The ties will now be a best-of-three series
BKT EuroCup Semifinals at a glance
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Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse vs. Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul
The first semifinal pairing to be set was this one after Group B winner Bourg held off Prometey Slobozhanske on Tuesday and Besiktas rallied from 21 down to upset Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv. Frederic Fauthoux’s Bourg improved to 15-5 on the season and is 2-0 against Turkish clubs, having defeated Turk Telekom Ankara twice. But Besiktas is a team of a different caliber than Turk Telekom, which it is ahead of by five spots in the Turkish League. Dusan Alimpijevic improved to 5-2 as an underdog in EuroCup elimination games with his team's victory over Hapoel.
This marks uncharted territory for both teams. Besiktas will try to become the third straight Turkish team to reach the finals, following Frutti Extra Bursaspor with Alimpijevic and Derek Needham two years ago and Turk Telekom last season. Bourg seeks to become the first French finalist since Strasbourg in 2016.
Paris Basketball vs. London Lions
The same will be true for the other French team in the semis, Group A winner Paris Basketball, which enters this best-of-three series on an 11-game winning streak after eliminating Joventut Badalona on Thursday. Opposite the team from the French capital will be the squad from the English capital, the London Lions, who stormed to the semis with a pair of double-digit do-or-die victories, including a 12-point road triumph against U-BT Cluj Napoca on Wednesday.
Led by playmaker TJ Shorts, Paris is 18-1 this season — and two of those wins have come against London during the regular season. First, it was a 102-106 overtime thriller in London, then a comfortable 94-77 win on its home floor in Round 13. But London did not have David Nwaba nor Donte Granham in that last clash, while Sam Dekker got injured mid-game. Since that loss, London is 5-2 and a perfect 3-0 on the road.