Strength of schedules could impact playoff race

As we storm towards the stretch run of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season, nearly every team is still fighting for something. 

No team has clinched a playoff spot yet nor has any been eliminated. Seven teams between sixth and 12th place are separated by a single victory. The final standings could be decided by the slimmest of margins.  

With that in mind, here's a look at some obstacles that await the teams from here until the regular season is due to finish on April 14. Taken together, they point to which teams will have the toughest and weakest schedules, on paper, the rest of the way.

The rich seem to get richer when looking at the winning records of opponents the rest of the way. The remaining opponents for first-place Olympiacos Piraeus have won just 45.1% of their games so far this season. Among the Reds' last eight games, four come against teams currently in the bottom five spots in the standings. Only one of the games Olympiacos has left, against FC Barcelona in Round 27, is against a team in the top five. 

Second-place Real Madrid also has a favorable finish with three of those bottom five teams on its schedule and only one team in the top five: Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in Round 31. Its strength of schedule based on opponents winning percentage is the fourth-lightest in the league at 47.4%. 

One thing working against Real, however, will be the difficulty of its remaining road trips. No team will rack up more frequent flyer miles in the home stretch than Real, whose five remaining road games will see it fly a total of 21,072 kilometers. That is more than 2,000 higher than the next-closest team on that list. Olympiacos will travel less than half that distance (9,924), albeit for one fewer game. 

Fifth-place AS Monaco has the third-weakest strength of schedule – its future opponents have a winning rate of 47.4% – and doesn't face a higher team than its current fifth place in the standings the rest of the way. Moreover, head coach Sasa Obradovic's charges will fly just 8,661 kilometers on their remaining road trips.  

On the other end of the chart are four teams with a mountain to climb based on strength of schedule. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan has by far the toughest remaining schedule, with opponents who have won 56.3% of their games to date; it will face four of the top five teams by record and no team has more remaining road games than Milan's six.

Valencia Basket and Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, which are among the teams tied with 13-12 records, are second and fourth, respectively, in terms of toughest strength of schedule. Both Valencia (55.0%) and Baskonia (52.5%) must still face four of the current top five teams in the standings. Valencia will play the fewest home games, three, of any team over the final stretch, while Baskonia will cover the third-most kilometers (15,823) for its remaining road games. 

Fenerbahce is in fourth place with a 15-9 record, but will have it tougher than its opponents in the race for a top-four finish and home-court advantage in the playoffs. It must still face two top-three teams, has only two games remaining against teams with losing records, and does not face any team in the bottom five. In addition to a difficult strength of schedule (54.3%), head coach Dimitris Itoudis's men will also rack up 14,467 kilometers on their remaining road trips, more than all but three other teams.

Another 13-12 team, Maccabi, also has a rough finish ahead. It will face three more top-five teams and its opponents winning percentage is 51.6%.  Moreover, it will travel 18,977 for its remaining four road games, second only to Real. The good news for Maccabi is that three of its last five games are against teams with losing records and three of its last four are at home.

Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz v Valencia Basket (2023-03-03T19:30:00.000Z)

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade v ALBA Berlin (2023-03-02T20:00:00.000Z)

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan v Olympiacos Piraeus (2023-03-03T19:30:00.000Z)

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne v Real Madrid (2023-03-03T19:00:00.000Z)

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul v Virtus Segafredo Bologna (2023-03-03T17:45:00.000Z)

FC Bayern Munich v Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (2023-03-02T18:00:00.000Z)

FC Barcelona v Zalgiris Kaunas (2023-03-02T18:00:00.000Z)

Panathinaikos Athens v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2023-03-02T19:00:00.000Z)

AS Monaco v Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (2023-03-02T20:00:00.000Z)

Refereeing great Luigi Lamonica visits The Crossover

The latest guest on The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas was the most recognizable face of his generations of referees in Euroleague Basketball. Luigi Lamonica hung up his whistle after last season's Final Four in Belgrade, concluding a famous career that spanned more than two decades at the highest level of the sport.

The Italian referee officiated at 10 EuroLeague Final Fours as well as at the Olympic Games and the European championships. As it turned out, fate had more to do with him embarking on a career as a basketball referee than anything else.

"My father was on the board of this team where I played and they forgot to ask for a referee from the local federation," Lamonica explains of his refereeing beginnings. "So when I arrived at the game, and they said, oh but, we didn’t call the referee. My father came to me, gave me the whistle and said: ‘Go!’"

