MUNICH (FIBA Europe Cup) - Although the Knock-Out Stages of the FIBA Europe Cup officially began on Tuesday, there are 14 more teams in the Round of 16 still waiting to get their Play-Off campaigns underway.

Wednesday's action will take you from the Apennines to the Baltics and from the Cypriot shores all the way to the North Sea, with the best teams from the Second Round and incoming talent from the Basketball Champions League intertwining.

Juventus Utena v Alba Fehervar

Time: Wednesday, 17:30 CET
Domestic Form: Juventus are coming off their worst defeat of the season in the LKL after being blown out 120-86 on Sunday by Siauliai. They are 5th in the standings with a 9-15 record. Fourth-placed Alba Fehervar defeated Pecsi VSK 92-71 at the weekend and improved to 14-6 in the Hungarian championship.
Key Matchup: A lot of Alba Fehervar's hopes rest on how well they will make up for the lack of centimeters inside the paint. The tallest player on the Hungarian team at 2.08m, Akos Keller will be asked to battle the 2.17m Lithuanian giant Mindaugas Kupsas, who averaged 10.5 points and 4.6 rebounds in the Basketball Champions League.
How They Qualified: Juventus finished 6th in Group A of the Basketball Champions League with a 4-10 record. Alba Fehervar won Group J in the Second Round of the FIBA Europe Cup with a 5-1 mark.
They Said: "Our goal is to go as far in the competition as possible. I think we have the potential to be among the top four teams. Alba Fehervar is a tough team. I know they have players from the national team and some solid Americans" - Juventus forward Arvydas Siksnius.
"I think that team, Juventus, is quite a strong team. They are mid-table in the Lithuanian Championship. It's going to be difficult, for sure. I'd say that they have a little bit more of a chance to go through, probably like 60-40 for them, but in two games anything can happen" - Alba Fehervar big man Peter Lorant.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

Keravnos v Nizhny Novgorod

Time: Wednesday, 18:00 CET
Domestic Form: Keravnos stayed in 2nd place in the Hungarian Championship after moving their marker to 12-3 with an easy 85-57 win over Paralimni. Victory escaped Nizhny Novgorod in the VTB League on Sunday, with Zoran Lukic's side falling 82-79 to Khimki and dropping to 9th place with a 4-10 record.
Key Matchup: In possession of top-of-the-class frontcourt talent, Nizhny Novgorod and Keravnos ranked second and third respectively among the best dynamic duos in the FIBA Europe Cup. Hence, the most interesting battles will take place between the Nizhny Novgorod one-two punch of Stevan Jelovac and Petr Gubanov and the Keravnos tandem of Mohamed Abukar and Anthony King.
How They Qualified: Nizhny Novgorod finished 2nd in Group I of the Second Round in the FIBA Europe Cup with a 3-3 record. Keravnos finished 3rd in Group L of the Second Round, but qualified as one of the top third-placed teams after Elan Chalon and Movistar Estudiantes exercised their FIBA Europe Cup opt-outs.
They Said: "Any team who qualified for the Round of 16 is a very good team. My opinion is that we are going to see many close games between equal teams and qualification in most ties will be decided by details. We are going to face Nizhny Novgorod, a very good and experienced team and, of course, they are the favorites to qualify. We will play with passion, we will fight hard like we always do then see what we achieved in the end" - Keravnos big man George Theocharides.
"We encounter Keravnos for the first time, that's why I can't say for sure what to expect from them. They are a fast, offensive and experienced team, but we have already played this kind of opponent in the FIBA Europe Cup. It doesn't really matter whether they are from the Basketball Champions League or the FIBA Europe Cup, we should respect and be absolutely prepared for every team we are facing." - Nizhny Novgorod big man Petr Gubanov.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

Ventspils v Bakken Bears

Time: Wednesday, 18:00 CET
Domestic Form: Ventspils picked up their first defeat of the season in the Latvian Basketball League just before the February window, but have added three wins in a row since. Their 82-74 win against Jurmala put them at 19-1 in the standings. Bakken Bears extended their winning streak in Denmark to 8 games with an 87-80 win over Horsholm, moving up to 1st place for the time being with a 17-3 record.
Key Matchup: If coaches do decide to put them on each other, Aigars Skele and DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell going at each other might be the most fun personal duel of the Round of 16. The crafty Latvian guard Skele was the leading scorer for Ventspils in the Basketball Champions League at 12.2 points per game, while Akoon-Purcell is currently at the top of the FIBA Europe Cup scoring charts with an average output of 20.3 points.
How They Qualified: Ventspils finished 5th in Group B of the Basketball Champions League with a 6-8 record. Meanwhile, Bakken Bears won Group K in the Second Round of the FIBA Europe Cup with a 4-2 mark.
They Said: "Ventspils is a legendary club in Latvia and also in Europe. They have more experience playing in games such as these, also they are the only team to beat Tenerife at this point in the Basketball Champions League. It's hard to say who the better side is and how the current form is on game day" - Bakken Bears big man Nicolai Iversen.
"As a team, we of course expect to win this tournament but there are a lot of great teams here. We will try to give our best and try to play our hardest in every single game and see how far we can go. Bakken Bears are a decent team. I know they finished on top of their group, so we will prepare for a hard battle and will need to show our best to beat them in this stage of the tournament" – Ventspils forward Maris Gulbis.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

