Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnidar's interim head coach Branko Maksimovic made his EuroCup debut. The native of Belgrade faced his hometown team, which he has often seen on the opposite sideline during his career. Maksimovic jas previously been a member of the coaching staffs of Partizan's local rivals, Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade and FMP Zeleznik. 

Maksimovic makes a winning debut

Maksimovic's team was red-hot in the game, netting 16 triples, just one away from the club record. The team also scored a season-high 101 points and committed just 10 turnovers. It also overcame the loss of star big man Johnathan Motley, who was forced to leave the game at the start of the third quarter due to accumulating a technical and an unsportsmanlike foul in the game. 

Keys to victory: Gran Canaria vs. Virtus

 Gran Canaria leads the 2021-22 EuroCup in steals (8.6 spg.) and ranks fourth in offensive rebounds (12.0 orpg.). It could use that blue-collar mentality against a very talented team. Gran Canaria ranks third in three-point shooting accuracy (40.1%), behind Virtus, which leads the standings at 41.3%. Being able to stop Virtus's main shooters, Marco Belinelli, Milos Teodosic and Ty-Shon Alexander, is just as important as finding open looks for A.J. Slaughter, Dylan Ennis and Nicolas Brussino.

Virtus is also very effective from two-point territory, ranking second at 60.0%. Its stellar shooting percentages allow Virtus to lead the competition in assists (23.4 apg.). The Italian powerhouse, however, has averaged 14.0 turnovers per night and needs to cut those against Gran Canaria, the leading team in steals. Virtus is without Kevin Hervey, so Amar Alibegovic and Amedeo Tessitori should step up the way they did against Promitheas Patras in Round 7. If Virtus controls the defensive boards and runs its transition offense through Belinelli and Teodosic, it should have a better chance to get a win at Gran Canaria Arena.

Gran Canaria v Virtus Segafredo Bologna (2021-12-22T20:00:00.000Z)

Chris Kramer - Gran Canaria (photo Buducnost) - EC21

Gran Canaria playmaker A.J. Slaughter is seeing extended playing time with Andrew Albicy sidelined.

Marquee matchup: Gran Canaria's Slaughter vs. Virtus's Teodosic

 In his eighth EuroCup season with his sixth different team, Slaughter is averaging 10.9 points and 3.6 assists so far this season. Slaughter, who ranks 13th all-time in scoring (1,086 points) should use his EuroCup experience against back-to-back Regular Season MVP Milos Teodosic, one of the best European playmakers of all time. Teodosic ranks third in assists this season (7.3 apg.) and also averages 13.0 points and 2.5 rebounds. The battle to control the game tempo should be critical and both Teodosic and Slaughter should play a big role in it.

Milos Teodosic 2- Virtus Segafredo Bologna (photo Virtus) - EC21

Virtus Segafredo Bologna (5-2) visits Gran Canaria (5-2) in a big showdown in Group B. 

Virtus makes its first trip to Gran Canaria

These teams face each other for the first time, which adds even more anticipation to this interesting game. Gran Canaria is 6-0 at home against Italian teams in EuroCup action. Dylan Ennis (16.1 ppg.) has been its top scorer until now, followed by John Shurna (11.3 ppg.) and Nicolas Brussino (11.0 ppg.). Virtus is on a three-game winning streak and looks for its third road victory of the EuroCup season led by Milos Teodosic (13.0 ppg., 7.3 apg.), Kyle Weems (13.6 ppg.) and Marco Belinelli (14.2 ppg.). Expect a great game at Gran Canaria Arena.

Khalifa Diop - Gran Canaria (photo Gran Canaria) - EC21

This game features two teams with different styles and point guard play could be critical.

Keys to victory: Trento vs. Hamburg

 Dolomiti Energia Trento has scored the second-fewest points in the EuroCup this far with 73.7 per game and keeping pace with Hamburg Towers will not be easy. However, Hamburg is the only team to allow more than 90 points on average to its opponents. Will Trento be able to play at a fast pace and take advantage of the holes in the Hamburg defense?

