MIES (Switzerland) - The Basketball Champions League Season X, powered by Ameresco SUNEL tipped off last week. The 32 teams are spread through eight groups, but there is one place where they are all in it together.
The SUNEL Power Rankings mix them all together to figure out which teams are are in the best form at the moment.
That is why the domestic results are also taken into account when ranking these 32 teams - you'll feel better about a team that's on a five-game winning run in all competitions, than about a team that's potentially at 2-0 in the BCL, but 0-3 in their national championship.
#32 SL Benfica
BCL record: 0-1 Domestic league record: 2-0
Horrible start to the season, losing to Dreamland Gran Canaria by 37 at home. They are still unbeaten in the Portuguese League, getting some confidence back ahead of this week's game against Spartak Office Shoes. Also at home. Meaning, you have to win that one to move out of this spot.
#31 Patrioti Levice
BCL record: 0-1 Domestic league record: 2-0
The way they stormed through the BCL Qualification Round Tournaments, we thought they would be one of the feel-good stories of the Regular Season, too. Instead, they were blown out by 30 last week...
Anyway, they've been good during the Qualifiers, they are still perfect in Slovakia, and Will Carius is recording amazing videos on his social media channels, so give that man a follow.
#30 BC Sabah
BCL record: 0-1 Domestic league record: 2-0
They looked good for a couple quarters against ERA Nymburk, but the problem is that the Czech champs have their foot on the gas for 40 minutes, so it was impossible to keep up after the break. Big game coming up this week, they host ALBA BERLIN in Azerbaijan, then we'll see how serious their campaign could be.
#29 MLP Academics Heidelberg
BCL record: 0-1 Domestic league record: 0-4
Trying to find the right words for a team that lost all five official games this season... Okay, to be fair, three of those were single digit defeats, and maaaaaaybe could've gone their way, so that's why we didn't put them bottom of the Power Rankings.
Because there's a lot of potential on this team, for sure.
#28 Bnei Penlink Herzliya
BCL record: 0-1 Domestic league record: 0-0
They were close to upsetting Tofas Bursa in Bulgaria, but it did not happen, and all of a sudden, they are in a lot of trouble because they face La Laguna Tenerife on the road this week. Yet to play in the Israeli League, hence their low placement here.
#27 Mersin Sports Club
BCL record: 0-1 Domestic league record: 1-2
They were desperately unlucky over the weekend, losing to Bahcesehir College on the road on the final possession of the game, meaning they lost three straight games now. This is what makes their road game in Belgium all that important now, it's not just about picking up their first BCL win, it's also about starting a positive run in a schedule that sees them taking on Tofas, Aliaga and Karditsas until the end of October.
Because November starts with Fenerbahce, Galatasaray and Unicaja in a matter of 10 days...
#26 VEF Riga
BCL record: 0-1 Domestic league record: 3-0
Two things to note: (1) Zahir Porter is a pure scorer, he already had 16 of Riga's 53 against AEK, and now he followed it up with 21 in 25 minutes against TalTech in the Latvian-Estonian League; and (2) Arnaldo Toro could break some sort of rebounding record (again), as he had 17 rebounds in that matchup with TalTech. VEF Riga play host to Levice this week, need a win to push them up to 10-20 territory in the Power Rankings.
#25 Cholet Basket
BCL record: 0-1 Domestic league record: 2-1
See, this is why we take the domestic results in consideration here, because you could've seen them on the road in Badalona and thought "yeah, they are bad," but in reality they got two wins in France already, while allowing only 231 points, second only to Lyon-Villeurbanne's 213 in the entire league. Watch them move to Top 10 by the end of Gameday 3.
Or, should we say, fly to Top 10?
#24 Pallacanestro Trieste
BCL record: 0-1 Domestic league record: 1-1
Five guys in double digits for Trieste to pick up a road win over Napoli in the Italian League, getting off the mark there, building up some confidence ahead of their matchup with Galatasaray this week.
