EuroCup: Top 16 Round 2 recap

The Top 16 is now 2 rounds old after Wednesday’s actions. Each group has at least one unbeaten club, while some teams are still waiting to get off the mark. Looking at the quality through competition, this is arguably the most compelling EuroCup competition to date. Looking at some of the clubs, it is easy to see how around eight of them have a solid claim on the title.

That means the following months will be unmissable.

Group E

Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar proved too strong for Murcia at home, claiming a 70-60 win to stay unbeaten in the Top 16 and top the group at 2-0. Murcia stays second with a 1-1 record. Lokomotiv is playing three Spanish teams in the group but clearly likes the company. The hosts came back from a 27-29 loss at halftime to turn the momentum with a 24-8 third and never look back.

Herbalife Gran Canaria has been one of the best teams this season, but is finding the Top 16 a hassle. In an all-Spanish clash, the club lost 85-75 to Fuenlabrada and is now without a win at 0-2, while the winning hosts are at 1-1. A high scoring first half saw Fuenlabrada lead 31-29, and the hosts managed to maintain the high scoring throughout as Gran Canaria wilted in the second half.

Group F

Lietkabelis Panevezys opened its EuroCup Top 16 account with a narrow 86-84 home win over Ratiopharm Ulm. The win leaves winners at 1-1, while Ratiopharm Ulm is winless on 0-2. Mindaugas Lukauskis paced the win with 21 points. The visitors had a four points cushion through thirty minutes, but in the final quarter Panevezys drained 26 points to snatch the contest in the closing seconds.

In a contest between two of the EuroCup favorites, Bayern Munich sent a message with a huge 90-74 win over Khimki Moscow Region in Germany. The Russian guests were in charge with a 38-41 lead at the long break, but Bayern turned it on in the second half. A 31 point third act pushed the hosts on to 52 points in the second half, which was too much for Khimki to manage. Bayern is now on 2-0, while Khimki is on 1-1.

Group G

Hapoel Jerusalem also sent a major message with a cruising 98-76 home win over Nizhny Novgorod. The Israeli club is flying on the continent and looks like being among the favorites for the season. After conceding the first act 17-23, Jerusalem poured in 81 points over the rest of the game to simply blow Novgorod away. The win leave Hapoel unblemished on 2-0, while Nizhny is at 1-1.

Zenit St. Petersburg eased past Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius 88-79 at home to record its first win for a 1-1 record, while Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius is hunting its first Top 16 win (0-2). The hosts were awesome in a 27-16 first act, but Vilnius got back into it at halftime (43-40). Zenit went again in the third quarter and this time kept the momentum for good and cruised down the straight.

Group H

The Spanish Clubs showed the gulf in class in Group H. Valencia Basket took out ALBA Berlin 85-80, while Unicaja Malaga crushed Cedevita Zagreb 73-59, which left both clubs on 2-0 records, while the losers are winless. The interesting game in Group H comes next week when Valencia and Malaga clash.