All of a sudden, we are three weeks away from the end of the 7DAYS EuroCup Regular Season, the longest group stage in competition history. Nine teams have punched their ticket to the next round – Joventut Badalona, Partizan NIS Belgrade, MoraBanc Andorra, Boulogne Metropolitans 92 and Lietkabelis Panevezys in Group A, along with Gran Canaria, Valencia Basket, Buducnost VOLI Podgorica and Virtus Segafredo Bologna in Group B. Of course, more teams will join them soon. Remember, all teams are fighting not only to reach the next round, but also for the highest rankings possible in their group. The higher they rank, the better chance they will have to get home-court advantage in the knock-out rounds – if they survive!
EuroCup Fantasy tips: Good options, affordable prices
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Expect, therefore, a lot of intensity and no players sitting out any games, which is critical for EuroCup Fantasy Challenge managers. Other than injured players, expect everyone to be available. Keeping an eye on those teams with shorter rotations is critical at this time of the season. More playing time doesn't always lead to a higher performance index rating, but as a general rule, it helps a lot. It is just logical; the more time on court, the better a player's chances of adding positive actions.
As always, we have five recommendations heading into Round 16. Featured this week are an all-around guard coming off a career-best game, a playmaker who just keeps getting better, a big man who has dominated in recent weeks, a well-rounded forward posting some of his best EuroCup numbers ever, and one of last season's finalists. Here they are:
Onuralp Bitim, Frutti Extra Bursaspor (6.5 credits) – Just like his teammate Andrew Andrews, Bitim has improved a lot, averaging 16.2 points and 17.2 PIR in the last six games. Before that, he averaged 8.2 points and a PIR of 6.8. Last week, Bitim had a career-high PIR of 29 against Reyer, hitting 11 of 14 two-point shots.
Travis Trice, Slask Wroclaw (11.2 credits) – Trice was up-and-down early in the season and probably needed to adjust to a new competition. He has been just outstanding in the last four games, averaging 21.5 points, 8.0 assists and a PIR of 27.3. He had his first double-double – 29 points, 10 assists – against Hamburg in Round 15.
Jerai Grant, Promitheas Patras (12.7 credits) – Grant has been rock-solid all season, averaging 12.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and a PIR of 16.8. In the last two games, however, he has been even better, averaging 22.5 points on 19-for-29 two-point shooting (65.5%), 8.0 rebounds and a PIR of 27.0.
Oriol Pauli, MoraBanc Andorra (9.9 credits) – In his sixth EuroCup season, Pauli is currently playing some of the best basketball of his career. In the last four showdowns, Pauli has averaged 10.5 points on 14-for-21 two-point shooting (66.7% 2FG), 6.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and a PIR of 16.8. Andorra is third in Group A and needs him at his very best level to keep that spot.
Jordan Theodore, Umana Reyer Venice (12.0 credits) – Theodore made it to the EuroCup Finals last season and was arguably UNICS Kazan's best player in those two losses against AS Monaco (15.0 ppg., 7.0 apg., 24.5 PIR). He joined Reyer midway through this season and has been the team's floor general since, averaging 17.8 points, 3.0 assists, 1.5 steals and a PIR of 16.5.