Two things about their defeat to Wurzburg: (1) it was just a five-point game with four minutes to play, and (2) it was just a five-point game with four minutes to play. Meaning, (1) they were really close to picking up a huge road win, and (2) they completely fell apart in the closing stages, losing by 15 points, which could be decisive at the end of Gameday 6.
Every point matters, especially in a group as close as that one.
#23 Legia Warszawa
BCL record: 0-1 Domestic league record: 2-0
One crucial player we're following this week for the Polish champions: Jayvon Graves. He had 23 points, 8 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block against Rytas Vilnius, so check back on Wednesday night to see if he keeps it up and is back to his Ludwigsburg-kind-of numbers, or was it just a one-off performance for his ex. Because his Rytas-kind-of numbers last season weren't even close to his Ludwigsburg-kind-of numbers, and especially not to his Legia-kind-of numbers.
#22 Igokea m:tel
BCL record: 0-1 Domestic league record: 1-0
In today's world, we expect basketball teams and players to perform and deliver every other day. That's why Igokea's seven days off between Galatasaray and Wurzburg sound like a vacation compared to what's coming up next for the BIH champions. Now it's time to see if we'll use the "oh, signs of rust from Igokea" or "oh, they look fresh!" kind of description for their matchup with Wurzburg in Germany.
#21 Bursaspor Basketbol
BCL record: 0-1 Domestic league record: 1-2
You may look at their records and think "what is this, they only got one win and they are #21!?" and you'd be right. And you'd be wrong, too, because Bursaspor actually had three more-than-fine games during the BCL Qualifiers in Bulgaria, where we first saw Berk Akin in action. Could we have another Turkish player as the Best Young Player?
#20 ALBA BERLIN
BCL record: 0-1 Domestic league record: 1-2
Nothing says "new beginning" like losing three games this season by five, five and four points. Those are exactly the fine margins of just starting to play together and playing together for a long time like all those Unicajas, Tenerifes and Galatasarays...
Anyway, coach Diccon Lloyd-Smeath had some things to say about their matchup with Chalon the other day:
#19 Trapani Shark
BCL record: 0-1 Domestic league record: 2-0
Don't be fooled by the Italian League standings, and Trapani being only 12th among 16 teams. They are actually one of only four unbeaten teams, but they had four points deducted ahead of the start of the season, meaning they are now back to square one. Big win over the weekend, 109-102 against Venezia in overtime thanks to John Petrucelli, Timmy Allen and Jordan Ford delivering 71 points combined. Yep. These guys can score. A lot.
#18 Filou Oostende
BCL record: 0-1 Domestic league record: 3-0
While losing at home is a big no-no, having a guy like Noam Yaacov is a big yes-yes. The 20-year-old guard could be one of the top scorers of the season, and he could also be the Best Young Player of the season.
Yeah, yeah, we know, "it's only one game," but come on, look at these highlights and tell us we're wrong. He's averaging 25 points, 6 assists and shooting 9-of-14 from beyond the arc in his last three games in all competitions.
#17 Le Mans Sarthe Basket
BCL record: 0-1 Domestic league record: 2-1
The best ranked 0-1 team. That's all we have to say about their start to the season, as they beat Dijon on the road, Paris at home, and lost to Spartak in Subotica in Serbia by making the last shot just a tad after the buzzer. We'll ignore the last game, as Lyon-Villeurbanne blew them out over the weekend, but yeah, everything else has been Top 10 material from them since the start of the season.
#16 Hapoel Netanel Holon
BCL record: 1-0 Domestic league record: 0-0
Let's just keep them in 16th until they have more than one game played, okay? Okay.
#15 Karditsa Iaponiki
BCL record: 1-0 Domestic league record: 1-0
It's only been two games, but Karditsa are still unbeaten in 2025-26! Hard to imagine them staying at 15 this time next week, as they face Unicaja and AEK across the next five days, so it could be either Top 10 or 20+ here. Speaking of 20+, Brandon Jefferson had more than 20 points in both of their games this season, getting a mention in the Team of the Week.
