Semi-Finals preview: Who will go on to be crowned FIBA Europe Cup champions?
MUNICH (Germany) - Just six games remain in the 2021-22 FIBA Europe Cup season with four teams battling it out to be crowned champions for the first time.
Bahcesehir College, Bakken Bears, Unahotels Reggio Emilia and ZZ Leiden are the last four teams standing as they bid to add to their name to the tournament's roll of honor.
Here's a look through the Semi-Finals matchups:
Bahcesehir College v ZZ Leiden
First leg: Wednesday March, 30 - Leiden (NED) - 19:30 CET
Second leg: Wednesday April, 6 - Istanbul (TUR) - 19:00 CET
Bahcesehir College have never been eliminated from a FIBA Europe Cup season as their last venture to the Semi-Finals was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, ZZ Leiden have become just the second Dutch side to make it to this stage on what is their fourth season in the competition.
Quarter-Finals: Bahcesehir overcame Sporting CP for a 139-124 success as their defense on home soil paved the way to victory having edged the first leg on the road by three. Leiden trailed after an opening defeat in Germany, but bounced back at home to secure an overall 153-148 triumph as Maarten Bouwknecht stepped up in the second leg.
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Stats pack: Bahcesehir are making 9.9 three-pointers per game, whilst leading the competition in rebounds per game (41.1) - just ahead of Leiden (40.1) in second. Leiden lead the league in turnovers per game with 16.9 with Bahcesehir coming up with 20.4 assists per outing.
Key matchup: Midtgaard/Tubtis v Bahcesehir inside.
Leiden have arguably one of the best big-men tandems in the competition with the combination of Danish center Asbjorn Midtgaard and Lithuania's Einaras Tubutis. The duo rank second and third in rebounds per game and are a big presence inside and on the glass. Bahcesehir have strengthened with the addition of Tarik Black and also have the likes of Oguz Savas and Richard Solomon, while they will look for Jamar Smith to make things happen.
Unahotels Reggio Emilia v Bakken Bears
First leg: Wednesday March, 30 - Risskov (DEN) - 18:30 CET
Second leg: Wednesday April, 6 - Bologna (ITA) - 20:30 CET
Bakken Bears have made the most of their second chance in the competition as they make it back to the Semi-Finals for a third time. Unahotels Reggio Emilia will be hoping their run ends at this stage once again as they themselves look to continue the winning tradition of Italian sides in the competition with Umana Reyer Venezia and Dinamo Sassari former champions.
Quarter-Finals: Reggio Emilia needed overtime to come through a thrilling tie with Legia Warszawa as they eventually prevailed 151-143 on aggregate in front of their home fans. Meanwhile, Bakken produced a strong performance on the road to defeat CSM CSU Oradea by nine points to secure a 154-143 victory overall.
Stats pack: Bakken are the highest scoring team of the four remaining sides with 84.5 points per game as well as shooting 48.1 percent from the floor. Reggio Emilia are amongst the top 10 in most categories for the season, including fourth in rebounding with 39.0 boards per game.
Key matchup: Cinciarini v Ogungbemi-Jackson.
The pass-first point guard that leads the competition in assists with 9.1 per game, going up against his opposite number that ranks third in scoring with 16.4 points per game. Ogungbemi-Jackson also averages 4.9 assists per outing for the Bears and plays a big role on the team as they will also look to utilize their size inside. Cinciarini has four games with 13+ assists this season and orchestrates the offense in getting everyone involved.
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But who do you think will go on to take the title?
Vote below:
The winners of the Semi-Finals will go head-to-head over two legs in the Final.
FIBA