December 17, 2015 - Eurocup Round 10 MVP: Keith Langford, Unics Kazan
On
the final night of the Eurocup Regular Season, as five Last 32 spots
were being filled, scoring ace Keith Langford won the second
consecutive weekly MVP award for Unics Kazan by registering the highest
performance index rating for any player on a winning team in Round 10.
Langford led already-qualified Unics to a 73-80 road win against
Trabzonspor Medical Park with 22 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1
steal, 1 blocked shot and 8 fouls drawn. He made 7 of 10 two-point
shots, 1 of 4 from the three-point arc and 5 of 5 at the foul line.
Those numbers added up to a 31 performance index rating, his best in
the Eurocup in this, his second season with Unics, which had the
previous round's MVP, Quino Colom, as well. The best performance of
Round 10 came in losing effort, with Caleb Green of Galatasaray
Odeabank Istanbul piling up 15 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals
and 9 fouls drawn for a 32 index rating that couldn't prevent a 75-81
road loss to Nizhny Novgorod. Read more here.
December 15, 2015 - Round 10
The final week of the Eurocup Regular Season
features 19 teams already qualified to the next round and five more
places waiting to be filled. Those five free spots are divided among
five groups, and with final standings to decide Last 32 groups, there
is plenty to play for in two games on Tuesday and 16 more on Wednesday!
Read more here.
Here is the schedule for Round 10:
GROUP A
EWE Baskets Oldenburg vs. Union Olimpija Ljubljana 75-77
Telekom Baskets Bonn vs. JSF Nanterre 86-95
Dominion Bilbao Basket vs. Dolomiti Energia Trento 104-91
GROUP B
Alba Berlin vs. Enel Basket Brindisi 80-79
Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia vs. Herbalife Gran Canaria Las Palmas 73-78
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg vs. Le Mans Sarthe Basket 90-49
GROUP C
Valencia Basket vs. Proximus Spirou Charleroi 97-76
SLUC Nancy vs. ratiopharm Ulm 76-80
CAI Zaragoza vs. Umana Reyer Venice 82-72
GROUP D
Aris Thessaloniki vs. Banvit Bandirma 72-53
Buducnost VOLI Podgorica vs. Steaua CSM EximBank Bucharest 89-56
Trabzonspor Medical Park vs. Unics Kazan 73-80
GROUP E
Besiktas Sompo Japan Istanbul vs. Zenit St Petersburg 91-67
Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius vs. PAOK Thessaloniki 81-88
Avtodor Saratov vs. Szolnoki Olaj 104-78
GROUP F
Nizhny Novgorod vs. Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul 81-75
Krasny Oktyabr Volgograd vs. Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem 74-95
AEK Athens vs. Neptunas Klaipeda 75-71
A
flurry of new Last 32 qualifiers emerged after the Round 9 games, but
there are still some spots to be allocated in a last round of the
regular season that looks promising. In the next-to-last round however,
one player excelled among all to claim weekly MVP honors, and that is
none other than Quino Colom of Unics Kazan thanks to his index rating
performance of 38, the absolute highest this week. Colom completed a
great all-around performance with a triple-double of 15 points, 11
rebounds and 13 assists, plus 6 steals and 4 drawn fouls. In a little
more than 13 Eurocup editions, this is only the ninth triple-double in
the competition's history. Following Colom, PAOK Thessaloniki big man
Sofoklis Schortsanitis also amassed an index rating performance of 35
thanks to his 27 points (9 of 10 two-point shots), 6 rebounds, 3
assists and 10 drawn fouls. Read more here.
December 8, 2015 - Round 9
With just two games to go in the regular season and
only nine teams qualified for the next phase, a total of 15 places in
the Last 32 are up for grabs - and many of them can be had this week.
The drama starts with two pivota Tuesday games before a wave of 16
decisive battles on Wednesday.
Here is the schedule for Round 9:
GROUP A
Union Olimpija Ljubljana vs. Dominion Bilbao Basket 63-84
Dolomiti Energia Trento vs. Telekom Baskets Bonn 98-96
JSF Nanterre vs. EWE Baskets Oldenburg 83-92
GROUP B
Herbalife Gran Canaria Las Palmas vs. Alba Berlin 83-78
Enel Basket Brindisi vs. MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg 60-87
Le Mans Sarthe Basket vs. Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia 71-87
GROUP C
ratiopharm Ulm vs. CAI Zaragoza 81-84
Proximus Spirou Charleroi vs. SLUC Nancy 81-86
Umana Reyer Venice vs. Valencia Basket 58-69
GROUP D
Steaua CSM EximBank Bucharest vs. Aris Thessaloniki 67-77
Unics Kazan vs. Buducnost VOLI Podgorica 91-77 Banvit Bandirma vs. Trabzonspor Medical Park 71-67
GROUP E
Szolnoki Olaj vs. Besiktas Sompo Japan Istanbul 85-67
Zenit St Petersburg vs. Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius 92-84
PAOK Thessaloniki vs. Avtodor Saratov 104-99
GROUP F
Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem vs. AEK Athens 82-78
Neptunas Klaipeda vs. Nizhny Novgorod 82-75
Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul vs. Krasny Oktyabr Volgograd 103-76
December 3, 2015 - Eurocup Round 8 MVP: Tywain McKee, Le Mans Sarthe Basket
Battles
across the continent were so fierce on Round 8 that only three out of
10 teams that could have made the Last 32 this week achieved their
goal. One of the teams that stayed alive was Le Mans Sarthe Basket
which managed to steal a 80-86 road win against direct rival in Group
B, ALBA Berlin. The main factor in the win of the guests was Tywain
McKee who earned weekly MVP honors in the process thanks to his index
rating performance of 36, ths highest among winning players this week.