Sidigas Scandone Avellino v Tsmoki-Minsk

Time: Wednesday, 20:30 CET
Domestic Form: Avellino dropped to joint third in Serie A with an 83-82 defeat to Cantu putting them at 14-6, one game behind league leaders Umana Reyer Venezia and Olimpia Milano. In the VTB League, Tsmoki-Minsk lost to Astana 77-59 and dropped all the way to 11th place with a 4-11 mark.
Key Matchup: Scoring ace Jason Rich of Avellino will get a flurry of defenders thrown his way by Tsmoki head coach Aliaksandr Krutsikau, but he doesn't have a lot of choices, with 37-year-old Aliaksandr Kudrautsau soaking in most of the shooting guard minutes.
How They Qualified: Avellino finished 5th in Group D of the Basketball Champions League with a 6-8 record. Tsmoki-Minsk finished 2nd in Group K in the Second Round of the FIBA Europe Cup with a 3-3 mark.
They Said: "I don't know a whole lot about the team. It's going to be my first time going to Belarus, but I'm excited just because it's a new opportunity, a new team that we have never played against. They have a lot of players who represent their country, they have a lot of pride and they'll come out and play hard. We're looking forward to it" - Avellino power forward Maarty Leunen.
"The season was very exciting, so in the Play-Offs we have to show all of our strength, confidence and courage. The way to the Play-Offs was not easy for our team and each player is now thinking about how to win and advance. I think that Avellino is a good team, one of the leaders of the domestic championship. There are many good players on the team, including Kyrylo Fesenko, who I know very well (grinning). In my mind, we have a serious opponent, but our chances are equal" - Tsmoki-Minsk guard Aliaksandr Kudrautsau.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

Dinamo Sassari v ESSM Le Portel

Time: Wednesday, 20:30 CET
Domestic Form: Dinamo Sassari were on the wrong end of a 116-93 blowout against Olimpia Milano in Serie A, falling to 8th place in the standings with a 10-10 record. ESSM Le Portel lost their third-straight game in the French Pro A, coming up short against league leaders Monaco, 73-72. They are currently in a four-way tie for 12th place in the standings.
Key Matchup: Anyone who has watched ESSM Le Portel play this season knows their game revolves around Robert 'Trae' Golden, who averages 14.8 points and 4.4 assists per game in the FIBA Europe Cup. Point guard Scott Bamforth put up similar numbers and was the go-to man for Dinamo Sassari in the Basketball Champions League, scoring 15.9 points and dishing out 4.4 assists per game.
How They Qualified: Dinamo Sassari finished 5th in Group A of the Basketball Champions League with a 7-7 record. ESSM Le Portel won Group I in the Second Round of the FIBA Europe Cup with a perfect 6-0 mark.
They Said: "After the elimination from the Basketball Champions League, we want to do our best in the FIBA Europe Cup. It's very important for us and it would be great to be able to raise our first European trophy. It will be a very interesting challenge, ESSM have had a good run in Europe and are doing well in a difficult championship like the French one. We lost a few extra games in the Basketball Champions League, but we showed that we can play with anyone" - Dinamo Sassari guard Giacomo Devecchi.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

Oostende v Mornar Bar

Time: Wednesday, 20:30 CET
Domestic Form: Still undefeated in Belgium, Oostende moved to 20-0 in the domestic championship with an 80-78 triumph over Belfius Mons-Hainaut. Needless to say, they are top of the table. Mornar Bar got back to winning ways in the ABA League, edging Cibona 82-79 on the road in Zagreb to stay in command of 4th place with a 13-8 record.
Key Matchup: There style of play of Oostende playmaker Dusan Djordjevic and Mornar Bar point guard Derek Needham could hardly be more different, but that's exactly what makes this matchup an exciting one to follow.
How They Qualified: Oostende finished 6th in Group D of the Basketball Champions League with a 6-8 record. Mornar finished 3rd in Group K in the Second Round of the FIBA Europe Cup with a 3-3 record, but qualified as one of the top third-placed teams after Elan Chalon and Movistar Estudiantes exercised their FIBA Europe Cup opt-outs.
They Said: "We will try go as far is possible. In the weekend between games with Mornar, we have the Final of the Belgium Cup and that is the most important game for us. But we always play hard, so I hope we can go further in the FIBA Europe Cup. We don't know much about Mornar other than we played with them in the same group in the Basketball Champions League last year. I know Uros Lukovic very well and he has had a great season and that their main players are American" - Oostende guard Dusan Djordjevic.
"We did a good job this season in the FIBA Europe Cup. We worked hard and this effort paid off. We'll be ready for the Play-Offs. We don't have a reason to be afraid and we'll give our maximum. Oostende are a very good team. They are covered on every position and have a very experienced team. They don't have any defeats in the Belgian Championship and they deserve a lot of respect" - Mornar Bar guard Marko Mijovic.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

Umana Reyer Venezia v Egis Kormend

Time: Wednesday, 20:30 CET
Domestic Form: Umana Reyer Venezia stayed in pole position in Serie A after Austin Daye's buzzer-beater scored them a 71-70 victory against Virtus Bologna. They share a league-best 15-5 mark with Olimpia Milano. Egis Kormend suffered an 83-79 defeat to Falco Vulcano in the Hungarian Championship, falling to third place with a 15-5 record.
Key Matchup: Can Stephen Davis-Smith of Kormend stop former NBAer Austin Daye? Having joined Venezia a month back, the 29-year-old sharpshooting big man has seen an increased workload for his new club of late and his quality of play has also improved.
How They Qualified: Venezia finished 6th in Group C of the Basketball Champions League with an 8-6 record. Egis Kormend finished 2nd in Group J in the Second Round of the FIBA Europe Cup with a 3-3 mark.
They Said: "We will try to win the cup like everyone else" - Venezia big man Tomas Ress.
"I am very pleased that we earned a direct qualification to the Round of 16 and we are looking forward to the following two games. Venezia is a very strong team with players of high skills. There is no need to introduce them. In my opinion they represent a high standard of play and that is the reason why I think we got one of the strongest teams. But we won't give up" - Egis Kormend guard Csaba Ferencz.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

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