Breakdown: Boulogne Metropolitans 92 vs. Umana Reyer Venice

After an impressive finishing run to claim Group A's third place, Boulogne Metropolitans 92 (11-5) will host Umana Reyer Venice (9-9), the sixth-placed team from Group B, in Paris next Wednesday.

Different offensive philosophies

There is a clear difference between how these teams think about offense. Despite very similar efficiency rates on two-point shots, Metropolitans attacks inside much more often than Reyer. Indeed Metropolitans' league-leading 45.4 two-point attempts and 24.6 made shots inside the arc per game are both the most by any EuroCup team in more than five years. Meanwhile, Reyer ranks third-to-last with averages of 18.4 shots made on 33.9 tries even though it edges Metropolitans slightly in two-point efficiency, 54.4% to 54.2%. The reverse is true in three-point shooting. Despite making triples at a rate of 36.3%, or 10th-best in the league, Metropolitans shooters attempt just 19.6 per game, fewer than all but one other team this season. Reyer, with a 16th-ranked 34.1% accuracy rate from deep, sends up 28.1 threes per game, fourth-most among all EuroCup teams and almost 10 more than Metropolitans.

Metropolitans' low-foul defense

While both teams ranked in the middle of the pack so far in points allowed to their opponents, Metropolitans fans can rest assured that their team is unlikely to give away crucial ones in a do-or-die game by fouling too much. The Game 1 hosts are the least likely team to foul in the EuroCup this season, and as a consequence, their opponents make a league-low 10.2 free throws per game. Its 16.4 fouls committed per game means that for a minimum of one quarter, Metropolitans' opponents do not get even one bonus free throw. For a team that conserves its fouls, however, it stands to reason that Metropolitans probably averages two or more quarters per game without giving opponents bonus free throws. In seven quarters this season, Metropolitans held their rivals to less than 15 points, and if they can do so again by not giving away extra points, they will be well-positioned to defend their home court.

Reyer's staying power

One of Reyer's strengths coming into the game is roster consistency, with Stefano Tonut, Andrea De Nicolao, Austin Daye, Michael Bramos, Bruno Cerella, Julyan Stone and Mitchell Watt all having served under head coach Walter De Raffaele for at least three of his almost six seasons with the club, including all of the club's last three EuroCup campaigns. That kind of togetherness is rare in elite basketball, and may help explain how Reyer rebounded from a catastrophic four losses in 14 days at the start of March by winning its final two regular-season games. The last of those, in which Reyer outplayed Group B winner Gran Canaria on the road, is something that Metropolitans cannot ignore. It both restored Reyer's road confidence and showed that a team of brothers had heard their wake-up call and reacted like true veterans to regain some winning momentum heading into the playoffs.

Leadership and experience

There is no doubt coming into Wednesday's game that Metropolitans will rely on its outside-inside combo of Will Cummings and Vince Hunter. That duo has eight of the team's 10 highest scoring games and PIRs this season, while Cumming accounts for seven top-10 assist nights and Hunter the best four rebounding performances of Metropolitans. Reyer is more of a mixed bag, with eight different players having come out as top scorer and six as the best in PIR for the team this season. Mitchell Watt and Jeff Brooks have shared top rebounding nights for Reyer, while Jordan Theodore and Stefano Tonu have done so in assists. One could argue that if Reyer stops Cummings or Hunter, it will have a better chance to win, while Metropolitans has more people to worry about. What is sure is that the only two former EuroCup champs on the floor, Cummings for Metropolitans and Brooks for Reyer, both know what it takes at this stage of the season. Expect them to try to lead by example on Wednesday.