McKee netted 25 points (including 11 of 14 free throws), pulled 5
rebounds, dished 6 assists, had 2 steals and drew 7 fouls for a
balanced all-around performance. William Hatcher of PAOK Thessaloniki
was next in line thanks to an index rating performance of 35 in his
team's win at Besiktas Sompo Japan Istanbul. Read more here.
December 1, 2015 - Round 8
Four teams advanced prior to Round 8, but the number
of qualifiers to the Last 32 can almost quadruple this week when as
many as 11 teams have a chance to clinch their tickets, too. The action
starts on Tuesday with three games, while the remaining 15 is scheduled
for Wednesday.
Here is the schedule for Round 8:
GROUP A
Telekom Baskets Bonn vs. Union Olimpija Ljubljana 88-93
Dominion Bilbao Basket vs. EWE Baskets Oldenburg 73-68
JSF Nanterre vs. Dolomiti Energia Trento 79-85
GROUP B
Enel Basket Brindisi vs. Herbalife Gran Canaria Las Palmas 71-88
Alba Berlin vs. Le Mans Sarthe Basket 80-86
Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia vs. MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg 69-68
GROUP C
CAI Zaragoza vs. SLUC Nancy 75-71
Valencia Basket vs. ratiopharm Ulm 93-88
Proximus Spirou Charleroi vs. Umana Reyer Venice 86-83
GROUP D
Banvit Bandirma vs. Steaua CSM EximBank Bucharest 90-60
Buducnost VOLI Podgorica vs. Trabzonspor Medical Park 79-82
Aris Thessaloniki vs. Unics Kazan 76-70
GROUP E
Avtodor Saratov vs. Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius 109-92
Besiktas Sompo Japan Istanbul vs. PAOK Thessaloniki 73-75
Zenit St Petersburg vs. Szolnoki Olaj 89-64
GROUP F
Nizhny Novgorod vs. AEK Athens 86-79
Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem vs. Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul 86-82
Krasny Oktyabr Volgograd vs. Neptunas Klaipeda 74-97
November 26, 2015 - Eurocup Round 7 co-MVP's: Billy Baron and Paul Stoll
After
seven rounds in the regular season, the standings already show four
qualified teams for the Last 32. Others are trying to come back and
still have options. Such is the case of Avtodor Saratov and Proximus
Spirou Charleroi, winners this week thanks to stellar performances by
Paul Stoll and Billy Baron, who led their respective teams with index
rating performances of 36 apiece, the most among winning players this
week, to earn weekly MVP honors. Baron scored 31 points, pulled 2
boards, dished 6 assists and drew 9 fouls to lead Charleroi to a
valuable road win at ratiopharm Ulm. On his side, Stoll netted 21
points, pulled 4 rebounds, dished 7 assists, had 2 steals and drew 9
fouls as well to lead Avtodor against Besiktas Sompo Japan Istanbul.
Two players had higher index rating performances of 38, but both lost
their games: Kevin Pangos of Herbalife Gran Canaria Las Palmas and, who
else, Loukas Mavrokefalidis of AEK Athens. The latter is already
averaging a 33.3 after seven games. Read more here.
November 24, 2015 - Round 7
After still-undefeated Valencia Basket of Group C
became the first Last 32 qualifier a week ago, three 5-1 teams and
exclusive group leaders - Herbalife Gran Canaria Las Palmas, Zenit St.
Petersburg and Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul - try in Reuglar Season
Round 7 to clinch their own spots in the next phase. One of them can do
so among four big Tuesday games, the rest after knowing all the results
of 14 games on Wednesday!
