Stats review: How pushing the pace led Ulm to a key victory

ratiopharm Ulm is among the better teams at scoring in transition in the EuroCup and that skill paid off handsomely in Round 11.

Dreamland Gran Canaria’s 18-game BKT EuroCup winning streak came to an end on Tuesday as ratiopharm Ulm managed to crack the code that had eluded the rest of the league since last February. The formula for Ulm was anything but conventional by the standards of a EuroCup upset; it did not catch fire from beyond the arc, it did not dominate the offensive glass, and did not force an overwhelming number of live-ball turnovers. In some cases, the opposite was true, Gran Canaria outshot Ulm by a significant margin from the perimeter and finished +6 on the glass. The difference was ultimately Ulm's dedication to pushing the ball up the floor and looking for early offense in transition.

Transition points are hard to come by in the EuroCup, not because they do not represent good looks — transition chances have been converted for 1.16 points per possession this season compared to the 0.94 rate for possessions in half-court situations — but rather because opportunities to run are limited. Less than 13% of all possessions at this level come in transition. That number often declines in important games as defenses bend over backward to get back and prevent them. Defenses can even make that work consistently in the regular season. Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul has allowed a league-low 8.5 points in transition per game and held opponents to 6 or fewer points in transition on five occasions so far this season.

Getting separation on the offensive end is a bit more complicated as the teams that score the most in transition often do so more as a byproduct of their efficiency rather than the volume of chances they create. The top six teams in the EuroCup all use between 12 and 13 transition possessions per game as there’s a clear ceiling on what a team can accomplish consistently in the open floor. Paris Basketball stands out among that group scoring a league-best 1.39 points per possession, and as a result, a league-leading 18.3 transition points per game.

Against Gran Canaria, Ulm scored 26 points over 20 possessions in transition including 8 in overtime alone, which was well above its normal pace this season. Ulm was aggressive without forcing the issue and its diligence in looking to rapidly attack paid dividends deep into the waning minutes of the game. That much was also evident in all the different ways Ulm managed to score. Whether it was a true fast break off a steal, a good look off a defensive lapse, a layup rewarding a big man for running the floor, a chance off a long outlet, a timely step-through move from a trailer attacking a man-advantage, a three off a kickout, or a runout resulting from intensity running the wings, Ulm was intentional with the energy it put into changing ends.

Ulm’s hard-earned opportunism toppled the EuroCup’s last undefeated team. setting the stage for a fascinating playoff push in Group B that figures to include four teams potentially pushing Gran Canaria at the top of the standings.