This week brings us Semifinal Wednesday in the 7DAYS EuroCup. The matchups are exactly what the regular season ordered in terms of quality and results as the four competing teams are the four that finished in the top two spots in their respective groups. The early game between Promotey Slobozhanske and Turk Telekom Ankara will send one of them to the EuroCup Championship Game for the first time. The All-Spanish League duel between Gran Canaria and Joventut Badalona will land the winner a return to the competition's biggest stage.
Promotey Slobozhanske (14-4) vs. Turk Telekom Ankara (13-5)
It will be a true offense versus defense showdown as top-scoring Prometey (88.0 ppg.) takes on Turk Telekom, whose 77.8 points allowed per game is the third-lowest in the EuroCup this season. Prometey, which has won 13 games in a row, was last held below 80 points in mid-January. Turk Telekom has failed to reach 80 in two of its last three games, so controlling the game’s pace will be critical.
Caleb Agada returned from injury earlier than expected to produce 7 assists and 3 steals in 15 minutes in Promotey's quarterfinal victory over Promitheas Patras and with another week of practice and recovery under his belt, could be a key player in this matchup. He joins veteran center Ondrej Balvin and explosive forward D.J. Stephens as Prometey's players to watch. They will take on Turk Telekom's star trio of point guard Jerian Grant (20 points), center Tyrique Jones (20 points) and forward Axel Bouteille (18 points), which combined for more than two-thirds of their team’s points in the quarterfinals against ratiopharm Ulm.
Gran Canaria (15-3) vs. Joventut Badalona (13-5)
We may see old-school basketball at its best when Gran Canaria and Joventut meet as both teams are anchored by stars in the paint. While Joventut leans on the older Ante Tomic, who boasts more than a decade of EuroLeague experience, Gran Canaria turns to the last two EuroCup Rising Star Award winners, Olek Balcerowski (2021) and Khalifa Diop (2022).
Veteran forward John Shurna has been a force for Granca all season long and he has raised his level for the playoffs with 17 points in both games so far. His matchup against Henry Ellenson could be pivotal. These teams met just three weeks ago at Gran Canaria Arena in the Spanish League and the hosts pulled out a 100-88 triumph behind 18 points from Nicolas Brussino and 17 from AJ Slaughter. They led an attack that made 14 of 25 three-pointers (56.0%), which Joventut must contain. Andres Feliz scored 21 for Joventut in that loss and could be an X-factor in this game.