Here is the schedule for Round 7:
GROUP A
Dominion Bilbao Basket vs. Telekom Baskets Bonn 95-80
Union Olimpija Ljubljana vs. JSF Nanterre 78-65
EWE Baskets Oldenburg vs. Dolomiti Energia Trento 80-93
GROUP B
Le Mans Sarthe Basket vs. Enel Basket Brindisi 66-45
Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia vs. Alba Berlin 74-71
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg vs. Herbalife Gran Canaria Las Palmas 92-89
GROUP C
ratiopharm Ulm vs. Proximus Spirou Charleroi 76-77
CAI Zaragoza vs. Valencia Basket 76-84
SLUC Nancy vs. Umana Reyer Venice 62-71
GROUP D
Buducnost VOLI Podgorica vs. Aris Thessaloniki 75-56
Unics Kazan vs. Banvit Bandirma 78-69
Trabzonspor Medical Park vs. Steaua CSM EximBank Bucharest 82-67
GROUP E
Avtodor Saratov vs. Besiktas Sompo Japan Istanbul 93-89
PAOK Thessaloniki vs. Zenit St Petersburg 70-89
Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius vs. Szolnoki Olaj 98-99
GROUP F
AEK Athens vs. Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul 73-86
Neptunas Klaipeda vs. Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem 87-85
Nizhny Novgorod vs. Krasny Oktyabr Volgograd 82-74
November 19, 2015 - Eurocup Round 6 co-MVP's: Loukas Mavrokefalidis and Ksistof Lavrinovic
The
sixth round of the Eurocup regular season featured 18 more games across
Europe and it was of a singular nature since neither of the top two
individual performances of the week belonged to players on winning
teams, so the weekly MVP honors go to Loukas Mavrokefalidis of AEK
Athens and Ksistof Lavrinovic of Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius, each of them
with an index rating performance of 36. Lavrinovic led his team on a
valuable road win at Besiktas Sompo Japan Istanbul with his 28 points
on an almost perfect shooting night (6 of 7 twos, 3 of 4 threes and 7
of 7 free throws), 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 7 drawn fouls. For his
part, Mavrokefalidis has become one of the most dominant players ever
in the competition at this point with an average index rating
performance of 32.5 after six weeks. This time he led AEK with 29
points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 8 drawn fouls. Read more here.
November 17, 2015 - Round 6
The second meetings of the season between group
opponents and the first possibilities for qualification to the Last 32
highlight a big Regular Season Round 6 in the Eurocup. Three big games
on Tuesday start the action, then 15 more keep the party going on
Wednesday.
Here is the schedule for Round 6:
GROUP A
JSF Nanterre vs. Dominion Bilbao Basket 52-83
EWE Baskets Oldenburg vs. Telekom Baskets Bonn 77-70
Dolomiti Energia Trento vs. Union Olimpija Ljubljana 90-77
GROUP B
Herbalife Gran Canaria Las Palmas vs. Le Mans Sarthe Basket 77-62
Alba Berlin vs. MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg 79-90
Enel Basket Brindisi vs. Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia 87-81
GROUP C
Proximus Spirou Charleroi vs. CAI Zaragoza 80-69
Valencia Basket vs. SLUC Nancy 77-65
Umana Reyer Venice vs. ratiopharm Ulm 90-78
GROUP D
Banvit Bandirma vs. Buducnost VOLI Podgorica 76-68
Aris Thessaloniki vs. Trabzonspor Medical Park 78-70
Steaua CSM EximBank Bucharest vs. Unics Kazan 71-88
GROUP E
Besiktas Sompo Japan Istanbul vs. Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius 92-103
Szolnoki Olaj vs. PAOK Thessaloniki 78-69
Zenit St Petersburg vs. Avtodor Saratov 81-88
GROUP F
Krasny Oktyabr Volgograd vs. AEK Athens 78-82
Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul vs. Neptunas Klaipeda 76-82
Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem vs. Nizhny Novgorod 70-74
The
halfway mark of the regular season was surpassed this week, and the
race for the Last 32 is as busy as ever. Also, for the second week in a
row, two players share weekly MVP honors as Louka Mavrokefalidis of AEK
Athens and Earl Rowland of Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem racked up
respective 38 index rating performances, the most among all winning
players this week. Mavrokefalidis is having his best personal season
start ever so far, with an index rating average of 31.8 in five games.
This week, he led AEK to a road win at Neptunas Klaipeda with his 27
points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 8 drawn fouls. On his side,
Rowland led Hapoel over Krasny Oktyabr Volgograd with his 22 points, 7
rebounds, 12 assists and 6 drawn fouls. DJ Cooper of Krasny Oktyabr had
in index performance rating of 39, the highest this week, but he was
not eligible to be MVP because his team lost to Hapoel. Read more here.
November 10, 2015 - Round 5
The 2015-16 Eurocup reached the midway point of the
regular season this week. Going into Round 5, there are three unbeaten
teams that will try to keep their perfect records intact, while the
three winless teams hope to end their struggles and get back in the
races to make it to the Last 32. Interestingly, three of this week's 18
games feature clashes between German and French clubs. The action
starts on Tuesday with four games, and the remaining 14 will be played
on Wednesday.
