In a one-game, do-or-die playoff, anything can happen, but some season-long statistical trends may offer clues to the possible story lines when Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana hosts Turk Telekom Ankara in their 7DAYS EuroCup Eighthfinals winner-take-all battle.
Eighthfinals clues: Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana vs. Turk Telekom Ankara
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Cedevita enters the elimination rounds as the EuroCup's hottest team by a comfortable margin after having won eight straight games. Over that stretch, its scorers have put on an offensive explosion, averaging 1.12 points per possession. No other team scored more than 1.02 points per possession across the entire regular season.
Yogi Ferrell, Jaka Blazic, Jacob Pullen and Zoran Dragic are all playing exceptionally well for Cedevita over the last two months. To position itself for an upset victory, Turk Telekom will need to find answers on defense, guarding all four well in one-on-one and pick-and-roll situations.
Turk Telekom's strength defensively has been on the interior, where the team has held opponents to the lowest two-point efficiency in the competition while Octavius Ellis leads all EuroCup shot-blockers and JaJuan Johnson ranks fifth.
However, Turk Telekom has struggled with a 2-6 record on the road, and on this occasion, will need its guards to rise to the occasion defensively, as well. Slowing down Cedevita's offensive juggernaut will require an across-the-board effort.