles and gained some serious momentum. Their good form was on display in the ABA League with an 84-79 win over FMP, as they climbed to a very respectable fourth place with a win.
3			Stevan Jelovac is a scoring machine, Vladimir Veremeenko has been a positive addition, while the mostly-Russian core of the team have also seemingly found their groove. All is well in Nizhny Novgorod, at least on the international front, where coach Zoran Lukic has surrendered only once all season long.
2			Slow and steady wins the race. That is what coach Ozhan Civgin must be telling himself, as Demir Insaat rank as one of the slowest-paced teams still in the competition. However, that hasn't prevented the Turkish side from pulling off five wins on the trot, with Erving Walker marking the start of the Second Round with an 8-of-11 three-point firework display.
1			While success in the domestic championship has been hard to come by, ESSM Le Portel have been on a tear in the FIBA Europe Cup with the longest active streak in the competition that is now up to six games. The only French representatives this season, Eric Girard's men flexed their muscles against Istanbul BBSK with an 86-49 rout before Christmas.