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EuroLeague Round 6 December 4th-5th

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Group A:

All the games in this group were on Thursday.  Ekaterinburg bounced back with a decisive 86-47 win over Bourges.  TTT Riga fought hard after falling behind early, but could not find the magic again in a 69-61 loss to Nadezhda in Orenburg.  Celeste Trahan-Davis and Olesia Malashenko teamed up to lead Braine past Cukurova 90-59.  USK Praha kept Reyer in last place with a 77-50 win.

December 4, 2019

Ekaterinburg vs. Bourges 86-47 UMMC Meesseman 16 Quigley 14 Griner 12 Jones 9/13r Vadeeva 9/6r Belyakova 7 Vanderloot 6/7a Faulkner 2 Musina 2 BOUR Eldebrink 13/6r Coleman 8

Nadezhda vs. TTT Riga 69-61 NAD Razheva 16/7r Raincock-Ekunwe 14/8r Turner 10/6r Wheeler 10 Shilova 10 TTT Mabrey 19/6a Drammeh 17/7r Kreslina 8 Strautmane 7/7r Huff 6/7r

Braine vs. Cukurova 90-59 CAST Trahan-Davis 24/16r Malashenko 24 Handy 8 Wallace 6 CUKU Tuck 13/9r Akalan 11 Marginean 9 Rodriguez 8/8r Bentley 3

Reyer Venezia vs. USK Praha 50-77 VEN Petronyte 18/11r Anderson 13/8r Steinberga 6/9r Penna 4 Macchi 0 USK Jones 16/9r Vukosavljevic 15 Thomas 14/7r Vorackova 2

Standings:

  1. Ekaterinburg 5-1
  2. USK Praha 5-1
  3. Nadezhda 4-2
  4. Bourges 3-3
  5. Braine 3-3
  6. Cukurova 2-4
  7. TTT Riga 1-5
  8. Reyer Venezia 1-5

Group B:

Wednesday’s games started with a pair of teams who though that there places would be more secure by now as Dynamo Kursk took a step in the right direction with a 78-47 win over Sopron.  In Lattes, Sami Whitcomb helped the hosts withstand the combined efforts of Cecilia Zandalasini and Alina Iagupova to beat Fenerbahce 76-74.  Thursday started with Maryia Papova and Barbora Balintova leading Gdynia to an 87-71 win in Lyon.  Schio then beat Girona 58-55 as this group is still wide open as we approach the halfway point.

December 4, 2019

Dynamo Kursk vs. Sopron 78-47 DYNK Baric 15/8a Bonner 14 Kirillova 13 Breland 10/6r Prince 8 Xargay 5 Johnson 2/8r SOP Hatar 14/7r Crvendakic 14 January 0

Lattes Montpellier vs. Fenerbahce 76-74 BLMA Whitcomb 21 Mavunga 15/10r Williams 13 Tchatchouang 0 FENE Zandalasini 25 Iagupova 20/8r/6a Williams 8/7r Cakir 7 Cruz 5 Stokes 4 Canitez 2

December 5, 2019

Lyon vs. Arka Gdynia 71-87 LYON Johannes 18/6a Badiane 15 Plouffe 14/11r Allemand 12 GDY Papova 29 Balintova 22/9a Gulich 13/10r Allen 7/7r Greinacher 4 Kastanek 3

Schio vs. Girona 58-55 SCH Lisec 18/6r DeShields 12 Gruda 9 Harmon 7/10r UNI Elonu 14/8r Mendy 14 Sykes 6

Standings:

  1. Fenerbahce 4-2
  2. Lattes Montepellier 4-2
  3. Schio 4-2
  4. Dynamo Kursk 3-3
  5. Arka Gdynia 3-3
  6. Lyon 2-4
  7. Girona 2-4
  8. Sopron 2-4

EuroLeague Round 5 November 27th-28th

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Group A:

The two teams with the most history in the competition met in a full slate of Wednesday games having completely different situations.  TTT Riga brought in Marina Mabrey over the break and handed her an overseas debut as she and Binta Drammeh got the team their first win, an unthinkable 89-81 triumph over Ekaterinburg.  Cristina Ouvina led USK Praha past Yvonne Turner and Nadezhda.  Braine dominated the final quarter to beat Reyer Venezia 75-58.  Bourges beat Cukurova 92-62.

