With the last of the qualifying ties now concluded, we know the shape-up of the group stages for the 2016/17 FIBA Basketball Champions League. This is a big year for the tournament as it tries to make a mark on European basketball and the standard of action and excitement in the qualifying rounds have been of the highest order.
If this is an indicator of the sort of basketball that will be served up when the group stages get underway, it is likely that basketball fans will have an excellent time engaging with this tournament.
Second Qualifying Round scores
While four teams emerged from the second qualifying round last week, there were a further four ties this week, which have now been concluded.
BC Tartu 137 – Bakken Bears 158
The two legged scores were 67 – 75 and 70 – 83
Tsmoki Minsk 133 – Ironi Nahriya 141
The two legged scores were 66 – 70 and 67 – 71
Lukoil Academic 123 – Oradea 142
The two legged scores were 75 – 72 and 58 – 70
Muratbey Usak Sportif 178 – U- BT Cluj-Napoca 156
The two legged scores were 93-90 and 85-66
This means the four qualifiers from this week’s games and the four qualifiers from last games are:
- Bakken Bears
- Ironi Nahariya
- Oradea
- Muratbey Usak Sportif
- Kataja
- Openjobmetis Varese
- Juventus
- KK Mornar
Group Stages
The group stages get underway on the 18th of October so there is a blank week for the FIBA Champions League coming up and then after that we will be immersed into the heart of the action.
Group A
- Banvit
- Fraport Skylines
- Aris
- CEZ Nymburk
- Helios Suns
- Monaco
- Bakken Bears
- Ironi Nahariya
Group C
- Asvel
- EWE Baskets Oldenburg
- PAOK
- Neptunas
- Rosa Radom
- Ventspils
- Openjobmetis Varese
- Muratbey Uşak Sportif
Group E
- AEK Athens
- Partizan NIS
- Stelmet Zielona Gora
- Beşiktaş Sompo Japan
- Banco di Sardegna Sassari
- MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg
- Proximus Spirou
- Szolnoki Olaj
Group B
- Pinar Karsiyaka
- Umana Reyer Venezia
- Avtodor Saratov
- Maccabi Rishon LeZion
- Khimik
- Le Mans Sarthe
- Kataja
- Oradea
Group D
- Strasbourg
- Sidigas Avelino
- Iberostar Tenerife
- Telenet Oostende
- Cibona
- Merga Leks
- Juventus
- Mornar
The five groups with 8 teams in each means that we have 40 teams battling it out in the group stages of the 2016/17 FIBA Champions League. 8 teams will go directly to the Round of 16 in the knockout stage of the tournament while 16 teams will go directly to the 1st Round of the knockout stage of the tournament.
With the schedules all taken care of, the FIBA Champions League for the 2016/17 season is all set to get started. This means that there will be plenty of basketball betting opportunities for European basketball fans over the next few months.
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