The next day, the certified referee did come and invited Lamonica to join the next referee course. Lamonica decided to try it out and the rest is history.

Lamonica spent 13 seasons toiling in Italy’s lower divisions and even more before he received his international tag. He fell in love with officiating in that time, even though it was still at a lower level. 

"I enjoyed so much officiating that until their kicking my ass is too painful, I will continue because I loved officiating. There are so many things around officiating. It’s not only the 40 minutes of the game," he said about those years while adding that aside from lifelong friends, his first trips on a train, a ferry boat and an airplane all came to referee games. "I was so happy to have this job, I would have stayed in the second or third division in Italy, no problem at all."

Lamonica, who now serves as the head of the Italian referees' committee, engaged Arlauckas in a detailed explanation of how officials prepare for games, what they must never do and what they look for in key situations. The flow of the conversation gave Arlauckas, who was no friend of referees during his playing days, a new respect for the position.

"I’m literally fascinated by this conversation we’re having. It's a conversation I’ve never had with other referees and I’m so glad that we’re doing it because now, what you’ve done by just explaining that part of the game, you’ve made me realize how important it really is to have some experience in the game of basketball," Arlauckas tells Lamonica. "I think that if players could sit down and listen to that and understand exactly what you guys are doing it may be a little different that reaction of players or coaches." 

Lamonica goes on to discuss one of the worst calls of his career, when he incorrectly whistled a fifth foul on Shane Larkin of Anadolu Efes Istanbul in overtime of a game against FC Barcelona last season and how that impacted his decision to retire.

"After that call, something inside me was broken and I though probably I started to lose something,"  Lamonica confessed. "If you don’t see it, don’t blow the whistle. But I \[thought\] I saw something. And this was 'working' in my brain."

Among other topics discussed were how technology has changed the way games are officiated, some tense moments in his career and how to handle referees’ mistakes. It's a highly entertaining and educational episode that fans of basketball will love.

