Group A
With just one team – Joventut Badalona – sitting above average in both offensive and defensive efficiency, the teams in Group A are victims of its competitive balance. With no team proving thoroughly dominant or struggling to this point, things are a bit complicated. Perhaps the best example of that is the cluster of three teams on the left. While Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, U-BT Cluj-Napoca and ratiopharm Ulm have all performed at a similar level on paper, Ulm has as many wins as the other two clubs combined as the margin for error among these 10 teams is razor-thin.
That is most noticeable on offense, where the gap between the most- and least-efficient teams in Group A amounts to just half of the gap that exists between its most- and least-efficient defenses. Umana Reyer Venice is responsible for that disparity as its defensive prowess in transition and denying opponents catch-and-shoot opportunities has set the Italian club apart this season.
Looking ahead, it will be fascinating to see just how competitive Group A remains at the end of the regular season. Will teams like Minicidelice JL Bourg en Bresse and Prometey Slobozhanske continue to deliver in key moments to stay towards the top of the standings? Will the consistency of a team like Germani Brescia close the gap by Round 18? Does Group A's level of parity set its teams up for postseason success? It's still too early to tell.
Group B
Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv is the most balanced team in an imbalanced group. Hapoel owns the second-best efficiency differential in the EuroCup but nonetheless sits in the middle of the pack in the standing at just 5-4. They'll host many of the teams ahead of them in the standings in the second half of the regular season, which should make for an exciting conclusion to the team's debut campaign in the EuroCup.
While Hapoel has been the league's most balanced team on paper, Group B also features the EuroCup's first- and second-ranked defenses. Buducnost and Paris Basketball have been very stingy this season – Buducnost with interior defense and Paris with its efforts on the perimeter.
Promitheas Patras is one of just four teams that have performed at an above-average level in terms of both offensive and defensive efficiency, but still has some things to prove given its negative point differential overall. Its efficiency differential is marginally better than that of Gran Canaria who, sitting at 7-2, has come through in nearly every key moment so far this season. While efficiency is important, timing can be everything in an 18-game campaign.
