News
Article
Round 2 at a glance: Rematches and a reunion

Round 2 at a glance: Rematches and a reunion

Article

4 Mins read

Round 2 at a glance: Rematches and a reunion

A chance to cheer in Bursa

A major 7DAYS EuroCup showdown will take place on Wednesday in Bursa, Turkey, where reigning runner-up Frutti Extra Bursaspor (1-0) hostst Joventut Badalona (1-0), the team with the best regular-season record last season. Derek Needham, David Dudzinski, Onuralp Bitim & Co. knocked off many favorites last season and then started this one with a resounding road win in Ljubljana.

What makes this a special occasion for head coach Dusan Alimpijevic and his men is that Tuesday will mark their first EuroCup game at home after playing five consecutive road games. In case it slipped your mind, Bursaspor made its magical playoff run last season by winning three road games, and then played in the EuroCup Finals on the road, too. This season, Bursaspor opened its campaign away from home again, and now finally its fans have a chance to greet their heroes.

Long time, no see

While Cluj will play its first home game, Cedevita Olimpija goes to play its first official basketball game on Romanian soil since 1968, when the team from the Slovenian capital played against Dinamo Bucharest. This will also be the first time ever that Cluj plays against a team from Slovenia.

And although there is no history between the two clubs, one person creates a significant connection between them. Cluj center Andrija Stipanovic spent three seasons with this week's opponent during which he was a heart and soul of this team. His first two seasons, from 2017 to 2019 were with Cedevita Zagreb where he was a team captain before that club merged with Olimpija Ljubljana, and he played another season there, too. He is set to see many familiar faces on the other side this week, in which will surely make for an even more emotional encounter for him.

Two more teams who meet for the first time after many years are Slask Wroclav (0-1) and Buducnost Voli Podgorica (0-1). Tuesday will mark their first game between two proud clubs in more than two decades. Meanwhile, ratiopharm Ulm (1-0) visits Lietkabelis Panevezys (0-1) play for the first time since the 2016-17 season, which was Ulm's only previous visit to Lithuania.

Newcomers watch

Apart from Bursaspor, three EuroCup newcomers will play their first respective home games, too. London Lions (0-1) will be in search of their first-ever EuroCup win against Dolomiti Energia Trento (0-1) on Tuesday. A day later Paris Basketball (1-0) will meet a fellow newcomer, Hapoel Tel Aviv (1-0), while the third newcomer to make a home debut is Cluj-Napoca (0-1) which will play its first home game against Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (0-1).

Speaking of newcomers, a team that impressed in its EuroCup debut last week was Prometey Slobozhanske (1-0). Behind a pair of DJs, Kennedy and Stephens, as well as Caleb Agada and Gian Clavell, they now go on the road to face an experienced Germani Brescia (0-1) squad.

The five new EuroCup teams have made a lot of noise in the opening round, and it will be interesting to see what they have in store in Round 2.

Déjà vu in Venice, Patras

Among three games this week that are repeat matchups from last season, none produced more drama than Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse's victory in Venice. Bourg won that night 78-81 on a buzzer-beating three-pointer by C.J. Harris, who is no longer with the team, but many of his former teammates are, including Hugo Benitez, Maxime Courby, Axel Julien, Alexandre Chassang and Pierre Pelos, who scored 13 points in that win. Both teams come into this clash following dramatic finishes last week, with Bourg edging Cluj while Umana Reyer Venice lost in Ulm.

Two other games feature teams that faced off last season. Veolia Towers Hamburg (1-0) hosts Turk Telekom Ankara (0-1 hoping for a repeat of last season's win on the same court, which that let Hamburg start 2-0. Also, Promitheas Patras (1-0) welcomes Gran Canaria (1-0). EuroCup veteran John Shurna had his best EuroCup game yet last season in Patras. He scored 17 points and pulled down a personal-best 11 rebounds for a career-high PIR of 26, earning the MVP of the Round distinction. Meanwhile, Promitehas enters this game behind the opening round MVP, forward Arnoldas Kulboka who shined last week with a double-double in his EuroCup debut.