Wednesday preview: Who will reach the Second Round midpoint with a smile on their face?

MUNICH (FIBA Europe Cup) - There are just three undefeated teams in the Second Round of the FIBA Europe Cup and that number could go down further by the time we reach the midway point in the competition phase.

Will the trio of ESSM Le Portel, Donar Groningen and Bakken Bears keep their foot on the gas pedal or will the pressure finally get to them this week on an action-packed Wednesday?

Group J: BC Nevezis (1-1) v Demir Insaat (1-1)

Nevezis and Demir Insaat both started the Second Round on the right path, but were forced to surrender in Hungary last week after some wasteful play in the second half. Nevezis came up short 85-79 against Egis Kormend after a 15-point fourth-quarter turnaround, while their opponents to-be from Turkey lost 74-72 to Alba Fehervar despite once leading by 20 points. The upcoming game in Lithuania will be special for Demir Insaat big man Evaldas Kairys, who will have the chance to show his skills back home.

Time: Wednesday, 17:00 CET
Key Matchup: Vladyslav Koreniuk v Evaldas Kairys
Domestic Form: Nevezis earned their first win in the Lithuanian championship in more than a month, defeating Dzukija 84-80 on Saturday to improve to 4-14 record. Meanwhile, Demir Insaat come up short 78-65 against Besiktas in the Turkish Basketball League and dropped to 5-10 in the standings.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

Group I: Kataja Basket (0-2) v Istanbul BBSK (1-1)

Two losses at the start of the Second Round have left Kataja Basket with a lot of ground to make up in Group I and they are now entering a crucial stretch in their FIBA Europe Cup campaign. After falling short 82-77 against ESSM Le Portel last week, the Finnish side have only two home games remaining and will need to get on the board as soon as possible to keep their Round of 16 dreams alive. Their opponents Istanbul BBSK triumphed over Nizhny Novgorod 82-79 and are in a more desirable situation heading into Wednesday's match-up.

Time: Wednesday, 17:30 CET
Key Matchup: Damier Pitts vs Michael Thompson
Domestic Form: Kataja Basket registered back-to-back wins in the Finnish Korisliiga, downing Kotka Basket 96-70 on Friday  following it up with a 93-68 win over UU-Korihait Uusikaupunki on Sunday. Following the victories, the team climbed to 5th place with a 13-8 record. Istanbul BBSK couldn't hold their own against Turkish champions Fenerbahce in the Turkish Basketball League, losing 83-70 and falling to a 7-8 mark.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

Group L: Keravnos (1-1) v U-BT Cluj-Napoca (1-1)

Last week's 40-point let-down in Groningen will have cost Keravnos some confidence, but they are in a stable situation in Group L despite putting themselves out of contention in any tie-breaker involving Donar. While there can still be a lot of twists and turns in the Second Round, the upcoming home clash against U-BT Cluj-Napoca will significantly shape the landscape in the standings. After the Romanian champions edged Belfius Mons-Hainaut 85-81, both teams share 1-1 marks and are primed to be rivals for a place in the Play-Offs.

Time: Wednesday, 18:00 CET
Key Matchup: Mohamed Abukar v Zeljko Sakic
Domestic Form: Keravnos improved to 9-2 in the Cypriot championship with a 93-73 win over ETHA Engomi, closing in on the standing leaders AEK Larnaca, who are one win ahead. U-BT Cluj-Napoca maintained the top spot in the Romanian championship by defeating Dinamo Bucharest 88-62 and moving to a 12-2 mark.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA 

Group J: Egis Kormend (1-1) v Alba Fehervar (1-1)

After a less-than-inspiring start to the Second Round before Christmas, Egis Kormend and Alba Fehervar rebooted their campaigns last week and re-inserted themselves in the conversation in Group J with wins against Nevezis and Demir Insaat, respectively. The only head-to-head matchup in the Hungarian championship was won convincingly by Alba Fehervar, who blew out Kormend 115-75 on December 28. However, the second-placed Kormend side are one game ahead in the domestic competition with an 11-4 record, with the 10-5 defending Hungarian champions from Szekesfehervar sharing third place with Falco Vulcano.

