The BKT EuroCup regular season is over and the eight teams vying for a spot in the quarterfinals are set. Here's how they did in one key statistical measurement until now.
Stats review: Eighthfinals primer
The table below looks at how those teams fared during the regular season in terms of offensive and defensive efficiency. In recent seasons under the EuroCup's current regular season format, we learned that which group a team is in tends to play a role in their differentials, but this gives us a fairly accurate picture of how these teams have stacked up on both ends of the floor this season.
ratiopharm Ulm vs. Joventut Badalona
With an average effective age of 25.2 years, Ulm is the youngest team in the EuroCup by a considerable margin and their season has often reflected as much. Ulm beat everyone in Group B outside of U-BT Cluj-Napoca at least once and lost five of their last seven games despite going a staggering 4-0 in overtime games. Ulm's x-factor was often pick-and-roll defense. Now, the German champs will face a Joventut team that finished second in pick-and-roll efficiency behind only Paris Basketball. With both Andres Feliz and Shannon Evans creating at a high level, Ulm's ball-screen defenders may face 40 minutes of pressure on Tuesday.
London Lions vs. Turk Telekom Ankara
This matchup is fascinating on paper since the London Lions went 8-1 on the road but just 4-5 at home and are set to host a Turk Telekom Ankara team that surged late to claim the last playoff spot in Group B. The absence of Sam Dekker complicated things for London, but they nonetheless finished among the top five in both offensive and defensive efficiency. The question is how that holds up against an Ankara team that scored just 0.87 points per possession over the first half of the season, but 1.03 to close the year. That's roughly the difference between ranking as the worst offense in the league by far or third behind the two teams that eclipsed the EuroCup record for efficiency. Several injuries precipitated roster changes for last season's runners-up, and this group came out the other side playing like a contender. How London handles Tyrone Wallace and James Palmer on Wednesday will be a point of interest as that duo raised their level of play significantly in the second half of the regular season.
Prometey Slobozhanske vs. Aris Midea Thessaloniki
In what looks on paper to be the closest of these do-or-die matchups, Prometey will test their top 10-ranked offense against Aris's second-ranked defense on Wednesday. Leading the EuroCup in defensive turnover rate while defending the three-point line consistently, Aris has been able to lean on its ability to get stops all season. Prometey will test Aris's interior defense after finishing the regular season ranked first in total dunks and total points scored on put-backs.
Dreamland Gran Canaria vs. Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul
Going undefeated over the first half of the season but losing six of their last eight games, Gran Canaria has had a lopsided year. Posting the best point differential in Group B but falling out of the top two, the reigning EuroCup champions' shot at redemption will start on the defensive end. After allowing just 0.89 points per possession over the first half of the season, Gran Canaria allowed 1.02 points per possession to close the year as the defense suddenly lacked answers guarding pick-and-rolls. Besiktas's campaign followed largely the same path and hinged on the same issues. Guard play figures to be key for both teams on Wednesday as each looks to leverage the scouting reports on the other since things shifted in December.