EuroCup: Last 16 set, play begins Jan. 9

Heading into Week 6 of the 2012-13 EuroCup competition half of the Last 16 were yet to be determined, setting up a wild finish to the regular season with head-to-head games that would determine advancement, teams needing to beat point spreads and teams needing help from others. After it was all said and done, eight new names joined the Last 16 party: BC Budivelnik Kiev, CEZ Nymburk, KK Buducnost VOLI, VEF Riga, Banvit BK Bandirma, PBC Lokomotiv Kuban, Ratiopharm Ulm, and Cajasol Seville.

Group A
BC Budivelnik Kiev had already qualified and their 73:84 win over BC Prienai gave them the group title. Hapoel Migdal Jerusalem beat CEZ Nymburk by eight points, which didn’t cover the 17 point tie breaker spread that Nymburk had coming in, so Nymburk finishes the regular season in second and earns a trip to the Last 16.

Group B
Bilbao Basket downed Belgacom Spirou Charleroi, 85:84, to wrap up a perfect 6-0 regular season. In the deciding match for the second spot coming out of Group B, KK Buducnost VOLI defeated Lukoil Academic Sofia, 74:55, sending Buducnost into the Last 16.

Group C
BC Triumph Lyubertsy also finished off their last opponent of the regular season, the Artland Dragons, to end with a 6-0 record. The Dragons took the group champs into an extra frame and came up a point short to finish the season at 1-5. In the battle for spot two in the group, VEF Riga stopped Le Mans Sarthe Basket, 67:69 to earn their ticket.

Group D
Valencia Basket was already in, but they finished the regular season on a high note by defeating Azovmash Mariupol 93:68 to finish 5-1 on the regular season. The second spot came down to a winner-take-all match between Banvit BK Bandirma and s.Oliver Baskets, a match won by Banvit, 62:81, on the road. Banvit joins Valencia in the Last 16 from Group D.

Group E
Galatasaray Medical Park was already qualified for the Last 16, but their loss to BC Donetsk, 88:81, in overtime, cost Galatasary the group title. PBC Lokomotiv Kuban’s road win over Trefl Sopot, 70:87, gave Kuban their spot in the Last 16, but it also earned them the group title.

Group F
Group F was already set prior to Week 6 with Unics Kazan and Stelmet Zielona Gora heading to the Last 16. Panionios BC Athens downed Stelmet, 84:87, to give them a 3-3 record and second place in the group, and Telenet Oostende fell to group leader Unics Kazan (5-1), 67:74.

Group G
Spartak St. Petersburg had previously qualified and won on the road at Cholet, 68:76, this week. The win was certainly significant in that it knocked Cholet out of the last 16 and helped Ratiopharm advance to the Last 16 with an 81:86 win over winless Cibona. The loss extends Cibona’s International Cup Competition losing streak to 22 games.

Group H
KK Crvena Zvezda was 5-0 in EuroCup 2012-13 regular season play and had won 11 straight International Cup Competitions coming into Week 6. To wrap up the season they had a home contest against Cajasol Seville, who was currently in second in the group. Unfortunately for Crvena, Cajasol needed the game and came out swinging, putting a 13-point margin on the contest after the first quarter. Crvena won all three quarters after the first, but it wasn’t enough and their 11 game winning streak was over. Orleans and Sassari squared off in the other contest, with Orleans coming out on top of a 71:95 score.

Group A

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Group B

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Group C

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Group D

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Group E

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Group F

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Group G

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Group H

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