With a one-hour format of exclusive one-on-one interviews, The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas goes well beyond the playing court with each podcast to delve into the life experiences that have made his guests protagonists and legends of the EuroLeague. The Crossover debuted in 2018 and has featured such current stars as [Mike James](https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.euroleaguebasketball.net%2Feuroleague%2Fnews%2Fmike-james-opens-up-at-the-crossover%2F%3FpageTitle%3DPodcasts%26historyUrl%3D%2Feuroleague%2Fpodcasts%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cedu.roca%40euroleague.net%7C4c0336296e9a42af530f08db1967c271%7C2b3d64f0329542979f1528435f0a62ce%7C1%7C0%7C638131705654005562%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=2NAQ2WBK2WO6jgaEJr08QL49nhqdQlpM1gOEYmrBQSY%3D&reserved=0), [Nicolo Melli](https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.euroleaguebasketball.net%2Feuroleague%2Fnews%2Fthe-crossover-welcomes-nicolo-melli%2F%3FpageTitle%3DPodcasts%26historyUrl%3D%2Feuroleague%2Fpodcasts%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cedu.roca%40euroleague.net%7C4c0336296e9a42af530f08db1967c271%7C2b3d64f0329542979f1528435f0a62ce%7C1%7C0%7C638131705654005562%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=vvjvlVh0%2BJEVVjUDawrUbp4n4IUphjEG9%2F5ocafONnY%3D&reserved=0) and [Vasilije Micic](https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.euroleaguebasketball.net%2Feuroleague%2Fnews%2Fmvp-micic-stops-by-the-crossover%2F%3FpageTitle%3DPodcasts%26historyUrl%3D%2Feuroleague%2Fpodcasts%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cedu.roca%40euroleague.net%7C4c0336296e9a42af530f08db1967c271%7C2b3d64f0329542979f1528435f0a62ce%7C1%7C0%7C638131705654005562%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=MMz%2BV2jfiK%2FuvrweXm7szn9xM1nXq%2FLseqX6e6x0WAc%3D&reserved=0), coaching greats such as [Georgios Bartzokas](https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.euroleaguebasketball.net%2Feuroleague%2Fnews%2Fhear-from-coach-bartzokas-on-the-crossover%2F%3FpageTitle%3DPodcasts%26historyUrl%3D%2Feuroleague%2Fpodcasts%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cedu.roca%40euroleague.net%7C4c0336296e9a42af530f08db1967c271%7C2b3d64f0329542979f1528435f0a62ce%7C1%7C0%7C638131705654005562%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=teZUcqf9wuPpPJQsAxjXYomZudh9lfVM80ZZtgyvLNQ%3D&reserved=0), [Dimitris Itoudis](https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.euroleaguebasketball.net%2Feuroleague%2Fnews%2Fthe-crossover-opens-its-season-with-dimitris-itoudis%2F%3FpageTitle%3DPodcasts%26historyUrl%3D%2Feuroleague%2Fpodcasts%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cedu.roca%40euroleague.net%7C4c0336296e9a42af530f08db1967c271%7C2b3d64f0329542979f1528435f0a62ce%7C1%7C0%7C638131705654161749%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=vPMo6Q%2B%2BPWsuH25agOHLOeJigrxx7o0oOqLLzgtbBRk%3D&reserved=0) and [Zeljko Obradovic](https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fopen.spotify.com%2Fepisode%2F0sCEhjvX6MdHlPhZc5jAWp%3Fsi%3Dcd7282081e9a4a9b&data=05%7C01%7Cedu.roca%40euroleague.net%7C4c0336296e9a42af530f08db1967c271%7C2b3d64f0329542979f1528435f0a62ce%7C1%7C0%7C638131705654161749%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=SDqeMvnZ8ecaxqSEOYqT58VY9725i90quuSNADFsrWA%3D&reserved=0), and legends like [Theo Papaloukas](https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fopen.spotify.com%2Fepisode%2F2E1uxqqlpoAkBj0LvAmvC7%3Fsi%3D030e8b2dcbf54e38&data=05%7C01%7Cedu.roca%40euroleague.net%7C4c0336296e9a42af530f08db1967c271%7C2b3d64f0329542979f1528435f0a62ce%7C1%7C0%7C638131705654161749%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=04sh4If2cS4a0tdpHtg1KBsFCO6dTtx7rPlrBCzJTlw%3D&reserved=0), [Nikola Vujcic](https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fopen.spotify.com%2Fepisode%2F1XDwrj2HEoNCOBOkRDtOES%3Fsi%3Dfda191cbf7a047db&data=05%7C01%7Cedu.roca%40euroleague.net%7C4c0336296e9a42af530f08db1967c271%7C2b3d64f0329542979f1528435f0a62ce%7C1%7C0%7C638131705654161749%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Uum4v5SbETZMGcrU7t9llo9ZAteqpI%2Fr0KlYWsGo0vk%3D&reserved=0) and [Mike Batiste](https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fopen.spotify.com%2Fepisode%2F2E79YlFsVIpSXNPGvaM5gF%3Fsi%3D65ab5d8fe5ef4bb5&data=05%7C01%7Cedu.roca%40euroleague.net%7C4c0336296e9a42af530f08db1967c271%7C2b3d64f0329542979f1528435f0a62ce%7C1%7C0%7C638131705654161749%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=MEObPcvX0%2FGWrwNWdwCW4noo8EkNsmVtXKb1S7rtpyQ%3D&reserved=0), among others.

