The brand-new 7DAYS EuroCup playoffs format shows 16 teams set to square off in single-game eighthfinals showdowns set for Tuesday, April 19 and Wednesday, April 20. The teams that finished first to fourth in their respective groups earned the right to host those games. Here's a look at the matchups.
7DAYS EuroCup Eighthfinals at a glance
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Joventut Badalona (A1) vs. ratiopharm Ulm (B8)
Group A winner Joventut Badalona enters the playoffs with the best record in the competition (12-4) and home-court advantage all the way to the final, should it survive that far. Veterans Ante Tomic and Pau Ribas lead a multi-talented cast of young stars-in-the-making. Joventut's eighthfinals opponent is ratiopharm Ulm, which had an up-and-down season. Ulm finished eighth in Group B but had more wins on the road (4) than at home (3). With scoring machines in Semaj Christon (17.4 ppg., 6.6 apg.) and Jaron Blossomgame (15.6 ppg., 8.0 rpg.), Ulm is always dangerous, even against a competition-best defense such as Joventut's, which allows a league-low 71.0 points per game.
Virtus Segafredo Bologna (B4) vs. Lietkabelis Panevezys (A5)
One of the EuroCup's top offenses takes on one of its better defenses when Virtus Segafredo Bologna (11-7) plays host to Lietkabelis Panevezys (9-7) in the eighthfinals. Virtus averages 84.4 points, better than all except three playoff teams, and leads the league with 22.4 assists per contest. Lietkabelis, winner of three road games this season, has been a tough cookie all season long away from Panevezys. The Lithuanian team allows just 72.6 points on the road, the fewest in the competition, and forces 15.2 turnovers, second-most when playing away.
Boulogne Metropolitans 92 (A3) vs. Umana Reyer Venice (B6)
The winner in eight of its last nine games, Boulogne Metropolitans 92 (11-5) will try to carry its regular-season momentum into the playoffs when it hosts Umana Reyer Venice (9-9). Metropolitans returns to the playoffs for the third time after having made the quarterfinals in 2015 and again last season. This team knows a thing or two about getting the job done, too. Former champ Will Cummings (17.4 ppg., 4.7 apg.) leads the way, while head coach Vincent Collet is a former EuroCup finalist and center Vince Hunter was a semifinalist last season. Reyer, a veteran squad that has been together for a long time and can surprise opponents with a variety of defenses, is set to play its first playoff game.
Valencia Basket (B2) vs. Hamburg Towers (A7)
Valencia Basket (12-6), four-time champion and the winningest club in EuroCup history, faces off against a debutant Hamburg Towers (6-10) in the eighthfinals. While no Hamburg player or coach has ever been a part of the EuroCup playoffs, Valencia players have been in dozens of such games, led by former two-time champions Bojan Dubljevic and Sam Van Rossom. Valencia had its group's best home record, but it will need to fend off a Hamburg offense that attempts more triples (32.2 per game) than any team in EuroCup history and makes a season-best 11.4 shots from the arc. League leader Caleb Homesley (3.4 triples per game) and third-ranked Jaylon Brown (2.9 per game) lead the Hamburg charge.
Gran Canaria (B1) vs. Slask Wroclaw (A8)
Gran Canaria (12-6) will put its home floor to the test when it hosts Slask Wroclaw (3-13) in their eighthfinals clash. No playoff team has been more accurate at shooting from downtown (39.4%) than Gran Canaria, whose offense is balanced by five different players who have made 15 or more three-point shots this season. A mix of experience, with the likes of John Shurna or A.J. Slaughter, and youths like Khalifa Diop and Aleksander Balcerowski, helped Gran Canaria win Group B. They stand as a heavy favorite against a Slask team that has not won a road game this season and whose entire roster is making its EuroCup postseason debut.
MoraBanc Andorra (A4) vs. Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (B5)
Two streaky teams that had up-and-down seasons are set to clash in the Pyrenees when MoraBanc Andorra (10-6) welcomes Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (10-8). Remarkably, it's the first EuroLeague meeting ever between two clubs with 262 games played in the competition between them. Buducnost will arrive having won just three of its last nine games after having started the season 7-2. It must find a way to make up for the absence of former All-EuroCup center Willie Reed, who is lost for the season to injury. Andorra, which underwent an in-season coaching changed and snatched home-court advantage in its regular-season finale, relies on Codi Miller-McIntyre (13.6 ppg., 6.9 apg.) as the motor of the team.
Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (B3) vs. Turk Telekom Ankara (A6)
Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (11-7) hosts Turk Telekom Ankara (8-8) in a battle of two of the hottest teams coming into the playoffs. Since opening the regular season with a 3-7 record, Cedevita has won eight consecutive games. Its offense, led by team captain Jaka Blazic (15.1 ppg.) and mid-season addition Yogi Ferrell (15.2 ppg.), has scored at least 82 points in each game since it last defeat in late January. Turk Telekom has gained momentum of its own late with three wins to end the regular season. It will look for its front line to keep doing the job on defense, where Turk Telekom holds opponents to a league-low 48.4% two-point shooting.
Partizan NIS Belgrade (A2) vs. Frutti Extra Bursaspor (B7)
Partizan NIS Belgrade (12-4) will put its Stark Arena home floor to use when it meets Frutti Extra Bursaspor (8-10) in their eighthfinals clash. Partizan is undefeated at home this season, where it beat five opponents by 25 or more points while holding them all to 70.0 points on average. Bursaspor had a strong month of March, with four wins in five games, propelling the Turkish squad from the bottom of the group standings into the playoffs. Everything revolves around Bursaspor's backcourt, where Andrew Andrews has been averaged 20.7 points per game over the second half of the regular season while Derek Needham leads the EuroCup with 45 three-point shots made. Partizan has plenty of balance, with sharpshooter Kevin Punter (16.4 ppg.) and big men Zach LeDay (13.0) and Mathias Lessort (12.3) leading the way.