Round 2 this week brings three showdowns between teams that came out victorious in the opening round. Among them are two former champions, who both go on tough road trips. There will be performances to repeat, milestones to reach and streaks to break. Here are a few things to look out for in Round 2 on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Wednesday night: Battles of unbeaten
This week offers three games between teams with a 1-0 record, and winners of those three Wednesday night games will take an early control in their respective groups’ standings. In Group A, newcomer JL Bourg en Bresse will put its offense to the test when it plays its first ever EuroCup home game as it welcomes former champion Joventut Badalona. In a high-profile clash in Group C, Virtus Segafredo Bologna will try to replicate last week’s historic defensive effort when it plays host to Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar. Round 2 will be wrapped up with a Group D contest as Herbalife Gran Canaria and Nanterre 92 will be battling to go 2-0. Meanwhile, each of those groups will have one clash between two winless squads, where one team is sure to drop to 0-2. In Group A it is UNICS Kazan welcoming Bahcesehir Koleji Istanbul, in Group C it will be Telenet Giants Antwerp against MoraBanc Andorra, while Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana and Frutti Extra Bursaspor will be fighting for their first win in Group D.
Virtus and Lokomotiv collide
The game between Virtus and perennial EuroCup contender Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar is a clash of two star-studded squads, and two teams that allowed the fewest points last week in their double-digit victories. Lokomotiv held Telenet Giants Antwerp to 72 points, while Virtus allowed just 61 points against Lietkabelis, keeping Lietkabelis to just 3 free throws in the process, marking the first time in EuroCup history that a team failed to score a basket in a quarter. Now, both teams will face a different type of challenge to repeat those defensive performances. Even if magician Milos Teodosic misses another game, Virtus still has one of the deepest backcourts in the competition with Josh Adams, Stefan Markovic and Kyle Weems. However, they will go against Lokomotiv’s experienced duo of Will Cummings and Jordan Crawford who combined for 38 points and 7 assists in season opener. Inside, Lokomotiv’s Alan Williams continued his dominance from last season, and he is complimented well by Stanislav Ilnitskiy, but Virtus has its own set of big bodies to battle them out with Julian Gamble, Vince Hunter, Amedeo Tessitori. This game has all the makings of must-see EuroLeague TV.
Bourg’s encore
One of the most impressive 7DAYS EuroCup debuts ever saw JL Bourg en Bresse blast fellow newcomer Bahcesehir Koleji Istanbul in Round 1. Bourg’s offense clicked from the get-go en route to scoring 99 points and knocking down 15 of 24 three-pointers – the highest marks of Round 1. The French team’s three-point shooters went 4-for-4 in the first quarter and 8-for-11 by halftime. After making their first 4 triples after halftime, they were at a remarkable 12-for-15 from long range as Bourg led 55-75. Credit their great movement and unselfishness in passing to open teammates who were merciless in sinking their good looks. Three different Bourg players made 4 three-pointers. Zachery Peacock hit all of his 4 out of 6 the first half. Danilo Andjusic caught fire in the third quarter, finishing 4 of 5. Maxime Courby made 3 in the fourth quarter to finish with a perfect 4-for-4. Bourg’s 62.5% three-point accuracy was the best in a EuroCup game since Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar made 17 of 27 against ratiopharm Ulm in January of 2019. Meanwhile, 99 points were the most by a road team in a season opener since BCM Gravelines had 101 in 2011. After shooting so well on the road, let’s see what Bourg has in store on its home floor, where former champion Joventut Badalona visits for a Round 2 Group A battle on Wednesday.
Marksmen collide
In Round 1 games, 14 players scored 20 or more points. There were also as many as 17 players who knocked down at least 4 three-pointers. It will be interesting to see which guys can keep up that pace, and some of those top scorers will go against each other this week. Jamar Smith had 25 points on 4-for-8 from downtown for UNICS while Errick Green netted 23 points – but without making a single triple – for Bahcesehir, and the two veteran guards now go against each other. In a matchup of hot-shooting wingers, Bursaspor’s Daniel Hamilton, who made 5-of-7 threes last week, will go against Edo Muric of Cedevita Olimpija who made 4 threes on 10 attempts in a Round 1 loss. Lietkabelis guard Kyle Vinales fired 21 field goal attempts last week, and hit 5-for-12 from long range, and he will be facing Monaco veteran guard Dee Bost who was 4-for-9 in last week’s win. Round 1 top scorer Ian Miller of Promitheas Patras, who had 27 points on 5-for-10 three-point shooting, will have his hands full on defense when he faces Trento’s guard Gary Browne, who had 17 points and 10 assists in the season opener.
Streaks and milestones
A visit to Germani Brescia on Wednesday will mark ratiopharm Ulm’s 100th game in the competition. This is the club’s eighth EuroCup campaign, having made its debut in the 2012-13 season and immediately made the quarterfinals. Ulm has 39 wins entering Round 2, and will become the 16th team in competition history to hit the century mark in appearances. Meanwhile, Joventut Badalona will try to put an end to a streak of nine consecutive road losses that dates back to March of 2010. Joventut lost the last road game of that 2009-10 season, then went on to register eight road losses last season. Now, Joventut visits Bourg, trying to avoid the streak to reach the double figures. Mornar Bar guard Jacob Pullen, who ranks first among active players in per-minute scoring average with 23.0 ppg., and second among active players in career-scoring with 12.6 per game, needs 22 points to reach 500 for his career. Pullen has played in 38 games in the competition so far, and has currently scored in double figures in 12 consecutive appearances. Two other veterans are closer to reaching that milestone. Former champ Mantas Kalnietis of Lokomotiv needs 11 points to reach 500, while Zach Wright, back in the competition for the first time since 2016, currently sits at 484 career points.
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