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EuroCup 2016

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eurocupWith a crowded field in this years Euro Cup which kicks off on October 28, 2015 there are several teams who stand a chance to bring home the championship this season. Last season’s Euro Cup champions ESB Villeneuve-d’Ascq and runner up Royal Castors Braine have both moved on to the Euro League leaving the title up for grabs.

There are several heavy hitters participating in this years competition. The club with the most history having won four Euro League titles is Spartak Vidnoje. Rounding out Group A are Besiktas who recently signed WNBA champion, All-star and no stranger to Euro competition Cappie Pondexter, Adani Aski SC, and little known underdogs from the Slovak Republic Piestanske Cajky.

Group B‘s most notable team is three time Euro Cup champion Dynamo Moscow who won most recently in 2013 and 2014.  Also in Group B are TTT Riga who won the last spot in the competition by beating the Flying Foxes Vienna on aggregate in the qualifying round. The other two teams are Udominante Basket and Orduspor Sportif Faaliyetler AS. For both teams this is their second year in the competition.

Several Teams in Group C have little experience in european competition with two teams hailing from Russia. Newcomers from Turkey are  Edirne Belediyesi Edirnespor. With only one season under their belt in the euro cup Enisey Krasnoyarsk Territory looks to make an impact in this group.  Tsmoki Minsk hasn’t faired well in their past euro cup outings and BC Chevakata is probably one of the most experienced teams in euro cup competition having competed in eleven straight.

Two of the four teams in Group D are new to the competition; Lulea BBK and Energia Ivanovo. Istanbul Universitesi Spor Birligi Klubu are probably the favorites to win this group being that they have consistently played well in their previous outings in the competition. Rounding out the group is Dunav 8806 Ruse from Bulgaria who have yet to clock a win in their past two seasons competing in the euro cup.

Italy’s Umana Reyer is back on the euro cup scene after a five year hiatus. Group E also includes TSV 1880 Wasserburg from Germany,  Nantes Reze who has a revamped roster, and PINKK Pesci 424 who recorded a disappointing 1-5 record in the euro cup competition last season. This should be a very competitive group.

For Group F Basket Landes has the most experience having competed in the past five euro cup competitions. One of the top Hungarian clubs PEAC-Pecs looks to make their mark in this group. Newcomers BCF Elfic Fribourg and Basketball Nymburk will both be challenged but have very talented and experienced rosters.

Group G Following the withdrawal of two clubs from the euro cup competition FSA/Orange Blizzards were able to secure a spot in the regular season without having to play in the qualifier. This will be a challenge for them as they make their debut on the euro scene. Valosun KP BRNO hails from the Czech Republic, and Mapei Dike Napoli from Italy. Aluinvent DVTK Miskolc has some experience having competed for the past two seasons in the euro cup. However they didn’t show very well and ended with a record of 1-5.

 In Group H NI GYÖR has a lot of Europen experience having competed in both the euro league and euro cup for several seasons. However they didn’t fare well in the euro cup last season finishing with a 0-4 record. Union Feminine Angers Basket 49 hails from France and Sportiva Azores Airlines from Portugal. Having competed in last seasons euro cup Belfius Namur Capitale should know what to expect in order to make it out of group play.