Two teams in a sweet moment will clash on Tuesday night in a Group A showdown when Umana Reyer Venice (4-2) hosts Frutti Extra Bursaspor (4-2). This will be the third time they ever meet in the 7DAYS EuroCup; Bursaspor holds a 0-2 edge from a regular-season sweep last year. Reyer comes rolling in after a road win at Germani Brescia in an Italian derby, 60-80, led by Allerik Freeman's 22 points for its third straight victory. Bursaspor also succeeded at home last week, 95-80, against U-BT Cluj-Napoca led by Onuralp Bitim and his 26 points for its second straight win.
A winning streak will be snapped when Reyer, Bursaspor meet
Bursaspor has averaged 86.0 points per game, which is second-best in the EuroCup, and will be facing the second-best defense in the competition; Reyer has allowed a mere 73.2 points per game. Bursaspor has picked it up where it left off last season and is among the three best teams in the league in average PIR, points, offensive rebounds and three-point percentage. The hosts will have to rely on its momentum and the support of its crowd to try to defeat the runners-up from last season.
To do that, Reyer will look to its trio of scorers - Freeman (13.5 ppg.), Derek Willis (12.5 ppg.) and veteran Mitchell Watt (11.5 ppg.) - and try to put its vast experience on the court to good use. Bursaspor is relying on Bitim (18.6 ppg.), Derek Needham (15.0 ppg.) and Anthony Clemmons (13.3 ppg.) to lead the charge in Italy. One of these two teams will prolong its winning streak while the other will have to start over again when all is said and done in Venice.