Here is the schedule for Round 5:
GROUP A
Dolomiti Energia Trento vs. Dominion Bilbao 75-80
JSF Nanterre vs. Telekom Baskets Bonn 101-78
Union Olimpija Ljubljana vs. EWE Baskets Oldenburg 81-82
GROUP B
Enel Basket Brindisi vs. Alba Berlin 68-72
Le Mans Sarthe Basket vs. MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg 75-81
Herbalife Gran Canaria Las Palmas vs. Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia 76-67
GROUP C
Umana Reyer Venice vs. CAI Zaragoza 77-79
ratiopharm Ulm vs. SLUC Nancy 90-73
Proximus Spirou Charleroi vs. Valencia Basket 49-65
GROUP D
Banvit Bandirma vs. Aris Thessaloniki 96-84
Steaua CSM EximBank Bucharest vs. Buducnost VOLI Podgorica 81-75
Unics Kazan vs. Trabzonspor Medical Park 78-64
GROUP E
Zenit St Petersburg vs. Besiktas Sompo Japan Istanbul 82-58
PAOK Thessaloniki vs. Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius 81-76
Szolnoki Olaj vs. Avtodor Saratov 83-79
GROUP F
Neptunas Klaipeda vs. AEK Athens 80-86
Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul vs. Nizhny Novgorod 87-85
Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem vs. Krasny Oktyabr Volgograd92-90
The
18 games of the Regular Season Round 4 had results of all kinds across
the continent, but when the battle dust settled, two players emerged
with the best prfoemances of the week. In fact, it is the first time
this season that two players share weekly MVP honors, each with an
index rating performance of 36, as both led their respective teams to
wins this week: Zach Wright of Union Olimpija Ljubljana and Errick
McCollum of Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul. Wright led Olimpija with 18
points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 8 drawn fouls, while
McCollum didthe same with Galatasaray with his 21 points, 8 rebounds, 4
assists, 4 steals and 7 drawn fouls. The third best individual
performance of the week came from Blake Schilb also of Galatasaray, as
he had an index rating performance of 31 behind 19 points, 6 rebounds
and 9 assists. Read more here.
November 3, 2015 - Round 4
Among 18 showdowns on tap in Round 4 of the regular
season, four undefeated teams try to remain perfect and five winless
teams aim to get back in the race this week. The first three games
start the ball rolling on Tuesday, with a barrage of 15 more
action-packed matchups on Wednesday.
Here is the schedule for Round 4:
GROUP A
Dominion Bilbao Basket vs. Union Olimpija Ljubljana 80-83
EWE Baskets Oldenburg vs. JSF Nanterre 84-81
Telekom Baskets Bonn vs. Dolomiti Energia Trento 89-96
GROUP B
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg vs. Enel Basket Brindisi 84-80
Alba Berlin vs. Herbalife Gran Canaria Las Palmas 84-71
Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia vs. Le Mans Sarthe Basket 93-82
GROUP C
SLUC Nancy vs. Proximus Spirou Charleroi 67-63
CAI Zaragoza vs. ratiopharm Ulm November 69-59
Valencia Basket vs. Umana Reyer Venice 88-59
GROUP D
Trabzonspor Medical Park vs. Banvit Bandirma 96-88
Aris Thessaloniki vs. Steaua CSM EximBank Bucharest 70-66
Buducnost VOLI Podgorica vs. Unics Kazan 73-63
GROUP E
Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius vs. Zenit St Petersburg 65-70
Avtodor Saratov vs. PAOK Thessaloniki 90-68
Besiktas Sompo Japan Istanbul vs. Szolnoki Olaj 76-67
GROUP F
Krasny Oktyabr Volgograd vs. Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul 72-88
AEK Athens vs. Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem 75-74
Nizhny Novgorod vs. Neptunas Klaipeda 78-82
October 29, 2015 - Round 3 MVP: Zabian Dowdell, Zenit St. Petersburg
The
third round of the Eurocup regular season proved to be another
thrilling ride in which all groups are starting to take shape en route
to the Last 32. When the dust from battles all over the continent
settled, Zabian Dowdell of Zenit St. Petersburg emerged as the winning
player with the highest index rating performance, a whopping 51,
earning him weekly MVP honors. Dowdell had an almost perfect night with
24 points - 5 of 6 twos, 2 of 2 threes, 8 of 8 free throws -, 4
rebounds, 14 assists, 5 steals and 7 drawn fouls for the 51 index,
tying for the third best performance ever with Vladimir Golubovic in
February of 2014. Completing the flurry of good individual performances
this week, Milos Borisov of Szolnoki Olaj racked up a 40 index rating
performance thanks to his 22 points and 10 rebounds. Maciej Lampe of
Besiktas Sompo Japan Istanbul had a 37 and Nathan Wolters, also of
Besiktas, added a 36. Read more here.
