VALENCIA (Jeff Taylor's Eurovision) - There are plenty of takeaways from the Basketball Champions League qualifying rounds.

For starters, we were reminded that it's much easier to reach the Regular Season if you have to win just one tie instead of two or three.

Seven of the eight clubs that completed the 32-team field for the European competition on Monday night entered the mix in Qualification Round 3.

Juventus Utena, Rosa Radom, Pinar Karsiyaka, Telekom Baskets Bonn, Movistar Estudiantes, SikeliArchiviCapo D'Orlando and Nanterre 92 all avoided the first couple of qualifying rounds.

If their Qualification Round 3 opponents had an advantage by having some games under their belts, it was not detrimental for the favorites.

Only MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg, a club that was a couple of seconds away from reaching the Final Four in last year's Basketball Champions League before falling to a Jordan Theodore-led Banvit, won more than a single tie in order to advance to the 2017-18 Regular Season. 

The German side was decisive in wins over Bosna and Cluj-Napoca in the Qualification Round 1 and Qualification Round 2, respectively. 

Basic-Fit Brussells, who fell by 51 points on aggregate to MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg in Qualification Round 3, were the only team not to advance after avoiding the first two qualifying rounds.

Another takeaway is that German teams made a strong impression because in addition to a rampant MHP Riesen, Telekom Baskets Bonn were convincing, 24-point winners on aggregate over Kataja Basket.

Tougher opponents will be waiting for Bonn in the Regular Season and they know it.

"My team is young, so the upcoming Basketball Champions League season is a huge challenge for us," Telekom Baskets coach Predrag Krunic said. "Some players have never participated in an international competition, so we're looking forward to it. "

Telekom Baskets Bonn are all smiles after advancing

For the second qualifying round in a row, a Spanish Liga Endesa side found itself in a thriller. Divina Seguros Joventut entered the fray in Qualification Round 2 and fell to Finnish outfit Kataja Basket.

Dutch side Donar Groningen, which had overcome Lithuanians Vytautas and Danes Bakken Bears in the first couple of qualifying rounds, very nearly sent Movistar Estudiantes of Madrid packing.

After a nip-and-tuck first leg in the Netherlands, Groningen forced overtime at Estu on Monday night with the aggregate score 141-141 after 80 minutes!

In the overtime in Madrid, Groningen briefly went ahead but ended up being outscored 12-4 to lose the tie by eight points.

Estudiantes survived against a very good Donar Groningen team

"I'm very happy with the victory and what it means," Estudiantes coach Salva Maldonado said. "It gives us the opportunity to play 14 more games in a very interesting league.

"It will allow us to play during the week ... playing games allows us to grow as a team."

The Basketball Champions League's defending champions Iberostar Tenerife and CB Murcia are the other Spanish sides in the competition.

We have achieved an historic result: this qualification is an important moment for the club, for the city of Capo d'Orlando and for all of us.coach Gennaro Di Carlo

Avtodor Saratov gave the Basketball Champions League some unforgettable moments last season but they came up short of this year's Regular Season after crashing to a heavy second-leg defeat at Capo D'Orlando on Monday.

The Sicilian club lost the first leg, 70-69, in Russia, but claimed a 92-59 win in a raucous PalaSikeliArchivi. They are anxious to play in a European competition for the first time.

"It was the first goal of the season and now we are facing new challenges: we will have to compete in Serie A and in the Basketball Champions League," said coach Gennaro Di Carlo.

"We have achieved an historic result: this qualification is an important moment for the club, for the city of Capo d'Orlando and for all of us.

"It will be difficult, but I think we'll be ready and will help to improve our mentality and the development of the guys."

The other Lega A sides in the European competition are Dinamo Sassari, Sidigas Avellino and reigning Italian champions, Umana Reyer Venezia.

France will have four teams in the competition, too, with Nanterre 92 having joined AS Monaco, Elan Chalon and SIG Strasbourg in the Regular Season.

Tsmoki-Minsk almost prevented that from happening. They had beaten Sigal Prishtina and Budivelnyk in the first two qualifying rounds and Nanterre could very easily have been their third scalp after the first leg finished 68-68 in Belarus.

The French club won the second leg, 80-75, a game that experienced a two-hour power outage. Nanterre's win means the Basketball Champions League will have one of its star performers back from last season with Jamal Shuler, a key man in Monaco's Final Four team.

You have to feel for both Groningen and Tsmoki-Minsk, teams that came up just short of the Regular Season. I hope they make it next year.

Rosa Radom and Juventus Utena will play Regular Season games for the second year in a row. Polish side Rosa Radom lost the first leg of their tie at Telenet Giants Antwerp by six but rebounded in the second leg with an 83-70 triumph.

Juventus Utena won their tie over Bulgarians Lukoil Academic by eight points on aggregate after claiming an 86-79 win over Lukoil on Monday in Lithuania.

Jeff Taylor
FIBA

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