The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas is available on [Youtube](https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D2rYpAbSLlCc&data=05%7C01%7Cedu.roca%40euroleague.net%7C4c0336296e9a42af530f08db1967c271%7C2b3d64f0329542979f1528435f0a62ce%7C1%7C0%7C638131705654161749%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=0g7e2cuDEceSN0Mu0EBkTKf4GpNfXgOrvItpMrYT9Dg%3D&reserved=0), [iTunes](https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fus%2Fpodcast%2Fthe-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas%2Fid1440034922&data=05%7C01%7Cedu.roca%40euroleague.net%7C4c0336296e9a42af530f08db1967c271%7C2b3d64f0329542979f1528435f0a62ce%7C1%7C0%7C638131705654161749%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=yP%2BRunuD9FMxD6c1BmdvGVjOZ%2F5zopBFB4jO70pjvF8%3D&reserved=0), [Audioboom](https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Faudioboom.com%2Fchannel%2Fthe-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas&data=05%7C01%7Cedu.roca%40euroleague.net%7C4c0336296e9a42af530f08db1967c271%7C2b3d64f0329542979f1528435f0a62ce%7C1%7C0%7C638131705654161749%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=0hJMB95fqr9fEiAGSjke%2B8KV6AguqB9UR617gFJoxpY%3D&reserved=0), [Spotify](https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fopen.spotify.com%2Fshow%2F6T1SYvGSpzyrYZpG9z2wjR&data=05%7C01%7Cedu.roca%40euroleague.net%7C4c0336296e9a42af530f08db1967c271%7C2b3d64f0329542979f1528435f0a62ce%7C1%7C0%7C638131705654161749%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=7qrVjJ9xsjvVuuKezegpd81JXenCQyXndWGEHLwvxIc%3D&reserved=0), [Deezer](https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.deezer.com%2Ffr%2Fshow%2F65962&data=05%7C01%7Cedu.roca%40euroleague.net%7C4c0336296e9a42af530f08db1967c271%7C2b3d64f0329542979f1528435f0a62ce%7C1%7C0%7C638131705654161749%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=4k7rcgB15jDFkrSa4G%2FSwmWqOw8HzjeeXdeud0fXSkk%3D&reserved=0), [RadioPublic](https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fradiopublic.com%2Fthe-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas-6NkdjJ&data=05%7C01%7Cedu.roca%40euroleague.net%7C4c0336296e9a42af530f08db1967c271%7C2b3d64f0329542979f1528435f0a62ce%7C1%7C0%7C638131705654161749%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=12gQFZuKa0U3w3HV%2FMHY3XhLwjeXcAbFqNEssIsYDrQ%3D&reserved=0), [Google Podcasts](https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.google.com%2Ffeed%2FaHR0cHM6Ly9hdWRpb2Jvb20uY29tL2NoYW5uZWxzLzQ4ODM3OTkucnNz%3Fsa%3DX%26ved%3D0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiYzr_b78XtAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ&data=05%7C01%7Cedu.roca%40euroleague.net%7C4c0336296e9a42af530f08db1967c271%7C2b3d64f0329542979f1528435f0a62ce%7C1%7C0%7C638131705654161749%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=YT5bQDtZsadwAbg6ciExMHDImj3cdlYny5qbOhNzN2Y%3D&reserved=0), [TuneIn](https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftunein.com%2Fpodcasts%2FSports%25E2%2580%2593Recreation-Podcasts%2FThe-Crossover-with-Joe-Arlauckas-p1174586%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cedu.roca%40euroleague.net%7C4c0336296e9a42af530f08db1967c271%7C2b3d64f0329542979f1528435f0a62ce%7C1%7C0%7C638131705654161749%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=o2B2aeZq%2FCdg8CtFe2c3nhEFTFSG6qyAI1UWxQoY0r8%3D&reserved=0), [Stitcher](https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stitcher.com%2Fshow%2Fthe-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas&data=05%7C01%7Cedu.roca%40euroleague.net%7C4c0336296e9a42af530f08db1967c271%7C2b3d64f0329542979f1528435f0a62ce%7C1%7C0%7C638131705654161749%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=f8N4bZRtltBlBAdbh7R6vWJAM64D9j4KtnNGkrvY4V0%3D&reserved=0), [CastBox](https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcastbox.fm%2Fchannel%2FThe-Crossover-with-Joe-Arlauckas-id1467328%3Fcountry%3Dgb&data=05%7C01%7Cedu.roca%40euroleague.net%7C4c0336296e9a42af530f08db1967c271%7C2b3d64f0329542979f1528435f0a62ce%7C1%7C0%7C638131705654161749%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=2yOb9VuCWp8nHRRXPnolqKhcj8aY01aodNKg4AXI3Kg%3D&reserved=0), [iVoox](https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ivoox.com%2Fpodcast-the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas_sq_f1629856_1.html&data=05%7C01%7Cedu.roca%40euroleague.net%7C4c0336296e9a42af530f08db1967c271%7C2b3d64f0329542979f1528435f0a62ce%7C1%7C0%7C638131705654161749%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=egSDbyfG0WvRo1wsABsWrDeO%2Bo%2FWTHeF8CjsmMpuW%2Fc%3D&reserved=0) and other platforms.

Round 26 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season is here and with it, the best fantasy basketball managers have another chance to get a prize in the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge, powered by Ardu Prime. The recommended players for this week are all on the rise, so consider your moves carefully: 

[Marko Guduric, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/marko-guduric/004004/) (12.3 credits) – Guduric earned Round 25 MVP honors after leading Fenerbahce to a 94-97 road win with 25 points, 7 assists and a PIR of 35. Over his last five games, he's averaged 16.6 points, 3.2 assists and a PIR of 18.8, while burying 11 of his last 19 three-point shots. Guduric is in great shape and should continue leading his team. 