Rebounding is another area to keep an eye on. Both teams have been beaten regularly on the glass, with Trento losing the rebounding battle by 4.1 boards per game and Hamburg by 8.0 per game. The team that controls the glass will have a nice advantage to work with.

Dolomiti Energia Trento v Hamburg Towers (2021-12-22T19:00:00.000Z)

Diego Flaccadori - Dolomiti Energia Trento (photo Trento) - EC21

 Caroline has double-doubles in half of his six appearances this season, including the last two games, and is averaging 14.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. The latter number is second in the EuroCup. Kotsar comes off a personal-best 18-point effort in last week’s win and has been worth 12.0 points, 4.2 boards and 1.2 steals per game this season. Though they may not always match up as Caroline spends more time at the ‘4’ and Kotsar is a center, they are certain to battle for rebounds in the paint in what could be an important aspect of this game.

This game promises an exciting clash in the paint between Dolomiti Energia Trento big man Jordan Caroline and Hamburg Towers’ center Maik Kotsar.

Marquee matchup: Trento’s Caroline vs. Hamburg’s Kotsar

Two teams from the bottom part of the Group A standings meet on Tuesday when Dolomiti Energia Trento hosts Hamburg Towers.

Trento hosts Hamburg in pivotal Group A clash

 Trento (1-6) comes into the game tied for last, but a win could propel it forward past Hamburg (2-5), which is eighth. Trento won its only game so far in Round 5 over Slask Wroclaw, but its two losses since have been close. It lost at Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar by 2 in Round 6 and to Turk Telekom at home last week by 6. Hamburg route Lokomotiv 100-82 at home last week and will look to create some distance in the standings with a second road win following its Round 4 triumph at Lietkabelis Panevezys.

Toto Forray - Dolomiti Energia Trento (photo Trento) - EC21

Slask Wroclaw's main weapon is rebounding and it will try to make the most of that in its Round 8 showdown against Joventut Badalona.

Keys to victory: Slask vs. Joventut

 The Polish powerhouse leads the EuroCup in rebounds (40.9 ppg.) and is third in offensive rebounds (12.3 orpg.). If Cyril Langevine, Kerem Kanter and Ivan Ramljak are able to dominate the boards and stop Ante Tomic and Vladimir Brodzianskiy down low, it will surely improve its chances of winning. Slask must improve its shot selection, too, as it ranks 19th in both two-point (47.8%) and three-point shooting (29.2%).

On the other hand, Joventut ranks last in offensive rebounds (8.3 orpg.) this season. Missing fewer shots helps this number stay low, however, as Joventut leads the competition in two-point shooting percentage (60.2% 2FG). Joventut allows 11.4 offensive boards on average and must try to box out better against an excellent rebounding team like Slask. If Guillem Vives and Pau Ribas control the game tempo, everything should be easier for the guests; they combine for 11.0 assists and just 2.7 turnovers this season.

Slask Wroclaw v Joventut Badalona (2021-12-22T19:00:00.000Z)

Ivan Ramljak - Slask Wroclaw (photo Dawid Podsiadlo - Slask) - EC21

Slask Wroclaw and Joventut Badalona face each other for the first time in Round 8, but it should be a special game for Kerem Kanter, who played for the Spanish powerhouse during the 2019-20 campaign.

Marquee matchup: Slask's Kanter vs. Joventut's Willis

Kanter leads Slask's frontcourt and ranks third in the EuroCup in rebounds (8.0 rpg.). Over the last three games, Kanter has been worth 15.7 points and 11.3 rebounds for a PIR of 25.3. He should use his strength and post skills against an athletic opponent in Derek Willis, Joventut's starting power forward. In his second EuroCup season, Willis is averaging 7.7 points and 4.4 rebounds for a PIR of 9.4. Willis is more athletic and should use that to his team's advantage.

Derek Willis - Joventut Badalona - (photo David Grau - Joventut) EC21