MUNICH (FIBA Europe Cup) – The top half of field is set to resume their FIBA Europe Cup campaigns in the Second Round after a two-week hiatus for the national team break.

The clubs that made it out alive from the Regular Season were reshuffled to form four new groups of four, which will now serve as the battleground for the eight dedicated tickets to the Play-Offs.

Before they line up for the start of the Second Round, here is a handy overview that will help the fans get to know their new opponents just a little bit better.

Group I

• s.Oliver Wurzburg (GER) – 1st place in Group A with a 4-2 record
• Szolnoki Olaj (HUN) – 1st place in Group H with a 5-1 record
• Pinar Karsiyaka (TUR) – 2nd place in Group C with a 4-2 record
• Z Mobile Prishtina (KOS) – 2nd place in Group E with a 4-2 record

s.Oliver Wurzburg

Having been unlucky to fall short in the Qualifiers for the FIBA Europe Cup in the 2017-18 season, s.Oliver Wurzburg are making the most out of their first full-time campaign. A well-rounded team with few weak points added even more depth to the roster by signing former FIBA Europe Cup champion Mike Morrison to a frontcourt that already included the likes of Gabe Olaseni, Kresimir Loncar, Perry Ellis, Xavier Cooks and Johannes Richter. While their international season has been a success, they're just 3-6 in the German Bundesliga.

Top scorer: Perry Ellis – 13.0 PPG
Top rebounder: Gabe Olaseni – 7.7 RPG
Top assister: Skyler Bowlin – 7.0 APG

Szolnoki Olaj

Not much has changed in Szolnok over the past couple of years, with the game continuing to run through Hungarian star David Vojvoda, who leads the team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals. It has brought the Hungarian title-holders plenty of success in the FIBA Europe Cup, where they somewhat surprisingly nipped Dinamo Sassari for the throne in Group H, and in the domestic championship, where they are at the top of the table with an 9-1 mark.

Top scorer: David Vojvoda – 16.8 PPG
Top rebounder: David Vojvoda – 7.2 RPG
Top assister: David Vojvoda – 4.5 APG

Pinar Karsiyaka

It took time for the new roster of Pinar Karsiyaka to gel, but the Izmir side looks to be on the right track. The two losses to Donar Groningen show there is room for improvement, but leaving Spirou Basket and Istanbul BBSK behind them in the Group of Death is no small feat. In the last three contests, Sek Henry has emerged as the leader of the pack, but there are plenty of other weapons in coach Ozhan Civgin's arsenal, including Erving Walker, Assem Marei, Ilkan Karaman and Deividas Gailius. In the Turkish Basketball Super League, Karsiyaka are tied for seventh in the standings with a 4-6 record.

Top scorer: Erving Walker – 15.8 PPG
Top rebounder: Assem Marei – 8.8 RPG
Top assister: Sek Henry – 5.3 APG

Z Mobile Prishtina

Z Mobile Prishtina made history by qualifying for the Second Round for the first time in the club's history after three unsuccessful tries. Possibly the loudest fans in the competition, they will not make it easy for anyone to get a win in Kosovo, but the level of competition in Group I will be a huge step up comparing to Steauau Bucuresti or Cherkaski Mavpy. Dardan Berisha, Kyan Anderson, Khalid Boukichou, A.J. Davis and Demario Mayfield are at the heart of coach Damir Mulaomerovic's system, still undefeated in the Kosovo Super League at 10-0.

Top scorer: Dardan Berisha – 18.0 PPG
Top rebounder: Khalid Boukichou – 7.3 RPG
Top assister: Kyan Anderson – 7.0 APG

Group J

• Balkan BC (BUL) – 1st in Group B with a 4-2 record
• Lukoil Levski (BUL) – 1st in Group G with a 5-1 record
• Ironi Ness Ziona (ISR) – 2nd in Group D with a 4-2 record
• Alba Fehervar (HUN) – 2nd in Group F with a 5-1 record

There will be a distinct Bulgarian flavor to Group J, with Lukoil Levski and Balkan Botevgrad entering the Second Round after capturing the top seeds in Groups B and G, respectively – if you needed more Bulgaria references. Ironi Ness Ziona and Alba Fehervar also put together strong Regular Season performances, but just missed out on the Regular Season laurels. The international newcomers from Ness Ziona came second behind Avtodor Saratov in Group D, while Alba Fehervar gave away the top spot only on the final game day after winning five in a row before that.