[Shabazz Napier, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/shabazz-napier/011224/) (12.7 credits) – Owned by just 0.5% of fantasy managers, Napier has the potential to amass a high PIR. In just his third EuroLeague game, Napier led Milan to a 78-76 home win with 16 points, 5 assists and a PIR of 18. It should be his first good game out of many. Keep an eye on him. 

Marko Guduric, Shabazz Napier, Mateusz Ponitka, Wade Baldwin and Elijah Bryant are featured in this week's article.

Euroleague Fantasy tips: Round 26

[Mateusz Ponitka, Panathinaikos Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mateusz-ponitka/004172/) (11.2 credits) – Ponitka missed all of his field goal attempts against Milan last week but still ended up with a PIR of 11; he was all over the stats sheet with 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 4 fouls drawn. Over the last three games, Ponitka has averaged a PIR of 15.3. His versatility makes Ponitka valuable. 

[Wade Baldwin, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/wade-baldwin-iv/009863/) (13.7 credits) – Most fantasy managers expected Baldwin to post worse numbers when Lorenzo Brown returned to action in Round 26. It turned out that both Baldwin and Brown played great. Baldwin had 15 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists and a PIR of 26. His team's next game against run-and-gun Monaco suits him well, too. 

[Elijah Bryant, Anadolu Efes Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/elijah-bryant/009846/) (7.9 credits) – In his 121st EuroLeague career game, Bryant recorded his first-ever double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds against ASVEL. Bryant stepped up big in a game in which Vasilije Micic was unavailable, and buried a critical three-pointer. His confidence is high and at 7.9 credits, Bryant is a bargain.

Fantasy tips, Round 26: Stars and fresh names

As announced by the club on Monday morning, Valencia Basket forward [Kyle Alexander](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kyle-alexander/011973/) will be one month sidelined due to a right ankle injury. Alexander (2.08 meters, 26 years old) got injured in the Round 25 game against Olympiacos Piraeus and the sprained ankle will keep him out of action during an important month in the race for the playoffs, in which Valencia is currently placed in ninth place.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ro" dir="ltr">🏥🧡 ¡Ánimo <a href="https://twitter.com/KyleJamal4?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KyleJamal4</a>!<br><br>Cas 👉 Parte médico: Kyle Alexander<a href="https://t.co/gwI0WYchx0">https://t.co/gwI0WYchx0</a><br><br>Val 👉 Comunicat mèdic: Kyle Alexander<a href="https://t.co/HevpkR8s0O">https://t.co/HevpkR8s0O</a><br><br>Eng 👉 Medical Report: Kyle Alexander<a href="https://t.co/FetAPrkVBP">https://t.co/FetAPrkVBP</a> <a href="https://t.co/1JKpmNwMXf">pic.twitter.com/1JKpmNwMXf</a></p>&mdash; Valencia Basket Club (@valenciabasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/valenciabasket/status/1630183466951413760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Alexander started in 7 of his 24 EuroLeague appearances this season, averaging 5.4 points and 3.1 rebounds in over 14 minutes per game.

Valencia's Kyle Alexander, out one month

- Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade has been sanctioned with a fine of €4,500 for the throwing of objects on to the playing court by its fans, on occasion of home game against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul under Article 29.2.h) of the Euroleague Basketball Disciplinary Code.

Euroleague Basketball has announced the following disciplinary sanction pertaining to incidents that occurred in Round 25 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague regular season.

Round 25 disciplinary sanctions

Round 26: Playoff hopefuls face big road tests

Round 26 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague will deliver several key games as the race for the playoffs intensifies, including four teams just below the top eight facing big tests on the road. Here's an overview of this week's action.

[FC Bayern Munich vs. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/fc-bayern-munich-crvena-zvezda-meridianbet-belgrade/E2022/229/)

Two teams with fading playoffs ambitions meet as Bayern (9-16) hosts Zvezda (11-14), with both teams having won just one of their last five games. We should expect low scoring from two of the least-potent offenses in the competition, with Bayern averaging 76.6 points against Zvezda's 75.5. Indeed, those averages were more or less maintained in Round 5, when Ben Bentil's double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds helped Zvezda edge a 78-72 victory.

