Group-by-group: A look ahead to the FIBA Europe Cup Second Round
MUNICH (Germany) - The thrill of the Regular Season cut the field down to 16 teams left competing for the right to be crowned FIBA Europe Cup 2021-22 champions.
MUNICH (Germany) - The thrill of the Regular Season cut the field down to 16 teams left competing for the right to be crowned FIBA Europe Cup 2021-22 champions.
The remaining sides have been split into four groups of four as they will battle over another six gamedays of action in order to make it through to the Quarter-Finals.
We take a look at the 16 title contenders to look back on their season so far and who have been their standout players in the competition.
GROUP I
medi Bayreuth (GER)
Regular Season: medi Bayreuth overcame a slew of injuries to top Group A as they reeled off three straight home wins to conclude their Regular Season campaign. The German side fell to a 10-point loss at London Lions before avenging the defeat with an impressive 97-78 victory on Gameday 6 to claim the head-to-head and secure first place in the process.
Key players: Marcus Thornton is the team's leading scorer with 14.4 points per game with a best of 28 points coming in his side's Regular Season opener away at Kapfenberg Bulls. They are currently without injured guard Cameron Wells - who has a triple-double to his name - with Bastian Doreth bringing his experience to the backcourt having recently returned to Germany's senior national team lineup.
Legia Warszawa (POL)
Regular Season: One of two teams to boast a perfect record, Legia Warszawa were in strong form during the first group phase as they went six from six in Group H. They built momentum with a run of three straight home wins before rounding out the Regular Season with a dramatic overtime triumph on the road at FC Porto - which ended the hopes of the Portuguese side.
Key players: Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman fired in a 32-point haul on the way to averaging 17.0 points per game in five appearances during the Regular Season as Legia's leading scorer. Fellow American guard Raymond Cowels was another solid performer with double figures in scoring in each of their six games with Darius Wyka adding a presence inside as well as a recognizable hairstyle.
Parma-Parimatch (RUS)
Regular Season: Parma-Parimatch safely made it through to the Second Round with both of their defeats in Group C coming against Benfica. The Russian side looked to be on course to avenge a loss on the road before falling short in a three-point defeat in overtime on Gameday 5. They then made sure of their place in the next phase by completing a double over Heroes Den Bosch to advance.
Key players: Artsiom Parakhouski is fresh off a successful international window with Belarus as they stunned Turkey in Minsk. The 34-year-old currently leads Parma in both scoring and rebounding with 11.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game in FIBA Europe Cup action. They also have strength in depth with the likes of Adas Juskevicius and Mareks Mejeris.
ZZ Leiden (NED)
Regular Season: It wasn't straightforward, but ZZ Leiden got the job done as their 3-3 record was enough to make it through Group E. The Dutch side boosted their qualification bid with a hard-fought double over Iraklis BC and despite losing the head-to-head with Mornar Bar, their rivals suffered a surprise loss on Gameday 6 to miss out on the chance to finish second.
Key players: Danish center Asbjorn Midtgaard has led the way for ZZ Leiden with three consecutive double-doubles to open the Regular Season as part of overall averages of 15.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Dutch international Worthy de Jong is another key asset to the team and does a bit of everything when it comes to important contributions.
GROUP J
Kyiv-Basket (UKR)
Regular Season: Kyiv-Basket took care of business on a dramatic Gameday 6 with a runaway victory over Rilski Sportist as all four teams had been in contention to advance. They had lost by 16 on the road in a surprising reverse earlier in their campaign with their victories against Trefl Sopot proving crucial having won both encounters by just a single point in each.
Key players: Bernard Thompson saved his best performance for the big moment for Kyiv-Basket with 28 points in their victory to clinch qualification. The American boosted averages of 12.7 points and 4.2 assists per game with Jeff Garrett the team's most efficient performer with an average rating of 15.7.
HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim (GER)
Regular Season: Debut joy for HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim as they made it through a group containing FIBA Europe Cup regulars Bakken Bears and Tsmoki-Minsk to clinch top spot. They were a perfect 3-0 on their travels, including an opening 13-point win away at Bakken before a comprehensive 23-point success in Minsk on the penultimate round of action.
Key players: TJ Shorts led the way from the point guard position with 18.5 points and 6.0 assists per game with the 24-year-old netting at least 20 points in a game on three separate occasions. They also have Terrell Harris and Bogdan Radosavljevic as valuable scoring options with 12.3 points per game each.
Unahotels Reggio Emilia (ITA)
Regular Season: The Italian side have made it out of the initial group phase for the second year running as they picked up four wins from six games in a competitive Group D. Unahotels Reggio Emilia were unbeaten on their home floor with the last of three wins coming in dramatic fashion to beat Avtodor Saratov to clinch their place in the Second Round with a game to spare.
Key players: Andrea Cinciarini handed out 7.0 assists per game during the Regular Season with a competition best of 14 in the aforementioned decisive home win. Latvian Arturs Strautins is the leading scorer, but has missed their last few games domestically and Osvaldas Olisevicius had a big performance for Lithuania in the international window.