Balkan Botevgrad

Four wins out on the trot to start the Group Phase were enough to secure the honors in Group B, but coach Nebojsa Vidic himself admitted on a number of occasions in the second half of the Regular Season that the team's play fell short of his expectations. It wouldn't be fair to say that the Botevgrad side came through an easy group, but their Second Round opponents will definitely pose more of a challenge than the trio of Petrolina AEK, Tsmoki-Minsk or Belfius Mons-Hainaut. Brandon Brown and Mikael Hopkins are the two figures that will receive the most room in opponents' scouting reports.

Top scorer: Brandon Brown – 15.4 PPG
Top rebounder: Alex Gavrilovic – 6.7 RPG
Top assister: Brandon Brown – 6.5 APG

Lukoil Levski

Bulgarian title-holders Lukoil Levski were easily one of the more convincing sides in the Regular Season, registering five consecutive victories in Group H before falling to Aris in a game that no longer had any implications on the final standings. The twins Deyan and Kaloyan Ivanov are the biggest names of the roster, but the talent doesn't end there - Patrick Rembert, Bozhidar Avramov and Hristo Zahariev are all difference-making players in the FIBA Europe Cup.

Top scorer: Patrick Rembert – 18.0 PPG
Top rebounder: Deyan Ivanov – 8.7 RPG
Top assister: Patrick Rembert – 5.8 APG

Ironi Ness Ziona

The first-ever European campaign has been a successful one for Ironi Ness Ziona, who knocked out the Sodertalje Kings and U-BT Cluj-Napoca in the Qualifiers and then went on to finish second in Group D a win behind Avtodor Saratov and in front of New Heroes Den Bosch and BK JIP Pardubice. Technically speaking, the club may be an international newcomer but they have all the necessary experience to be competitive in the later stages of the competition in the shape of Daequan Cook, Gerald Lee and Chris Dowe.

Top scorer: Daequan Cook – 18.1 PPG
Top rebounder: Chris Dowe – 6.0 RPG
Top assister: Gary Browne – 6.1 APG

Alba Fehervar

One of only two second seeds to come out of the Regular Season with five wins, Alba Fehervar were close to finishing first in the Group F standings over the presumed favorites Pallacanestro Varese but conceded the top spot on the last day of the Regular Season. Having reached the Round of 16 last season, the Hungarians will be keen to do no worse this time around. Despite reloading nearly the entire team over the summer, coach Branislav Dzunic just keeps winning games in the FIBA Europe Cup. On the other hand, their poor form in the Hungarian championship may suggest they are currently punching a little bit above their weight.

Top scorer: Allerik Freeman – 19.4 PPG
Top rebounder: Jordan Heath – 8.6 RPG
Top assister: Kyron Cartwright – 5.0 APG

Group K

• Donar Groningen (NED) – 1st in Group C with a 5-1 record
• Pallacanestro Varese (ITA) – 1st in Group F with a 5-1 record
• Petrolina AEK (CYP) – 2nd in Group B with a 4-2 record
• Dinamo Sassari (ITA) – 2nd in Group H with a 5-1 record

Donar Groningen

Top scorers: Jason Dourisseau and Shane Hammink – 10.0 PPG
Top rebounder: Thomas Koenis – 5.3 RPG
Top assister: Teddy Gipson – 4.5 APG

Having qualified for the Second Round via the Group of Death that also included Pinar Karsiyaka, Spirou Basket and Istanbul BBSK, Donar Groningen got slotted in one of the toughest groups once again. The Dutch title-holders have not lost a home game in the FIBA Europe Cup since the 2016-17 campaign and that will give them a solid base to reach the Play-Offs once again after going all the way to the Semi-Finals last year, especially after they addressed backcourt depth issues by bringing back point guard Lance Jeter, who shined in Groningen in the not-so-distant past.

Pallacanestro Varese

A case could be made that Pallacanestro Varese might have landed in easier company for the Second Round had they not surpassed Alba Fehervar with a double-digit win on the last day of the Regular Season, but fortune favors the bold. A well-rounded roster with plenty of talent, headlined by Dominique Archie, Tyler Cain, Aleksa Avramovic and Thomas Scrubb, gives coach Attilio Caja tools to prepare for and the fans a reason to anticipate a long European campaign. Not many people remember the fact that Varese reached the FIBA Europe Cup Final in the inaugural 2015-16 season but only time will tell if they have it in them to go that far this season.

Top scorer: Dominique Archie – 13.2 PPG
Top rebounder: Tyler Cain – 9.2 RPG
Top assister: Ronald Moore – 4.6 APG

Petrolina AEK

Petrolina AEK were one of the last teams to secure a ticket to the Second Round, defeating Tsmoki-Minsk in a winner-takes-all duel in Group B to extend their European season. The one-two punch of Kyle Vinales and Vladimir Veremeenko will prevent the Cypriot title-holders from being push-overs in Group J but there is no hiding that they will be operating as underdogs. Keravnos demonstrated that a team from Cyprus is capable of reaching the Play-Offs, but unlike their compatriots from Nicosia, the Larnaca side will have to deal with three legitimate title contenders already in the Second Round.