[FC Barcelona vs. Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/fc-barcelona-zalgiris-kaunas/E2022/227/)

An early tipoff at Palau Blaugrana will see Barcelona (17-8) aim for a fifth straight win with a visit from Zalgiris (13-12), which needs to reignite its playoffs challenge after losing three in a row on the road. There are several connections between the teams, including Zalgiris forward Rolands Smits returning to the Palau Blaugrana for the first time and hoping to repeat his solid contribution of 15 points when the Lithuanian team edged the Round 4 meeting between the teams, 73-72, in October.

[Panathinaikos Athens vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/panathinaikos-athens-anadolu-efes-istanbul/E2022/228/)

New Panathinaikos (8-17) coach Christos Serelis will look to gain his first win by downing reigning champ Efes (12-12). After grabbing a narrow victory at ASVEL last week, the Turkish team is now looking to secure consecutive road triumphs for the first time since December. Will Clyburn's battle with Derrick Williams will be one of the key factors, with Clyburn now fully recovered from a brief dip in form by scoring at least 16 points in each of the last three games.

[Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade vs. ALBA Berlin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/partizan-mozzart-bet-belgrade-alba-berlin/E2022/233/)

After ending its six-game losing streak by winning at Zvezda last week, ALBA (7-18) will now try to make it two victories out of two in Belgrade by downing Partizan (13-12). Maodo Lo was key to that victory as he scored 24 points on 9-for-11 field goal shooting. Partizan will focus on slowing him down and improving its defense after allowing 97 points at home in last week's loss to Fenerbahce – but without sacrificing the offensive firepower that has yielded an average of 89 points in the last four games.

Round 26 at a glance: AS Monaco vs. Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv

[AS Monaco vs. Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/as-monaco-maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv/E2022/226/)

A battle of backcourt stars awaits as Monaco (15-10) hosts Maccabi (13-12) in a showdown loaded with playoffs implications. Lorenzo Brown returned from injury to lead Maccabi to victory with 27 points last week, while Wade Baldwin is also on fire with an average of 22.1 points in the last seven games. They will go up against a trio of home guards who all average double digits in scoring – Mike James (17.2), Jordan Loyd (11.1) and Elie Okobo (12.2) – so this game promises to be a thrilling shootout.

[Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul vs. Virtus Segafredo Bologna](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul-virtus-segafredo-bologna/E2022/230/)

Friday's opening tipoff sees Fenerbahce (15-9) aiming to protect its position in the top four with a visit from in-form Virtus (12-13), which has roared into playoffs contention with three wins out of four. Fit-again Awudu Abass made a big contribution to last week's victory over Baskonia, and his defensive determination could be necessary to slow down the shooting prowess of Marko Guduric and Dyshawn Pierre, who combined for 9 triples on 10 attempts in last week's victory at Partizan.

[LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs. Real Madrid](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/ldlc-asvel-villeurbanne-real-madrid/E2022/231/)

Red-hot Real Madrid (17-7) will look to make it five wins in a row with a trip to face ASVEL (8-17), which has lost four straight but came within one possession of upsetting Efes last week. ASVEL has not beaten the Spanish giant since 2003, with Real taking the last seven meetings between the teams, including a comfortable 92-73 home win in December. That game saw Real score no less than 31 two-point shots, so ASVEL will need much better interior defense this time around.

Round 26 at a glance: LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs. Real Madrid

[Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz vs. Valencia Basket](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/cazoo-baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz-valencia-basket/E2022/234/)

Two of the five teams currently tied at 13-12 go head-to-head, with Baskonia hosting Valencia in an important all-Spanish showdown. Long-range shooting will be significant: Baskonia has attempted more three-pointers than any other team in the league, 29.6 per game, with Valencia in second place with 28.9 shots from beyond the arc. But Maik Kotsar's inside shooting – 21 points on 10-of-12 two-pointers – made the difference when Baskonia won 71-81 at Valencia in the opening round, showing the importance of a balanced attack.