October 27, 2015 - Round 3
Eurocup gets into full swing with 18 games in
Regular Season Round 3. There is a growing sense of must-win pressure
for some team without victories yet, while eight unbeaten clubs have
chances to grab control of their respective groups with their third
wins in as many games. The action starts with three games on Tuesday,
while the remaining 15 games are slated for Wednesday.
Here is the schedule for Round 3:
GROUP A
EWE Baskets Oldenburg vs. Dominion Bilbao Basket 60-94
Union Olimpija Ljubljana vs. Telekom Baskets Bonn 77-82
Dolomiti Energia Trento vs. JSF Nanterre 70-55
GROUP B
Herbalife Gran Canaria Las Palmas vs. Enel Basket Brindisi 103-76
Le Mans Sarthe Basket vs. Alba Berlin 84-88
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg vs. Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia 65-76
GROUP C
SLUC Nancy vs. CAI Zaragoza 76-78
Umana Reyer Venice vs. Proximus Spirou Charleroi 73-69
ratiopharm Ulm vs. Valencia Basket 79-82
GROUP D
Unics Kazan vs. Aris Thessaloniki 73-74
Steaua CSM EximBank Bucharest vs. Banvit Bandirma 64-78
Trabzonspor Medical Park vs. Buducnost VOLI Podgorica 75-71
GROUP E
PAOK Thessaloniki vs. Besiktas Sompo Japan Istanbul 80-100
Szolnoki Olaj vs. Zenit St Petersburg 75-84
Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius vs. Avtodor Saratov 81-97
GROUP F
Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul vs. Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem 87-79
AEK Athens vs. Nizhny Novgorod 87-70
Neptunas Klaipeda vs. Krasny Oktyabr Volgograd 99-90
October 22, 2015 - Round 2 MVP: Dragan Milosavljevic, ALBA Berlin
The
Eurocup is already in full swing after two rounds. Only eight teams
remain undefeated, and one that got its first win this week, ALBA
Berlin, also had in Dragan Milosavljevic the weekly MVP, as he racked
up an index rating performance of 29, the highest among all winning
players, to earn the honor. Milosavljevic scored 17 points, including 9
of 9 free throws, pulled 6 rebounds, dished 3 assists and drew 9 fouls
to lead his team to the first win of the season. Second in line was
Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul's Errick McCollum, with an index rating
performance of 26 in his team's win over AEK Athens. McCollum scored 25
points, pulled just 1 board, dished 6 assists and drew 6 fouls. Among
losing players with good individual performances, A.J. Slaughter of
Banvit Bandirma had the highest index rating of the week with 31 and
Kyryl Natyazhko of Szolnoki Olaj had 27. Read more here.
October 20, 2015 - Round 2
After an opening week in which teams got the first
taste of the new Eurocup campaign, it's already time for Round 2 and 18
more exciting clashes. For 17 of the teams that were away from home
last week, this is the chance to introduce themselves in the
competition to their home fans, while EWE Baskets Oldenburg is the only
side that will wait another week for its first home game. Action starts
with four games on Tuesday, before 14 remaining games will be played
across the continent on Wednesday.
Here is the schedule for Round 2:
GROUP A
Telekom Baskets Bonn vs. Dominion Bilbao Basket 81-90
JSF Nanterre vs. Union Olimpija Ljubljana 85-72
Dolomiti Energia Trento vs. EWE Baskets Oldenburg 80-69
GROUP B
Enel Basket Brindisi vs. Le Mans Sarthe Basket 65-72
Herbalife Gran Canaria Las Palmas vs. MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg 95-75
Alba Berlin vs. Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia 82-76
GROUP C
Valencia Basket vs. CAI Zaragoza 87-68
Umana Reyer Venice vs. SLUC Nancy 70-67
Proximus Spirou Charleroi vs. ratiopharm Ulm 80-86
GROUP D
Aris Thessaloniki vs. Buducnost VOLI Podgorica 75-57
Steaua CSM EximBank Bucharest vs. Trabzonspor Medical Park 76-71
Banvit Bandirma vs. Unics Kazan 79-85
GROUP E
Szolnoki Olaj vs. Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius 65-89
Zenit St Petersburg vs. PAOK Thessaloniki 76-66
Besiktas Sompo Japan Istanbul vs. Avtodor Saratov 79-103
GROUP F
Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul vs. AEK Athens 89-65
Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem vs. Neptunas Klaipeda 74-59
Krasny Oktyabr Volgograd vs. Nizhny Novgorod October 73-78
A
new Eurocup season started this week with games across the continent on
Tuesday and Wednesday. When the dust settled, Raymar Morgan of
ratiopharm Ulm emerged as the first weekly MVP of the campaign as he
led his team to a 87-68 home win over Umana Reyer Venice, racking up a
41 index rating performance, the most among all winning players this
week. Morgan scored 22 points (9 of 12 twos), pulled 10 rebounds,
dished 5 assists and had 3 steals for a solid performance. Despite
Morgan's fine game, one name stood out this week as Loukas
Mavrokefalidis of AEK Athens matched the alltime highest index rating
performance of the competition with his 55, in an overtime home loss to
Krasny Oktyabr Volgograd. Mavrokefalidis' monster performance included
42 points (12 of 18 twos, 2 of 2 threes, 12 of 15 free throws), 9
rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, 1 block and 11 drawn fouls, making it a
night to remember. Read more here.
