MIES (Switzerland) - What's better than a do-or-die game to qualify for the Round of 16 of the Basketball Champions League, powered by Ameresco SUNEL? Don't worry, we do the math: three of these do-or-die games.
Between Tuesday and Wednesday, three teams will make their way to the Sweet 16 by prevailing in their respective Play-Ins. Game 3 is must-watch basketball, and we prepared ourselves accordingly.
Before tuning into the games before dinner, stay with us to find out 18 must-know facts about the decisive matchups in Hungary, Türkiye, and Germany. Trust us: you won't be disappointed.
NHSZ-Szolnoki Olajbanyasz (1) vs. Pallacanestro Trieste (1) - G3, January 13 at 17:30 CET
NHSZ-Szolnoki Olajbanyasz suffered their heaviest home defeat in the BCL during the first leg of these Play-Ins against Pallacanestro Trieste (62-82). However, they won their first three home games in the BCL this season prior to that game.
Trieste have won their last two road games in the BCL after losing their first two; three of their four games away from home ended with a margin of 15+ points.
Trieste have attempted 32.0 shots from behind the arc per game, more than any other team in the BCL this season – in fact, they have the highest load of attempted three-pointers in the league, with 49.7 percent of their field goals being taken from three-point range.
Le'Tre Darthard has averaged 22.0 points per game in his two appearances against Trieste after averaging only 10.7 points per game in his first three appearances in the BCL with Szolnoki. However, the two times he failed to reach 10 points in the competition were in games played at home.
Jahmi'us Ramsey has scored 17+ points in each of his two games against Szolnoki, as often as in his first six BCL appearances; he has made exactly two free throws in each of his four road games in the BCL.
During the weekend, Trieste clinched a spot in the Italian Cup Final Eight following the 84-79 win over Cantù; Szolnoki, instead, didn't play against Szedeak in Hungary.
Tofas Bursa (1) vs. Cholet Basket (1) - G3, January 14 at 18:00 CET
Tofas Bursa have won their last two games at home in the BCL, including the first leg of these Play-Ins, but haven’t won more on the bounce in their arena since 2021-22 when they won four straight games at home. They have won 12 of their last 15 games at home when scoring 80+ points and have lost eight of the 10 in which they scored below that mark.
Cholet Basket will play their fifth BCL game in Türkiye after losing two and winning two of the previous four league games there; they lost the most recent one (75-89 vs. Tofas in the first leg) but have been alternating between victories and defeats in Turkish territory.
Tofas have scored 49.3 percent of their points in the paint, the highest ratio among all teams in the BCL this season; in fact, 75 percent of their made field goals have been scored from two-point territory, a joint-high ratio in the league this season alongside Promitheas Patras BC Vikos Cola.
Tofas' Furkan Korkmaz has scored 15+ points in each of his two games in these Play-Ins but has never had three consecutive BCL games scoring in double-figures; actually, he has had as many 15+ points performances in these Play-Ins as in his previous 13 BCL games combined.
Mohamed Diarra (Cholet) has grabbed 10+ rebounds in each of his two games played in these Play-Ins, after never tallying more than eight in any of his previous six games played; Diarra is averaging 10.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game in his last four BCL appearances after averaging 5.5 points and 6.8 rebounds in his previous four.
Both teams are going into Game 3 following road victories in their respective domestic leagues: Tofas beat Aliaga Petkimspor 82-76 thanks to Marek Blazevic's double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Cholet were successful away from home by beating Gravelines-Dunkerque 98-97.
Fitness First Würzburg Baskets (1) vs. Patrioti Levice (1) - G3, January 14 at 18:30 CET
Fitness First Würzburg Baskets have lost their last two home games in the BCL, including the previous fixture against Levice (89-92), but they have never suffered three home defeats in a row; they have conceded 90+ points in those last two home games, after conceding more than 80 points in only two of their first eight.
Levice won their last road game in the BCL during Game 1 of these Play-Ins (92-89), but are yet to win consecutive road games in the competition; they are scoring 81.5 points per game when playing away from home, more than 10 points per game on average than when playing at home (70.8ppg).
Wurzburg have scored 15.3 points per game off second chance situations, with those types of shots representing 19.0 percent of Wurzburg’s total points in the BCL this season, the highest ratio of any team.
Charles Thompson (Wurzburg) has grabbed 9+ rebounds in each of his two games against Levice, including a personal high of 16 in the last game, after never grabbing more than eight rebounds in any of his first six appearances in the BCL. He has also made 100 percent of his free throws in the Play-Ins after never making all his attempts from the line in a BCL game previously.
Andre Wesson Jr (Patrioti) has scored 10+ points in seven of his eight BCL games, including in both games against Wurzburg; he has also grabbed 8+ rebounds in each of his last five games.
Brae Ivey had 25 points to lead Wurzburg to the 104-100 road win against Rasta Vechta, while Levice's domestic appointment against Kosice Wolves was postponed.