Telenet Giants Antwerp (BEL)
Regular Season: Telenet Giants Antwerp survived a wide-open Group F as they edged out Ionikos BC to second spot as a result of their head-to-head. The Belgian side split games with all three opponents including compatriots Belfius Mons-Hainaut, who ended up in fourth. Antwerp had started their campaign with a five-point home win over Sporting CP, whilst losing by 24 in the reverse fixture in Portugal.
Key players: Icelandic guard Elvar Fridriksson is already elevating his game on the international stage and was Antwerp's leading scorer during the Regular Season with 13.8 points per outing along with 4.5 assists. Matt Tiby posted 11.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, while the club also moved on from Phil Cofer.
GROUP K
Trefl Sopot (POL)
Regular Season: Through the Qualifiers and through the Regular Season, Trefl Sopot will be oping to continue their journey through the competition on debut. Their fate came down to the final game against Hapoel Eilat with a six-point success on the road enough to spark jubilant scenes at the buzzer with all six of their encounters in Group B decided by single figures.
Key players: Dutch international Yannick Franke leads the team in efficiency with a rating of 15.0 per game with several key contributors throughout the roster. Joshua Sharma came up with some huge blocks in their crucial victory on Gameday 6, while Brandon Young was the leading scorer with 14.6 points per game through eight appearances.
CSM CSU Oradea (ROU)
Regular Season: CSM CSU Oradea's fate was decided in the final moments of Gameday 6 as their overtime triumph was closely followed by an overtime defeat for FC Porto to secure second place. The Romanian side had lost three of their opening four games, but successive victories would prove to be enough to advance beyond the Regular Season.
Key players: Garlon Green enjoyed a strong Regular Season campaign with 15.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game for Oradea in a run of form that included a 30-point haul against Porto. Kris Richard averaged 13.2 points and a team-best 4.0 assists with Alex Gavrilovic another player with vast amounts of experience in the competition.
SL Benfica (POR)
Regular Season: Benfica bounced back from an opening loss to reel off five straight wins in the Regular Season including an impressive double over Parma-Parimatch. They claimed a 14-point home win over the Russian side before sealing top spot in Group C with a memorable three-point triumph in Perm on Gameday 5 to continue their streak.
Key players: Aaron Broussard will come up against his former team in the Second Round having previously starred with CSM CSU Oradea. The versatile guard led the way for Benfica with 15.1 points, 4.5 rebound and 4.6 assists per outing, while the club also brought in Frank Gaines last month to strengthen their roster.
Sporting CP (POR)
Regular Season: Another Portuguese side to make it through, Sporting CP ended up as Group F winners, despite a final day defeat to Ionikos BC. They won three straight at home as part of a four-game winning run to lock up their place in the Second Round with their combined margins of victory on home soil at +67.
Key players: Travante Williams is enjoying another standout FIBA Europe Cup campaign with averages of 14.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game reflecting his all-round importance. Josh Patton just shades his teammate in their scoring charts with 14.7 per game with Micah Downs another scoring option.
GROUP L
London Lions (GBR)
Regular Season: A dream debut for London Lions as the British side made history in making it through beyond the Regular Season. The Lions reeled off five successive wins before seeing their hold on top spot snatched by medi Bayreuth on Gameday 6. London were most impressive in beating the German side by 10 points on home soil having swept past Donar Groningen in convincing fashion.
Key players: Isaiah Reese makes the Lions tick as the orchestrator of the offense and the American guard has been one of the most efficient performances of the entire competition with 17.0 points and 6.3 assists per game. Further threats come in the shape of compatriots Dirk Williams and Marquis Teague, while two-time league MVP Justin Robinson has worked his way back from injury.
Bakken Bears (DEN)
Regular Season: The Bears have a long history with FIBA Europe Cup and ensured their season would continue with victory over Tsmoki-Minsk on Gameday 6 to turn a 0-2 start into a 4-2 record. Bakken started and ended their run of results against Minsk and will be looking to continue their momentum into the Second Round.
Key players: Ryan Evans continues to be an important factor for the Bears with an 18.0 efficiency rating in the competition so far this season. Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson is the team's leading scorer, while the likes of Darko Jukic and Michel Diouf are amongst the all-time competition's leaders in multiple categories.
Avtodor Saratov (RUS)
Regular Season: Just one blemish on their record as Avtodor Saratov earned their right to be regarded as one of the strongest teams in the competition. They were narrowly edged out by Unahotels Reggio Emilia on the road in Gameday 5, but enjoyed some big wins on home soil in Russia as they opened the Regular Season with three straight at home.
Key players: The Russian side have a balanced roster with an array of offensive threats as six players averaged double figures in scoring in the Regular Season. Zeljko Sakic topped the team's efficiency charts after putting up 14.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game with Jaron Johnson matching those scoring numbers, while Kenny Chery also impressed.
Bahcesehir College (TUR)
Regular Season: A perfect 6-0 record for Bahcesehir College as they sailed through the Regular Season with relative ease. They got progressively more convincing having avoided a defeat on the road at Iraklis BC before finishing with back-to-back wins of 20+ points.
Key players: Jamar Smith led the way with 17.3 points per game along with 3.7 assists with Langston Hall handing out 5.8 assists. Bahcesehir have also made the move to strengthen their roster with the addition of Sam Dekker - who played with Toronto Raptors earlier in the season.
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