The EuroCup will have a new format this season that rewards regular-season dominance and makes it tougher to reach the EuroCup Playoffs.
Starting this season, only six teams will advance to the playoffs, instead of eight. Moreover, the top two teams in each regular season group will receive first-round playoff byes, skipping the eighthfinals to be slotted directly into the quarterfinals.
The eighthfinals pairings will feature third- vs. sixth-place teams and fourth- vs. fifth-place teams from different regular season groups in single games hosted by the higher-placed teams. The winners of each game advance to visit the first- and second-place teams in do-or-die quarterfinals games.
The EuroCup Semifinals and Finals, which were also single games under the previous format, will now become best-of-three series starting on the court of the higher-placed team at the end of the regular season.
The format changes will bring more excitement to the regular season as the difference between finishing second and third is greater than before. At the tail end of the standings, four teams will now go home after the regular season, making for a tougher push just to reach the postseason.
Under the new format, the finalists could play as few as 23 games and as many as 26.
