Wednesday Preview: Can Porto make it three in a row against Kataja Basket?

MUNICH (FIBA Europe Cup) - There could be just a handful of remaining slots in the FIBA Europe Cup Second Round by the end of the week, with eight teams in position to get the job done already on Wednesday.

While the race for qualification is already over in Groups D and H, only seven teams in the Regular Season have already been mathematically eliminated, leaving plenty of wiggle room for other Second Round hopefuls.

The game of the day will take place in Portugal, where FC Porto are set to welcome Group C leaders Kataja Basket, as they continue their three-game home stand, now prepping to take on the visitors from Finland.

Having already won twice in a row, the Portuguese club will fancy their chances to keep the winning streak alive against the suddenly vulnerable Kataja, who suffered their first defeat of the season, last week against Kapfenberg Bulls.

Group B: Avtodor Saratov (2-2) v BC Nevezis (2-2)

Time: Wednesday, 16:00 CET
Key Matchup: Coty Clarke v Valerii Likhodei
Head-to-head: Nevezis +1 (84-83)
Permutations: Nevezis will qualify for the Second Round with a win, while Avtodor Saratov will be eliminated with a loss.
Domestic Form: Saratov picked up an 89-82 defeat against Unics Kazan in the VTB League on Saturday. They are in 7th place with a 2-3 mark. Nevezis suffered their second loss in a row in LKL, falling short 88-81 against Lietkabelis and dropping to a 3-6 mark in the standings, which puts them in 7th place.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

Group E: Lukoil Academic (2-2) v Istanbul BBSK (3-1)

Time: Wednesday, 16:00 CET
Key Matchup: Keith Clanton v Ivan Buva
Head-to-head: Istanbul BBSK +12 (81-69)
Permutations: Istanbul BBSK will qualify for the Second Round with a win. Lukoil Academic will be eliminated if they lose and U-BT Cluj-Napoca defeat Dinamo Tbilisi.
Domestic Form: Istanbul BBSK celebrated a 77-73 victory in overtime against Usak Sportif to rise to 8th place in Turkey with a 3-3 record. Lukoil Academic hammered Spartak Pleven 105-78 to improve to 4-1 in Bulgaria, staying in 3rd place.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

Group H: Nizhny Novgorod (3-1) v Karposh Sokoli (0-4)

Time: Wednesday, 17:00 CET
Key Matchup: Ivan Strebkov v Thaddus McFadden
Head-to-head: Nizhny Novgorod +34 (101-67)
Permutations: Nizhny Novgorod advanced to the Second Round thanks to Szolnoki Olaj's victory over Falco Vulcano. Karposh Sokoli were already eliminated from contention.
Domestic Form: Nizhny Novgorod were defeated by fellow FIBA Europe Cup participants Tsmoki-Minsk 91-82 in the VTB League. It was their third loss in a row and they are now 9th in the standings with a 1-3 record. Karposh Sokoli registered a 102-73 win over Pelister in the MKD Championship, improving to a 5-1 mark and rising to 3rd place.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

Group E: U-BT Cluj-Napoca (3-1) v Dinamo Tbilisi (0-4)

Time: Wednesday, 18:00 CET
Key Matchup: Ousmane Barro v Kiel Turpin
Head-to-head: U-BT Cluj-Napoca +14 (87-73)
Permutations: U-BT Cluj-Napoca will qualify for the Second Round if they win and Istanbul BBSK defeat Lukoil Academic; Dinamo Tbilisi are already eliminated.
Domestic Form: U-BT Cluj-Napoca stayed at the top of the standings in Romania, defeating Iasi 89-60 and improving to a 5-1 mark. Dinamo Tbilisi stayed undefeated in Georgia, improving to a 5-0 record with an 80-64 victory over Mgzavrebi Tbilisi.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

Group D: BC Balkan (0-4) v Keravnos (3-1)

Time: Wednesday, 19:00 CET
Key Matchup: David Haughton v Mohamed Abukar
Head-to-head: Keravnos +19 (88-69)
Permutations: Keravnos are already through to the Second Round, while Balkan are out of contention for a place in the next stage of the competition.
Domestic Form: Balkan defeated Beroe in Bulgaria 87-80 and remain the only undefeated team in the domestic championship with a 5-0 record. Keravnos edged Paralimni 69-58 to climb to a 3-1 mark in Cyprus. They are 3rd in the standings.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

Group F: Tsmoki-Minsk (2-2) v Bnei Rav-Bariach Herzliya (1-3)

Time: Wednesday, 19:15 CET
Key Matchup: Filip Adamovic v Taurean Green
Head-to-head: Tsmoki-Minsk +6 (69-63)
Permutations: Tsmoki-Minsk can neither qualify for the Second Round nor be eliminated from contention this week. Herzliya will be eliminated with a loss; furthermore, if Spirou defeat Alba Fehervar, Herzliya need to win by at least 6 points to avoid immediate elimination.
Domestic Form: Tsmoki earned a 91-82 victory over Nizhny Novgorod in the VTB League to rise to 6th in the standings after improving to a 3-3 mark. Herzliya ended their four-game losing streak in Israel with a 70-69 win over Hapoel Eilat to jump to 9th place with a 2-4 record.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