October 13, 2015 - Round 1
The 2015-16 Eurocup season has arrived! Action tips
off with the 10-game round-robin regular season. Split into two
conferences, the teams are divided into six groups of six teams each.
Among the 36 clubs, there are four former champions - which have
combined to win the competition seven times - along with last-year’s
runner-up and another past finalist. The excitement and the long road
to the title that also assures a place in the Turkish Airlines
Euroleague the following season tips off with two games on Tuesday and
the remaining 16 on Wednesday.
Here is the schedule for Round 1:
GROUP A
Dominion Bilbao Basket vs. JSF Nanterre 73-76
Telekom Baskets Bonn vs. EWE Baskets Oldenburg 88-77
Union Olimpija Ljubljana vs. Dolomiti Energia Trento 98-97
GROUP B
Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia vs. Enel Basket Brindisi 82-79
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg vs. Alba Berlin 79-60
Le Mans Sarthe Basket vs. Herbalife Gran Canaria Las Palmas 74-79
GROUP C
CAI Zaragoza vs. Proximus Spirou Charleroi 80-70
SLUC Nancy vs. Valencia Basket 71-74
ratiopharm Ulm vs. Umana Reyer Venice 87-68
GROUP D
Trabzonspor Medical Park vs. Aris Thessaloniki 74-71
Buducnost VOLI Podgorica vs. Banvit Bandirma 83-70
Unics Kazan vs. Steaua CSM EximBank Bucharest 94-68
GROUP E
Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius vs. Besiktas Sompo Japan Istanbul 87-91
Avtodor Saratov vs. Zenit St Petersburg 85-90
PAOK Thessaloniki vs. Szolnoki Olaj 72-69
GROUP F
Neptunas Klaipeda vs. Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul 90-94
Nizhny Novgorod vs. Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem 92-71
AEK Athens vs. Krasny Oktyabr Volgograd 94-96
October 1, 2015
Group F analysis
The competition in Group F will be of the highest
caliber. Three teams – Galatasaray Istanbul of Turkey, Neptunas
Klaipeda of Lithuania and Nizhny Novgorod of Russia – competed in the
Euroleague last season. Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem of Israel is a
former Eurocup winner. And both Krasny Oktyabr Volgograd of Russia and
AEK Athens of Greece are aiming high. In search of Eurocup glory,
Galatasaray Istanbul turned to proven veterans such as former
Euroleague Best Defender Stephane Lasme, former Euroleague champion
Joey Dorsey, and versatile forward Blake Schilb. Read more here.
Group E analysis
Group E is centered in Russia, from where two of its
teams hail: Avtodor Saratov and Zenit St Petersburg. Turkey’s Besiktas
JK Istanbul is a tradition Eurocup force as it heads into its ninth
season in the competition, while two-time champ Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius
of Lithuanian prepares for its eighth Eurocup campaign. Storied Greek
club PAOK Thessaloniki also has a strong familiarity with this
competition; PAOK will embark on its seventh Eurocup season. Hungarian
champion Szolnoki Olaj steps into its second straight Eurocup run. Read
more here.
Group D analysis
With two of last season’s semifinalists, Banvit
Bandirma of Turkey and Unics Kazan of Russia, Group D will surely be
competitive. Greek side Aris Thessaloniki will mark a decade since its
Eurocup Finals appearance and hope for another big run. Perennial
Montenegrin champion Buducnost VOLI Podgorica always has lofty goals,
while Steaua CSM EximBank Bucharest of Romania brings rich tradition
and like fellow newcomer Trabzonspor Medical Park has great
determination to stand out already in its first Eurocup campaign. Read
more here.
Group C analysis
Group C is headlined by the
winningest team in Eurocup history, Spain’s Valencia Basket. Another
Spanish side, CAI Zaragoza, returns for a third straight Eurocup
campaign, while Proximus Spirou Charleroi of Belgium enters its 11th
Eurocup season. ratiopharm Ulm of Germany is back after a year away
from the Eurocup. France’s SLUC Nancy heads into its fifth Eurocup
season, while Umana Reyer Venice of Italy readies for its competition
debut. Read more here.