[EA7 Emporio Armani Milan vs. Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/ea7-emporio-armani-milan-olympiacos-piraeus/E2022/232/)

League leading Olympiacos (18-7) will attempt to halt Milan's (9-15) revival in the fashion capital. Olympiacos forward Sasha Vezenkov will look to continue his fine form after being named monthly MVP for the second time this season, having played a key role in his team's seven-game winning run. Milan's return to form, with three straight home wins heading into this game, has been propelled by strong defense with just 68 and 76 points allowed in the last two games, but that improvement will be sorely tested by Olympiacos's league-best offense (85.6 points per game).

For keeping his short-handed team in first place despite three road games during the month, forward Sasha Vezenkov of Olympiacos Piraeus is Euroleague Basketball's choice as February MVP in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

MVP for February: Sasha Vezenkov, Olympiacos Piraeus

For keeping his short-handed team in first place despite three road games during the month, forward [Sasha Vezenkov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/sasha-vezenkov/003469/) of Olympiacos Piraeus is Euroleague Basketball's choice as February MVP in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

Vezenkov topped all EuroLeague players in both performance index rating and rebounds while ranking second in scoring during the month, leading Olympiacos to a 4-0 record. That success extended the team's winning streak to six games and its stay atop the standings to as many weeks. Vezenkov finished the month in the rare position of ranking as the league's leader in the three major statistical categories, with 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 23.5 PIR per game.

Sasha Vezenkov | February MVP | Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

The MVP of the Month award is now in its 18th season. The winner is named by Euroleague Basketball based on his and his team's performance during the month in question. The February MVP award includes the four games that most teams played between Tuesday, January 31 and Friday, February 24. Vezenkov has now been named MVP twice this season, a feat accomplished by just four other players: Ante Tomic (2013-14), Shane Larkin (2019-20) and Nikola Mirotic (2019-20 and 2021-22)

Olympiacos began February on the road at Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, with Vezenkov recording a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds for a PIR of 16 in a [73-93](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul-olympiacos-piraeus/E2022/190/) victory despite the absence of veteran guard Kostas Sloukas, who would miss the first three games of the month. At home three nights later against Anadolu Efes Istanbul in Round 23, he led the Reds to a [76-70](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/olympiacos-piraeus-anadolu-efes-istanbul/E2022/205/) win with game highs of 23 points and 21 PIR. Back on the road in Round 24, Vezenkov finished with 28 points and 13 rebounds in 32 minutes of a [60-93](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/alba-berlin-olympiacos-piraeus/E2022/209/) blowout against ALBA Berlin. His PIR of 40 earned him the MVP honor for Round 24. He finished February scoring 16 of his 20 points after halftime and registered a PIR of 22 as Olympiacos rallied from 15 points behind to defeat host Valencia Basket [85-92](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/valencia-basket-olympiacos-piraeus/E2022/223/).

Vezenkov finished the month having averaged 20.8 points, second only to Wade Baldwin of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, while leading the league in February with 8.8 rebounds and a PIR of 24.8. He shot 64.7% while making a league-high 22 two-pointers and hit 10 three-pointers, fourth-best for the month, at a rate of 43.5%.

Vezenkov, who was also the MVP for November, will receive his new award at an upcoming Olympiacos home game.

Round 25 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague saw several teams earn narrow victories as the high-level of competitiveness across the league this season has yet to taper off in the slightest. At this point, the parity of the league is perhaps most apparent on the defensive end.

Defensive details are making a difference

Round 25 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague saw several teams earn narrow victories as the high-level of competitiveness across the league this season has yet to taper off in the slightest. At this point, the parity of the league is perhaps most apparent on the defensive end.

The average Synergy Shot Quality allowed across the competition only varies by a fraction of a point per game. SSQ takes a data-driven, league-specific approach to estimating the value of each attempt using the vast of amount of data Synergy has collected on every shot taking in the EuroLeague over the last decade. With the league's best and worst teams in estimated points-per-shot allowed falling between 1.00 and 1.06 points per attempt, it has been difficult for teams to separate themselves on the shots they are allowing alone. 

As a result, the details on the defensive end this season are more important than usual. How many turnovers a team forces or how often they send their opponents to the line go farther than they normally do. The table below lists those details while sorting every team by stop percentage, or the percentage of a team's total defensive possessions where they do not allow the opposition to score any points. 

Olympiacos Piraeus sits atop the EuroLeague standings and they nearly sit atop all three of the metrics listed above. Edging the league's most efficient defensive unit, Real Madrid, in stop percentage, Olympiacos has forced turnovers more consistently than any other team in the league this season by a comfortable margin. They also rank a very close second to Anadolu Efes Istanbul in the percentage of possessions on which they send opposing offenses to the free throw line. While shot defense is critical on the defensive end, Olympiacos has thrived in the details.