Top scorer: Kyle Vinales – 19.7 PPG
Top rebounder: Vladimir Veremeenko – 7.7 RPG
Top assister: Kyle Vinales – 2.5 APG

Dinamo Sassari

A second seed on paper but an opponent most of the teams would have preferred to avoid, Dinamo Sassari are not doing as well as Pallacanestro Varese in the Italian Serie A, where they are ranked eighth with a 4-5 record. The Vincenzo Esposito-coached side earned five wins in the Regular Season but finished behind Szolnoki Olaj after losing the tie-breaker in point differential. Scott Bamforth, Jack Cooley, Achille Polonara, Terran Petteway and Jaime Smith are a group of players that will enter any game with at least even chances of a win.

Top scorer: Scott Bamforth – 15.4 PPG
Top rebounder: Achille Polonara – 6.4 RPG
Top assister: Jaime Smith – 4.0 APG

Group L

• Avtodor Saratov (RUS) – 1st in Group D with a 5-1 record
• Bakken Bears (DEN) – 1st in Group E with a 6-0 record
• ZZ Leiden (NED) – 2nd in Group A with a 4-2 record
• Kataja Basket (FIN) – 2nd in Group G with a 3-3 record

Avtodor Saratov

Avtodor Saratov washed away last year's embarrassing Regular Season exit with a rock-solid start to their campaign this year, running away with the Group D crown with a 5-1 record against Ironi Ness Ziona, New Heroes Den Bosch and BK JIP Pardubice. The jaw-dropping play of Perrin Buford has been at the heart of the Russian team's success, with the forward averaging an efficiency ranking of 31.6 in five games. It is probably not a coincidence that the only Avtodor loss so far came with the team's number one option absent. However, it certainly isn't all about Buford in Saratov, with Tre McLean, Trae Golden, David Kravish and Artem Zabelin also providing solid contributions.

Top scorer: Perrin Buford – 22.6 PPG
Top rebounder: Perrin Buford – 9.4 RPG
Top assister: Perrin Buford – 5.2 APG (after McKenzie Moore left)

Bakken Bears

Whatever is taking place in Aarhus can no longer be described as a Danish fairy tale, with Bakken Bears proving themselves to be the real deal time and time again. Having reached the Semi-Finals in the FIBA Europe Cup last year, they are currently the only unbeaten club in the competition and won all six of their Group E contests with an average margin of 29.8 points. The Aarhus side have found a new leader to rally around in Tobin Carberry, who has done an admirable job in filling the shoes of DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell, while Ryan Evans, Darko Jukic, Michel Diouf and Ryan Martin  have been significant contributors as well. The only knock on Bakken Bears is the level of the teams they faced in the Regular Season, but you can only beat what is placed in front of you.

Top scorer: Tobin Carberry – 16.5 PPG
Top rebounder: Tobin Carberry – 6.0 RPG
Top assister: Tobin Carberry – 5.5 APG

ZZ Leiden

FIBA Europe Cup hasn't seen a scorer like Darius Thompson for quite some time. The high-scoring ZZ Leiden have been one of the most entertaining teams to watch in the competition, with Maurice Watson Jr., Worhty De Jong and Mohamed Kherrazi contributing to the fun factor. A couple of defeats to s.Oliver Wurzburg saw them slide to second place in Group A despite leading the standings for much of the Regular Season.

Top scorer: Darius Thompson – 24.3 PPG
Top rebounder: Mohamed Kherrazi – 7.6 RPG
Top assister: Maurice Watson Jr. – 6.3 APG

Kataja Basket

The only team to make it out of the Regular Season with a 3-3 mark, Kataja Basket will have to raise their game in the Second Round to give the other teams in Group L a run for their money. Some extra help on the side would go a long way in taking some of the pressure of Vincent Simpson, Daniel Mullings and Ilari Seppala, who managed to get the Finnish side out of a few sticky situations by their sheer talent alone. The farthest Kataja Basket ever got in the FIBA Europe Cup was the Round of 16 in the 2016-17 season, but they arrived there via the Basketball Champions League. Getting back to the Play-Offs would be a great story.

Top scorer: Vincent Simpson – 14.0 PPG
Top rebounder: Guy Edi – 7.5 RPG
Top assister: Ilari Seppala – 4.7 APG

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