MUNICH (Germany) - The FIBA Europe Cup Semi-Finals are fast approaching, with the pressure rising as teams battle for a spot in the Finals.
Surne Bilbao Basket and PAOK BC are back in the last four, joined by UCAM Murcia and Falco Vulcano KC Szombathely. All four sides now have their sights set on lifting the trophy on April 29.
Let's delve into the matchups below, and you can vote on who will advance to the Finals.
Surne Bilbao Basket vs Falco Vulcano Energia KC Szombathely
First Leg: Wednesday, April 1 – 17:00 CET (Szombathely, HUN) Second Leg: Wednesday, April 8 – 19:00 CET (Bilbao, ESP)
The defending champions face off against the underdogs in what promises to be a compelling clash, as Surne Bilbao Basket look to become the first team to successfully defend the FIBA Europe Cup, while Falco Vulcano KC Szombathely make their debut in a Semi-Final.
For Szombathely, they have had to scrap and fight to reach this point in the competition and will rely on that resilience in a series where they will play with no pressure on their shoulders. That’s because all of the pressure will be solely on Bilbao, who have been unstoppable since their defeat on Gameday 1. The Spanish side has won 13 straight games and aims to reach its second straight final.
Bilbao will rely on the consistent scoring duo of Justin Jaworski and Luke Petrasek, who average 16.1 and 12.2 points per game, while last season’s Finals MVP, Melwin Pantzar, will continue to pull the strings at both ends. The Swedish international leads the competition for active players in assists at 7.2 per contest.
Szombathely’s main threat will come from evergreen Zoltan Perl, who led the way overall in scoring during the Quarter-Finals, by averaging 23 points. Overall in the competition, the Hungarian international is posting 18.6 points on an efficient 57.3 per cent.
Key matchup: Tryggvi Hlinason (Bilbao) vs Arnaldo Toro (Szombathely)
Stats don’t lie: Szombathely go into this Semi-Final with nothing to lose and will rely on their trio of Perl, Varadi and Toro to do the damage and give them a fighting chance.
However, they come up against the holders, Bilbao, a team boasting a 13-game unbeaten run in the competition and the leading scorers in the FIBA Europe Cup, averaging 94.4 points per game. Szombathely is down in 26th scoring just 80.8 points.
UCAM Murcia vs PAOK BC
First Leg: Wednesday, April 1 – 17:15 CET (Thessaloniki, GRE) Second Leg: Wednesday, April 8 – 19:30 CET (Murcia, ESP)
Last season’s beaten finalists, PAOK BC, are back again with a different team but the same determined purpose. However, they will face off against a UCAM Murcia side that has only tasted defeat once in this competition this term.
After four seasons in the Basketball Champions League, Murcia has adjusted perfectly to the FIBA Europe Cup - averaging 86.1 points per game and winning by an average of 13.9 points.
Michael Forrest has orchestrated the offense brilliantly this season and leads the team with 14.7 points per contest.
PAOK BC have been a much-changed team in terms of personnel, but the results have been the same. And the trio of Cleveland Melvin, Breein Tyree and Timmy Allen have been a major factor in the Greek team’s success, and they will rely on those three to grant them a swift return to the Final.
Key matchup: Breein Tyree (PAOK) vs Michael Forrest (Murcia)
Stats don’t lie: This Semi-Final series has the hallmarks of a battle of wills at the offensive end, with both teams in the top 10 in scoring this season. PAOK are third at 87.6, and Murcia are seventh at 86.1. Slim margins and it could prove to be fine margins when this Semi-Final reaches its climax.
FIBA