That stands in contrast in Real Madrid whose shot defense has been their calling card this season and a big reason they are currently in sole possession of  second place in the standings with less than 10 games remaining. While their approach has worked for them, it has only taken others so far. Several of the top 10 teams in field goal percentage allowed drop in the overall defensive efficiency rankings as they do not check off other boxes.

Thomas Walkup Top Steals from 09/30/2022 to 02/27/2023

Thomas Walkup top steals of 2022-23

Which boxes a team checks off also tends to matter. While the top six teams in the percentage of possessions on which they send opposing offenses to the line are all included in the top 10 in stop percentage, four of the top six in turnover percentage are absent, as that has not had a particularly strong correlation with overall success on the defensive end. Steals are hard to come by in the EuroLeague, which is what makes teams like Olympiacos and Panathinaikos Athens somewhat unique to this list and players like Thomas Walkup a luxury.

Having a player who can execute a game plan, hold his own individually, and still find ways to come up with steals is not easy to come by. While Walkup leads the EuroLeague in steals by a comfortable margin, Paris Lee and Mateusz Ponitka of Panathinaikos rank prominently in steal percentage among players averaging over 25 minutes per game this season.

While there are a lot of different formulas team use on the defensive end, many of which revolve around ball screen coverages and matchups, now more than ever every little thing matters. Whether it's a player going straight up to avoid fouling a shooter to help his team stay out of the penalty for an extra couple minutes or a guard making an extra effort to keep the ball inbounds on a broken play, giving his team even the chance for a steal, there's no discounting the value of the details on the defensive end. 

**CUP GLORY**: Five EuroLeague teams won their respective domestic cups last weekend, and they all did a pretty good of a job celebrating, including a beer shower for Bayern head coach Andrea Trinchieri.

**MAKING PROGRESS**: It is good to see ASVEL's Joffrey Lauvergne recovering from an ACL injury.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Morning run 🏃🏻💪🏼😎 <a href="https://t.co/KKSpFKRFDg">pic.twitter.com/KKSpFKRFDg</a></p>&mdash; Joffrey Lauvergne (@1JOLOLO) <a href="https://twitter.com/1JOLOLO/status/1629037488596475904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

**EVERY GAME MATTERS**: A few thoughts from EuroLeague players…

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I’m not a big fan of prediction questions especially during the yr but can we agree this has GOT 2 be the most competitive <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroLeague</a> season ever? I haven’t been around long or seen the past but literally every team feels like they could be a contender this year😂It’s crazy 😳💯</p>&mdash; Jordan Loyd (@mrjloyd) <a href="https://twitter.com/mrjloyd/status/1625189971224133632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 13, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">What would you rather watch, <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroLeague</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBA</a>? <br>* Our survey results came out very clear... <a href="https://t.co/Z7IQFzBbVC">pic.twitter.com/Z7IQFzBbVC</a></p>&mdash; Maccabi Tel Aviv BC (@MaccabitlvBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaccabitlvBC/status/1628328178518310914?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


**NO.1 PLAY**: Two weeks ago, Chris Jones nailed this game winner. This is one way to re-live it.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Chris Jones reacts to his own game winner 🥶🍊<a href="https://twitter.com/valenciabasket?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@valenciabasket</a> <a href="https://t.co/toE9fFpQPz">pic.twitter.com/toE9fFpQPz</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1628770683554603014?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

**TIME WITH FANS**: Kostas Papanikolaou and Thomas Walkup took time with young home fans after a win in Valencia. Cassius Winston met his own fans – in Tel Aviv, and Maccabi players took a bunch of selfies with the youngest fans, too.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">All about the fans 😊<a href="https://twitter.com/olympiacosbc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@olympiacosbc</a> I <a href="https://twitter.com/valenciabasket?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@valenciabasket</a> <a href="https://t.co/YRd23FNmTT">pic.twitter.com/YRd23FNmTT</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1629236469490384896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="art" dir="ltr">🖤🫶 <a href="https://t.co/s5k1xdxOcB">https://t.co/s5k1xdxOcB</a></p>&mdash; Cassius Winston (@cassiuswinston) <a href="https://twitter.com/cassiuswinston/status/1628886567593943040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

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