Both sides have goals of reaching the BKT EuroCup Playoffs.
London vs. Reyer preview: A battle in the Lions' den
Article
9 Mins read
Two of the most ambitious teams in the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup will come head-to-head at Copper Box Arena on Wednesday night, as the London Lions host Umana Reyer Venice. Never before have London and Reyer faced off, which makes this Group A fixture hard to call.
While London is entering its second EuroCup campaign, Reyer can lean on six years of experience at this level. Due to the format changes in the EuroCup this year, with just six teams making it to the playoffs from each group, getting wins on the board early could prove crucial. Therefore, both London and Reyer will be eager to do whatever it takes to get the victory in this matchup.
London: Stronger across the board
Last season saw London lean heavily on the play of star forward Sam Dekker, who was the EuroCup's leading scorer in the regular season in 2022-23 at 18.9 points per night. Dekker was also in contention to secure the EuroCup MVP award after guiding London to the playoffs at the first time of asking, but he is set to miss Round 1 of the 2023-24 season due to an injury.
Aware that it needed to lighten the load on Dekker, London picked up an elite-level scorer this summer in Matt Morgan, who was the French League's third leading scorer with 20.7 points per game last season. Morgan now gets his first shot at the EuroCup and, following some impressive domestic displays for the Lions, will be determined to put on a show in Round 1 against Reyer. Also, look out for fellow new additions Conor Morgan, Donte Grantham and Gabe Olaseni, all of whom should play big roles in this encounter.
London, now guided by first-year head coach Petar Bozic, finished 8-10 in last season's EuroCup, which was good enough for seventh spot in its group. Curiously, the team had a better record on its travels than at home, going 3-6 in London and 5-4 abroad, but two of those home defeats came at OVO Arena. If London is to reach the playoffs this season, turning Copper Box Arena into a fortress is a must, so that means getting off to a good start when Reyer comes to town.
Reyer: Making a statement on the road
After entering last season with lots of expectations, Reyer's campaign ended up being rather underwhelming. So much so that Walter De Raffaele was replaced by 2010 EuroCup champion Neven Spahija, who came in for the last four games of the regular season and the eighthfinals matchup with Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv, which Reyer lost.
Now, Coach Spahija has had a full summer to work with his players, and hopes are high about what Reyer could achieve in the 2023-24 EuroCup season. Guard Marco Spissu is expected to run the team's offense, while new arrivals Kyle Wiltjer, Aamir Simms and Rayjon Tucker should all have big roles to play on the road at London.
Unlike London, Reyer's big problem last season was playing on the road, as it went 3-6 on its travels – 3-7 including the playoffs – and 6-3 in Venice. It is therefore crucial that Coach Spahija's men rise to the task in the English capital. Should Reyer record an impressive road win, it should send a message to the rest of the EuroCup.