#14 Promitheas Patras BC Vikos Cola
BCL record: 1-0 Domestic league record: 1-1
Previous Promitheas lineups were always about one or two guys, but it seems that with Kendale McCullum running the offense, they'll have everybody involved week in, week out. They had five guys in double digits against Heidelberg, they had five guys in double digits against Maroussi over the weekend. Even in that defeat to Iraklis, three guys were in double digits, while four others scored between 7 and 9 points.
Balanced offense, that's your panacea for the poison every time. Let us have a hard time picking one guy for the Team of the Week or the MVP Race or stuff like that.
#13 NHSZ-Szolnoki Olajbanyasz
BCL record: 1-0 Domestic league record: 3-0
Here's one for you: In the history of the BCL, there have been only three triple-doubles, done by Chris Kramer, Arnas Butkevicius and Elvar Fridriksson. Just saying that.
Why? Why are we saying that here and now? Because these are Adam Somogyi's numbers this season:
9 points, 4 rebounds, 11 assists vs. Szedeak
15 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists vs. Levice
17 points, 7 rebounds, 11 assists vs. OSE Lions
9 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists vs. Kaposvar
Just saying.
#12 Dreamland Gran Canaria
BCL record: 1-0 Domestic league record: 0-2
Wait, you beat somebody by 37 and you're only 12th!? What!?
Yeah, these aren't your regular standings, which would have them top of the table. These are the rankings of power, which suggest that Gran Canaria lost both of their games in the Spanish League. We know, we know, their schedule was a nightmare and they are a legit Final Four contender, so once they start winning games domestically, they'll be a Top 10 team here.
#11 Spartak Office Shoes
BCL record: 1-0 Domestic league record: 2-0
Here's a list of teams ranked behind Spartak this season: Cedevita Olimpija, Buducnost, Zadar, Ilirija, Vienna, Mega, Crvena Zvezda, Bosna, Le Mans Sarthe Basket, Benfica.
That's our way of saying Spartak are the only 2-0 team in Group B of the Adriatic League, and they are also 1-0 in the BCL, meaning they are still unbeaten in all competitions, meaning they are flirting with Top 10 in their first ever Power Rankings appearance.
More good news? They are off next weekend in the ABA League, so they've got all the time in the world to focus on Benfica and Gran Canaria in back-to-back games.
#10 ERA Nymburk
BCL record: 1-0 Domestic league record: 4-0
Talk about adjusting to European basketball... Sir' Jabari Rice played a total of 48 games last season, between the Sioux Falls Skyforce, South Bay Lakers and Metros de Santiago. He scored 20+ points in seven games.
This season, Sir' Jabari Rice played a total of five games. He scored 20+ in three of those already! No wonder he's on the New Kids on the BCL Block watchlist.
#9 Tofas Bursa
BCL record: 1-0 Domestic league record: 2-1
Hey, we think we found a legit successor to Giorgi Shermadini! Just in terms of converting everything inside the arc, all sorts of ways, just insanely efficient basketball big. His name is Marek Blazevic, and yeah, of course, everybody knows Marek, but come on.
The move to Tofas Bursa unlocked Blazevic on another level, he scored 20+ in all four games this season, while shooting 35-of-47 from the field!!! Zero three-pointers taken, average efficiency rating per game 26.0...
Shermadini-like numbers.
(Nobody tell Tenerife, pls.)
#8 Rytas Vilnius
BCL record: 1-0 Domestic league record: 3-1
Near perfect start to the season for Rytas Vilnius, only losing to Lietkabelis this weekend, and winning everything else. The fans over there are simply amazing, but also demanding, as they will look to go 4-of-4 until the end of October, facing Heidelberg, Neptunas, Promitheas and Siauliai.
If they pull it off, that would give them loads of momentum and confidence ahead of just another game on November 2. Just another game, of course. Nothing special. Not their arch rivals Zalgiris waiting for them then. So yeah, while coaches will say "one game at a time," fans will be "connect four, now!"
#7 Joventut Badalona
BCL record: 1-0 Domestic league record: 2-0
With all the focus on Ricky Rubio returning to basketball, one may have missed how deep this team is. Ante Tomic is there as a reminder, we've got him in our MVP Race because of course he's in there, and he had 19 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists in just 21 minutes of work against Zaragoza over the weekend.
