Barely three years ago, Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse was a team with no experience in European competitions. Now, Bourg is entering its third consecutive 7DAYS EuroCup campaign.
2022-23 Games to Watch: Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse
After failing to qualify for the knock-out rounds from Group B last season, where it ranked ninth with a 6-12 record, Bourg will look to start strong and make a strong run in the 2022-23 campaign. Here are four of the biggest challenges Bourg is set to face during the regular season.
Round 1: A fresh start
In the 2020-21 campaign, Bourg opened the regular season with a 4-2 record and ended up qualifying for the next round. Last season, a poor start was one of the main reasons why Bourg did not advance past the group stage. In its two previous EuroCup seasons, Bourg lost its first home game - against Joventut Badalona in 2020 and Umana Reyer Venice in 2021. Bourg will try to break this streak at home in Round 1 against EuroCup newcomer U-BT Cluj-Napoca.
Round 9: Cedevita, again
Another season, another two games between Bourg and Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana. In the 2020-21 campaign, Cedevita eliminated Bourg in the Top 16, downing it twice – 94-91 in Ljubljana and 64-77 in France. Bourg fell to 0-4 and was eliminated from that season's playoffs. Last season, Bourg registered a 91-79 home victory but lost again in the Slovenian capital, 76-69. It has already become a EuroCup modern classic.
Round 11: Reyer's second visit
Just like with Cedevita, every time Bourg plays the EuroCup, it has crossed paths with Umana Reyer Venice. The teams faced each other twice in Venice in the 2020-21 season due to COVID-19 and Bourg beat Reyer twice. Last season, Reyer finally traveled to Bourg and won, 62-73, in the teams' season opener. Bourg won again in Venice for the third time in as many games, 78-81. It will be interesting to see what happens this time.
Round 17: Home finale
Bourg visits Cedevita in Round 18 – a difficult opponent in a tough place to play. That makes its Round 17 home game against ratiopharm Ulm even more important, as both teams could be fighting for survival at that point. Ulm got two important wins against Bourg last season – 96-86 in Germany and 72-85 in France. It is a chance to see two of the best young point guards in the competition: Fedor Zugic of Ulm and Hugo Benitez of Bourg!