Two long-time EuroCup stalwarts who have seen each other before at this stage open the eighthfinals on Tuesday.
Eighthfinals predictions: ratiopharm Ulm vs. Joventut Badalona
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It's do-or-die time under the new format in the BKT EuroCup. The postseason's first round, the eighthfinals, is a win-or-go-home affair, carrying all the drama and pressure that suggests. With that in mind, the EuroCupbasketball.com editors who have been following the regular season round-by-round until now are ready to put their expertise on the line now by weighing in on which team they believe will win each elimination game. Check out their choices for Tuesday's first eighthfinal matchup, ratiopharm Ulm vs. Joventut Badalona.
Joventut's extra experience will prevail
by Frank Lawlor
Analyzing stats between teams that played the season until now in different groups is always tricky, and anyway Ulm and Joventut have counter-balancing strengths that end up with them being very close in the global ones, scoring and PIR. Likewise, they have identical 10-8 records evenly split at 5-4 both home and away. What Joventut has that Ulm lacks is more widely experienced players at most positions, led by veterans Pau Ribas and Ante Tomic. Ulm's younger side might feel less pressure in a do-or-die game, but Joventut's deeper and more seasoned backcourt will make the difference, for me, in a close game where in-the-moment decisions down the stretch will be vital. Not forgetting that Ulm upset Joventut at this stage two years ago, I sense a moment for revenge. My pick: Joventut
The kids are alright
by Frankie Sachs
In a game that on paper shows two teams with nearly equal chances, I think that Ulm enjoys several key advantages. One, it plays at home, and this should not be overlooked. Even if Ulm was only 5-4 at home this season and Joventut 5-4 on the road, playing a playoff game at home should always be an advantage. Two, Ulm has the best player in the game. For my money, Trevion Williams is the best and most important player in this game. Numbers aside (and he is second in the EuroCup in PIR this season), Williams is big, strong and versatile. He can score in the paint and from behind the arc, can torch defenses with his passing, and is an elite rebounder. Having the best player in a single-elimination game can make a world of difference. Three, the future. Many great players did great things when they were still young. Ulm is full of rising stars and Juan Nunez headlines the list. He won't have it easy against the likes of Andres Feliz and Shannon Evans, but I trust in Nunez. My pick: Ulm
Joventut is ready to avenge its Ulm nightmare
by Geoff Gillingham
Two seasons ago, Joventut met Ulm in the eighthfinals in the 1-8 matchup and it was widely assumed that the Spanish side would make it through with relative ease. Well, Ulm's players had other ideas and stunned Joventut on its home floor, where it had been unbeaten all season long. That nightmare is still remembered by Joventut fans to this day. As fate would have it, Joventut and Ulm have been paired together in the eighthfinals this season, but this time Ulm will play the role of host. Although there are several Ulm players that I expect to show up, with Trevion Williams and Juan Nunez at the top of the list, I think the Andres Feliz-led Joventut simply have too many weapons and too much know-how. Feliz has established himself as a EuroCup MVP candidate with his play this year, but he's also supported by the experience of Ante Tomic and Pau Ribas and the electric backcourt play of Andrew Andrews and Shannon Evans. Add in Tyler Cook, Vladimir Brodziansky, Pep Busquets, as well as youngsters Yannick Kraag and Michael Ruzic, and it makes for quite the squad. Joventut is my candidate to go all the way this year and I think it simply has too much quality for Ulm to handle. My pick: Joventut.
Joventut's weapons too much for Ulm
by Igor Petrinovic
The matchup between Ulm and Joventut is intriguing on many levels, these two clubs having already met in the eighthfinals two seasons ago, when Ulm shocked Joventut in Badalona. Both teams have finished the regular season with a 10-8 record, with 5 wins each at home and on the road. Ulm is one of the youngest and Joventut one of the most veteran teams in the competition. Also, neither entered the playoffs quite like it wanted. Down the stretch of the regular season, Ulm has lost five of its last seven games, including the last three at home. Joventut lost in the last three regular season rounds, but its losing streak came after a seven-game winning streak. I think Ulm will have hard time with turnovers, which it commits at a EuroCup-high rate of 15.7 per game. Meanwhile, combination of Andres Feliz, Shannon Evans and Andrew Andrews on the perimeter, and Ante Tomic and Tyler Cook inside will be too much for Ulm's often-porous defense. My pick: Joventut.