Group B analysis
Group B will have some familiar faces with both
Germany and Italy each featuring two clubs. The German representatives
are ALBA Berlin and MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg, which returns to the
competition for the first time since the 2007-08 campaign. The two
Italian sides are Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia, which returns for the
second straight season, and newcomer Enel Basket Brindisi. Le Mans
Sarthe Basket of France is a familiar face in its sixth straight
Eurocup run. And Spanish side Herbalife Gran Canaria Las Palmas is
surely best known after reaching last season’s Eurocup Finals. Read
more here.
Group A analysis
Regular Season Group A features six teams from five
countries; Germany is the sole nation with two representatives in EWE
Baskets Oldenburg and Telekom Baskets Bonn. Italy’s Dolomiti Energia
Trento is the sole newcomer in the group, while Dominion Bilbao Basket
of Spain, the 2013 Eurocup finalist, boasts the strongest pedigree in
the group. Not to be overlooked are Union Olimpija Ljubljana of
Slovenia, a longtime Euroleague regular which will play its third
straight Eurocup campaign, and France’s JSF Nanterre, which did reach
the Eurocup Eighthfinals two seasons ago after starting the year in the
Turkish Airlines Euroleague, but now starts a season in the Eurocup for
the first time. Read more here.
On
the final night of the Eurocup Regular Season, as five Last 32 spots
were being filled, scoring ace Keith Langford won the second
consecutive weekly MVP award for Unics Kazan by registering the highest
performance index rating for any player on a winning team in Round 10.
Langford led already-qualified Unics to a 73-80 road win against
Trabzonspor Medical Park with 22 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1
steal, 1 blocked shot and 8 fouls drawn. He made 7 of 10 two-point
shots, 1 of 4 from the three-point arc and 5 of 5 at the foul line.
Those numbers added up to a 31 performance index rating, his best in
the Eurocup in this, his second season with Unics, which had the
previous round's MVP, Quino Colom, as well. The best performance of
Round 10 came in losing effort, with Caleb Green of Galatasaray
Odeabank Istanbul piling up 15 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals
and 9 fouls drawn for a 32 index rating that couldn't prevent a 75-81
road loss to Nizhny Novgorod. Read more 
A
flurry of new Last 32 qualifiers emerged after the Round 9 games, but
there are still some spots to be allocated in a last round of the
regular season that looks promising. In the next-to-last round however,
one player excelled among all to claim weekly MVP honors, and that is
none other than Quino Colom of Unics Kazan thanks to his index rating
performance of 38, the absolute highest this week. Colom completed a
great all-around performance with a triple-double of 15 points, 11
rebounds and 13 assists, plus 6 steals and 4 drawn fouls. In a little
more than 13 Eurocup editions, this is only the ninth triple-double in
the competition's history. Following Colom, PAOK Thessaloniki big man
Sofoklis Schortsanitis also amassed an index rating performance of 35
thanks to his 27 points (9 of 10 two-point shots), 6 rebounds, 3
assists and 10 drawn fouls. Read more 
Battles
across the continent were so fierce on Round 8 that only three out of
10 teams that could have made the Last 32 this week achieved their
goal. One of the teams that stayed alive was Le Mans Sarthe Basket
which managed to steal a 80-86 road win against direct rival in Group
B, ALBA Berlin. The main factor in the win of the guests was Tywain
McKee who earned weekly MVP honors in the process thanks to his index
rating performance of 36, ths highest among winning players this week.
McKee netted 25 points (including 11 of 14 free throws), pulled 5
rebounds, dished 6 assists, had 2 steals and drew 7 fouls for a
balanced all-around performance. William Hatcher of PAOK Thessaloniki
was next in line thanks to an index rating performance of 35 in his
team's win at Besiktas Sompo Japan Istanbul. Read more 
After
seven rounds in the regular season, the standings already show four
qualified teams for the Last 32. Others are trying to come back and
still have options. Such is the case of Avtodor Saratov and Proximus
Spirou Charleroi, winners this week thanks to stellar performances by
Paul Stoll and Billy Baron, who led their respective teams with index
rating performances of 36 apiece, the most among winning players this
week, to earn weekly MVP honors. Baron scored 31 points, pulled 2
boards, dished 6 assists and drew 9 fouls to lead Charleroi to a
valuable road win at ratiopharm Ulm. On his side, Stoll netted 21
points, pulled 4 rebounds, dished 7 assists, had 2 steals and drew 9
fouls as well to lead Avtodor against Besiktas Sompo Japan Istanbul.