Time: Wednesday, 18:30 CET
Key Matchup: Justin Tuoyo v Christoper Horton
Domestic Form: After defeating MAFC 73-62, Egis Kormend improved their record to 11-4 in the Hungarian Championship, while Alba Fehervar topped Falco Vulcano 89-85 and moved to 10-5.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

Group K: Bakken Bears (2-0) v Szolnoki Olaj (1-1)

Confidence will be flying high both for Group K leaders Bakken Bears and Szolnoki Olaj, who split their first couple of games in the Second Round but are coming off a 79-45 blowout win over Tsmoki-Minsk. The contest is likely to pit two of the competition's top offensive weapons DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell and Hungarian national team star David Vojvoda in a direct matchup on the court, which should create for quite a spectacle if they do guard each other.

Time: Wednesday, 18:30 CET
Key Matchup: DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell v David Vojvoda
Domestic Form: A 107-97 win against Randers helped Bakken Bears climb to 9-2 in the Danish Basketligaen, which currently puts them in 3rd place with a couple of games in hand. Szolnoki Olaj stayed in pole position in Hungary, inscribing a 78-74 win over Sopron and moving their marker to 13-2.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

Group I: ESSM Le Portel (2-0) v Nizhny Novgorod (1-1)

ESSM Le Portel have emerged as the team to beat in the FIBA Europe Cup this season with a seemingly endless seven-game winning streak getting longer and longer every week. An 82-77 win over Kataja Basket in Finland put them at the top of Group I with a 2-0 record, while Nizhny Novgorod lost a close 82-79 battle against Istanbul BBSK last week to fall one game behind. The bad news for the Russian side is that Le Portel is still undefeated at home in international play, winning all five of the games with an average margin of 26.4 points.

Time: Wednesday, 20:00 CET
Key Matchup: Trae Golden v Jake Odum
Domestic Form: Le Portel inscribed their first road win in the French Pro A this season, clipping Gravelines-Dunkerque 63-55 in a low-scoring overtime game and climbing to 7-9 with their second consecutive win. Nizhny Novgorod lost a close 91-89 battle to Unics Kazan and dropped to 3-9 in the VTB League.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

Group K: Mornar Bar (1-1) v Tsmoki-Minsk (0-2)

The fear of being left behind must be very real for Tsmoki-Minsk at this point of the competition after losing both of their games in the Second Round and a 34-point loss to Szolnoki Olaj certainly did not help. All of a sudden, in must-win mode, the Belorussian side will be up against Mornar Bar, who are one of the few teams to still have a perfect record at home in the FIBA Europe Cup. While the 93-92 overtime defeat against Bakken Bears was certainly an opportunity missed for the Montenegrins, they will be looking to bounce back to winning ways in a favorable match-up.

Time: Wednesday, 20:30 CET
Key Matchup: Derek Needham v Filip Adamovic
Domestic Form: Mornar Bar inscribed their fourth consecutive win in the ABA League, inscribing a convincing 101-81 win over Petrol Olimpija Ljubljana, rising to 9-7. Meanwhile, Tsmoki-Minsk lost 88-74 to Enisey in the VTB League and fell to a 4-7 mark, which puts them in 7th place.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

Group L: Belfius Mons-Hainaut (0-2) v Donar Groningen (2-0)

Since squeezing into the Second Round on the last day of the Regular Season, Donar Groningen have really found their groove. A road win over U-BT Cluj-Napoca and a 40-point demolition of Keravnos have put the Dutch champions in pole position in Group L with a 2-0 record with the struggling Belfius Mons-Hainaut in their way next. The Belgian side will have the advantage of playing at home and they showed they can be competitive in front of their fans, falling to U-BT Cluj-Napoca just 85-81 last week. However, the in-form Donar club will be the odds-on favorites to extend their four-game winning streak in the FIBA Europe Cup.

Time: Wednesday, 20:30 CET
Key Matchup: Christopher Jones v Brandyn Curry
Domestic Form: Belfius Mons-Hainaut saw their three-game winning streak in the Belgian Championship come to an end with an 81-78 loss to Telenet Giants Antwerp. With a 9-5 record, they share 2nd place with Okapi Aalstar. Donar Groningen blew out Den Helder 98-62 and improve to 12-2 in the Dutch Basketball League.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

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