Oh, and Cameron Hunt had 19 in that one, too. Oh, and Ricky Rubio and Ludde Hakanson were in double figures in that one, too. Oh, and Sam Dekker, Simon Birgander, Henri Drell, Adam Hanga, Guillem Vives, Yannick Kraag are all on that team, too.
Deep, we told you.
#6 Galatasaray MCT Technic
BCL record: 1-0 Domestic league record: 2-1
Three wins in a row now for Galatasaray, last season's Finalists in this competition. They usually start the season a bit slower, then heat up when we get to the second part of the campaign, but this is a sign that coach Yakup Sekizkok won't settle for another Final, he wants everything.
Signing the leader of the MVP Race in the off season is the best evidence for that:
#5 Fitness First Wurzburg Baskets
BCL record: 1-0 Domestic league record: 4-0
So, +11, +12, +5, +15 and +4. Those are Wurzburg's games this season. You think they are about defense? Nah, they actually score a lot, 96 against ALBA this weekend, 92 against Braunschweig on October 2.
You think they are about offense? Nah, Bonn and Trieste barely made it to 60s against them.
You think they are about everything all at once? Yeah, you're right. Saso Filipovski and the front office created another monster of a lineup, Marcus Carr and Davion Mintz are usually leading the scoring, but you never know who's going to be that third guy stepping up.
Emphasis on "up" when David Muenkat is in question:
#4 Elan Chalon
BCL record: 1-0 Domestic league record: 2-1
Why does it feel like they are better than just having three wins?
Because, (1) the upset win over UCAM Murcia - current leader of the Spanish League, btw - in the Final of BCL Qualifiers is not counted in there; (2) they scored 100+ and beat Monaco on the road; (3) they defeated ALBA BERLIN in Berlin; (4) they held on for another clutch two-point win against SQBB over the weekend.
Oh, and because their coach delivers banger quotes left and right:
"We were the nail in the first half, in the second half we went back to being the hammer."
#3 La Laguna Tenerife
BCL record: 1-0 Domestic league record: 2-0
Imagine thinking when Giorgi Shermadini and Marcelinho Huertas signed with Tenerife in 2019, "ah yes, they are both in their 30s, this can't go on for much longer, right?"
Six years later, Marcelinho is the only back-to-back MVP of the Season winner in the BCL, while Gio opened up his 2025-26 account in Spain with an average efficiency rating of 34.0 after first two games!
You better not be thinking "ah yes, this can't go on for much longer, right," you hear us? Two of them in coach Txus Vidorreta's system, that's the closest humankind got to perpetuum mobile.
#2 AEK BC
BCL record: 1-0 Domestic league record: 2-0
Not a lot of people expected this when AEK lost to Promitheas in the Greek Supercup in late September. But they are here, winning games with ease, getting huge plays from everybody, two Dimitrioses, Katsivelis and Flionis, Frank Bartley, Lukas Lekavicius, Mindaugas Kuzminskas, RaiQuan Gray - EVERYBODY.
And now, Chris Silva joined the chat. A gigantic 24 points and 9 rebounds in just 22 minutes of work against Panionios over the weekend.
The schedule is not scary at all for coach Dragan Sakota and his men, either. Remember this sentence when they go on a ten-game winning streak or something in that range.
#1 Unicaja
BCL record: 1-0 Domestic league record: 2-0
So... The rebuilding phase is... over!? Unicaja lost a lot of their star power from previous years, but the new guys brought in needed no time to make their mark, as the club won another FIBA Intercontinental Cup, then picked up back-to-back wins in the Spanish League, including one on the road at Gran Canaria.
Until they lose a game - anywhere, really - we're not moving the two-time champs out of the top spot here. Ibon's plan is working, again.
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The power rankings are entirely subjective and are in no way a true and accurate ranking system. All comments are purely those of the author.
The Basketball Champions League takes no responsibility and gives no guarantees, warranties or representations, implied or otherwise, for the content or accuracy of the content and opinion expressed in the above article.