Two players had higher index rating performances of 38, but both lost
their games: Kevin Pangos of Herbalife Gran Canaria Las Palmas and, who
else, Loukas Mavrokefalidis of AEK Athens. The latter is already
averaging a 33.3 after seven games. Read more 
The
sixth round of the Eurocup regular season featured 18 more games across
Europe and it was of a singular nature since neither of the top two
individual performances of the week belonged to players on winning
teams, so the weekly MVP honors go to Loukas Mavrokefalidis of AEK
Athens and Ksistof Lavrinovic of Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius, each of them
with an index rating performance of 36. Lavrinovic led his team on a
valuable road win at Besiktas Sompo Japan Istanbul with his 28 points
on an almost perfect shooting night (6 of 7 twos, 3 of 4 threes and 7
of 7 free throws), 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 7 drawn fouls. For his
part, Mavrokefalidis has become one of the most dominant players ever
in the competition at this point with an average index rating
performance of 32.5 after six weeks. This time he led AEK with 29
points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 8 drawn fouls. Read more 
The
halfway mark of the regular season was surpassed this week, and the
race for the Last 32 is as busy as ever. Also, for the second week in a
row, two players share weekly MVP honors as Louka Mavrokefalidis of AEK
Athens and Earl Rowland of Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem racked up
respective 38 index rating performances, the most among all winning
players this week. Mavrokefalidis is having his best personal season
start ever so far, with an index rating average of 31.8 in five games.
This week, he led AEK to a road win at Neptunas Klaipeda with his 27
points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 8 drawn fouls. On his side,
Rowland led Hapoel over Krasny Oktyabr Volgograd with his 22 points, 7
rebounds, 12 assists and 6 drawn fouls. DJ Cooper of Krasny Oktyabr had
in index performance rating of 39, the highest this week, but he was
not eligible to be MVP because his team lost to Hapoel. Read more 
The
18 games of the Regular Season Round 4 had results of all kinds across
the continent, but when the battle dust settled, two players emerged
with the best prfoemances of the week. In fact, it is the first time
this season that two players share weekly MVP honors, each with an
index rating performance of 36, as both led their respective teams to
wins this week: Zach Wright of Union Olimpija Ljubljana and Errick
McCollum of Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul. Wright led Olimpija with 18
points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 8 drawn fouls, while
McCollum didthe same with Galatasaray with his 21 points, 8 rebounds, 4
assists, 4 steals and 7 drawn fouls. The third best individual
performance of the week came from Blake Schilb also of Galatasaray, as
he had an index rating performance of 31 behind 19 points, 6 rebounds
and 9 assists. Read more 
The
third round of the Eurocup regular season proved to be another
thrilling ride in which all groups are starting to take shape en route
to the Last 32. When the dust from battles all over the continent
settled, Zabian Dowdell of Zenit St. Petersburg emerged as the winning
player with the highest index rating performance, a whopping 51,
earning him weekly MVP honors. Dowdell had an almost perfect night with
24 points - 5 of 6 twos, 2 of 2 threes, 8 of 8 free throws -, 4
rebounds, 14 assists, 5 steals and 7 drawn fouls for the 51 index,
tying for the third best performance ever with Vladimir Golubovic in
February of 2014. Completing the flurry of good individual performances
this week, Milos Borisov of Szolnoki Olaj racked up a 40 index rating
performance thanks to his 22 points and 10 rebounds. Maciej Lampe of
Besiktas Sompo Japan Istanbul had a 37 and Nathan Wolters, also of
Besiktas, added a 36. Read more 
The
Eurocup is already in full swing after two rounds. Only eight teams
remain undefeated, and one that got its first win this week, ALBA
Berlin, also had in Dragan Milosavljevic the weekly MVP, as he racked
up an index rating performance of 29, the highest among all winning
players, to earn the honor. Milosavljevic scored 17 points, including 9
of 9 free throws, pulled 6 rebounds, dished 3 assists and drew 9 fouls
to lead his team to the first win of the season. Second in line was
Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul's Errick McCollum, with an index rating
performance of 26 in his team's win over AEK Athens. McCollum scored 25
points, pulled just 1 board, dished 6 assists and drew 6 fouls. Among
losing players with good individual performances, A.J. Slaughter of
Banvit Bandirma had the highest index rating of the week with 31 and
Kyryl Natyazhko of Szolnoki Olaj had 27. Read more 
A
new Eurocup season started this week with games across the continent on
Tuesday and Wednesday. When the dust settled, Raymar Morgan of
ratiopharm Ulm emerged as the first weekly MVP of the campaign as he
led his team to a 87-68 home win over Umana Reyer Venice, racking up a
41 index rating performance, the most among all winning players this
week. Morgan scored 22 points (9 of 12 twos), pulled 10 rebounds,
dished 5 assists and had 3 steals for a solid performance. Despite
Morgan's fine game, one name stood out this week as Loukas
Mavrokefalidis of AEK Athens matched the alltime highest index rating
performance of the competition with his 55, in an overtime home loss to
Krasny Oktyabr Volgograd. Mavrokefalidis' monster performance included
42 points (12 of 18 twos, 2 of 2 threes, 12 of 15 free throws), 9
rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, 1 block and 11 drawn fouls, making it a
night to remember. Read more 