Group A: Donar Groningen (2-2) v Bosna (0-4)

Time: Wednesday, 19:30 CET
Key Matchup: Brandyn Curry v Cory Bradford
Head-to-head: Donar Groningen +29 (72-43)
Permutations: Donar Groningen will be eliminated if they lose to Bosna and Telenet Giants Antwerp win over ESSM Le Portel. Bosna have already been eliminated.
Domestic Form: Second-placed Groningen defeated Zwolle 79-68 in the Dutch Basketball League to improve to a 5-1 mark. Bosna celebrated a 71-65 win over Spars Sarajevo in the BIH championship to improve to a 2-2 record.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

Group A: Telenet Giants Antwerp (3-1) v ESSM Le Portel (3-1)

Time: Wednesday, 20:30 CET
Key Matchup: Paris Lee v Trae Golden
Head-to-head: ESSM Le Portel +15 (94-79)
Permutations: ESSM Le Portel qualify for the Second Round with a win or a Donar Groningen loss. Telenet Giants Antwerp qualify for the Second Round with a win, providing Donar Groningen lose against Bosna.
Domestic Form: ESSM Le Portel improved to a 5-4 mark in the LNB Pro A in France with a 96-69 win over Chalons-Reims, climbing to 7th place. Meanwhile, the Giants registered a 106-60 win over Willebroek in Belgium to get their record up to 5-1.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

Group C: Mornar Bar (2-2) v Kapfenberg Bulls (1-3)

Time: Wednesday, 20:30 CET
Key Matchup: Derek Needham v Bogic Vujosevic
Head-to-head: Mornar Bar +6 (75-69)
Permutations: Kapfenberg Bulls would be eliminated with a loss. Mornar Bar cannot qualify for the Second Round or be eliminated this week.
Domestic Form: Mornar Bar defeated Igokea 87-83 in the ABA League to improve to a 4-4 record, which currently puts them in 6th place. Kapfenberg Bulls suffered their second loss of the season in the Austrian championship, losing 89-82 to Swans Gmunden. They are 4th on the table with a 5-2 record.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

Group D: Basic-Fit Brussels (1-3) v Egis Kormend (4-0)

Time: Wednesday, 20:30 CET
Key Matchup: Augustas Peciukevicius v Marquis Wright
Head-to-head: Egis Kormend +13 (74-61)
Permutations: Egis Kormend are through to the Second Round, while Basic-Fit Brussels have been eliminated.
Domestic Form: Having improved to a 6-1 mark with an 87-74 victory over Pecsi VSK, Kormend are just one win behind the Hungarian Championship leaders Szolnoki Olaj. Basic-Fit Brussels were handed a 90-82 defeat by Liege in Belgium and dropped to a 1-6 record.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

Group F: Proximus Spirou (3-1) v Alba Fehervar (2-2)

Time: Wednesday, 20:30 CET
Key Matchup: Seth Tuttle v Peter Lorant
Head-to-head: Proximus Spirou +12 (72-60)
Permutations: Proximus Spirou would qualify for the Second Round with a win. Alba Fehervar cannot qualify for the Second Round or be eliminated this week.
Domestic Form: Proximus Spirou inscribed a 95-91 victory over Limburg United, improving to 4-3 in the Belgian championship. Alba Fehervar took care of business against Szedeak 94-68 in Hungary, climbing to 3-4 with their second win in a row.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

Group C: FC Porto (2-2) v Kataja Basket (3-1)

Time: Wednesday, 21:30 CET
Key Matchup: Sasa Borovnjak v Timothy Williams
Head-to-head: Kataja Basket +4 (88-84)
Permutations: Kataja Basket would qualify for the Second Round with a win. FC Porto cannot qualify for the Second Round or be eliminated this week.
Domestic Form: FC Porto suffered a 90-83 loss against Madeira in Portugal and dropped to 6th place in the standings with a 3-4 mark. Kataja Basket lost their third consecutive game in Finland, falling to Nokia 96-91. They are only 9th on the table with a 3-5 record.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

Group B: SL Benfica (1-3) v Bakken Bears (3-1)

Time: Wednesday, 22:00 CET
Key Matchup: Antywane Robinson v Jeffrey Crockett
Head-to-head: Bakken Bears +19 (95-76)
Permutations: Bakken Bears would qualify for the Second Round with a win. If Nevezis win against Avtodor, they would also qualify if they lose by less than 19 points. SL Benfica would be eliminated with a loss. If Nevezis win against Avtodor, SL Benfica would also be eliminated unless they win by at least 19 points to either tie or take the head-to-head advantage over Bakken Bears.
Domestic Form: Bakken Bears defeated Vaerlose 94-69 in the Quarter-Finals of the Danish Cup. In Portugal, SL Benfica did not play any domestic games this weekend, but they lead the standings with a 6-0 mark.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

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