November 27, 2019

TTT Riga vs. Ekaterinburg 89-81 TTT Drammeh 25/6r Mabrey 24/8r Huff 13/6r Kreslina 10 Strautmane 0 UMMC Griner 19/9r Quigley 18 Vadeeva 13 Jones 12 Meesseman 11 Belyakova 5 Vandersloot 3/12a Musina 0 Faulkner 0

USK Praha vs. Nadezhda 87-63 USK Ouvina 21/10r/7a Jones 18/15r Thomas 12/9r/7a Oblak 11 Elhotova 10 Vukosavljevic 8 Vorackova 3 NAD Turner 20 Shilova 14 Razheva 10 Wheeler 8/6a/6s Raincock-Ekunwe 6

Reyer Venezia vs. Braine 58-75 VEN Steinberga 16/7r Petronyte 13/6r Anderson 12/8r Penna 3 Macchi 2 CAST Trahan-Davis 13/13r Wallace 13 Handy 11 Treffers 10

Bourges vs. Cukurova 92-62 BOUR Chartereau 19 Dabovic 15/9r Coleman 15 Rupert 10/7r Michel 10/7a Godin 10/6a CUKU Tuck 13 Guner 11/7r Marginean 9 Rodriguez 8 Bentley 7

Standings:

  1. Ekaterinburg 4-1
  2. USK Praha 4-1
  3. Bourges 3-2
  4. Nadezhda 3-2
  5. Braine 2-3
  6. Cukurova 2-3
  7. TTT Riga 1-4
  8. Reyer Venezia 1-4

Group B:

A busy Wednesday of games started with Fenerbahce jetting out of the gates on their way to a 58-43 win over Schio.  Stephanie Mavunga and Lattes Montpellier won their all-France battle with Lyon 80-73.  Brittney Sykes and Girona ended the day with a 79-61 win over Dynamo Kursk.  The lone Thursday game saw Marie Gulich and Gdynia escape Sopron with a 61-59 win as this group is still wide open.

November 27, 2019

Fenerbahce vs. Schio 58-43 FENE Iagupova 15/6r Williams 11/7r Cakir 9 Stokes 4/6r Zandalasini 4 Cruz 4 Canitez 3 SCH DeShields 15 Gruda 11/8r Harmon 0

Lattes Montpellier vs. Lyon 80-73 BLMA Mavunga 22/9r Bernies 18 Williams 13 Whitcomb 12/7r Tchatchouang 11 LYON Dos Santos 19/14r Johannes 17 Allemand 7/7a Plouffe 4

Girona vs. Dynamo Kursk 79-61 UNI Sykes 23 Coulibaly 13/11r Elonu 11 Andusic 10 DYNK Baric 14 Prince 11 Xargay 10 Bonner 9 Breland 2

November 28, 2019

Sopron vs. Arka Gdynia 59-61 SOP Crvendakic 14/6r Hatar 12/11r January 7 GDY Gulich 22 Allen 13 Kastanek 8/8a Greinacher 4

Standings:

  1. Fenerbahce 4-1
  2. Schio 3-2
  3. Lattes Montpellier 3-2
  4. Girona 2-3
  5. Lyon 2-3
  6. Arka Gdynia 2-3
  7. Sopron 2-3
  8. Dynamo Kursk 2-3

EuroLeague Round 4 November 6th-7th

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Group A:

A full Wednesday of games started in Orenburg as Anastasia Shilova and Yvonne Turner teamed up to lead Nadezhda past Reyer 78-51.  TTT Riga looked set to get their first win, but Cukurova came back to force overtime and win 60-55.  Bourges beat Braine 72-63.  The most anticipated game of the day was between the two last undefeated teams and USK Praha did test Ekaterinburg, but Brittney Griner helped the visitors prevail 74-67.

November 6, 2019

Nadezhda vs. Reyer Venezia 78-51 NAD Shilova 21 Turner 21 Wheeler 9/8a Raincock-Ekunwe 8/7r VEN Petronyte 13 Anderson 10/10r Steinberga 7/7r/7a Penna 7 Macchi 2 Ciabattoni 0

Cukurova vs. TTT Riga 60-55(OT) CUKU Rodriguez 15 Coffey 9/13r Marginean 2 TTT Kreslina 15 Drammeh 12/10r Huff 9/17r Strautmane 5/6r Harper 5

Braine vs. Bourges 63-72 CAST Trahan-Davis 17/9r Wallace 17 Ortiz 11/9r Handy 0 BOUR Coleman 19 Dabovic 16 Chartereau 12 Eldebrink 10

USK Praha vs. Ekaterinburg 67-74 USK Thomas 15/17r Elhotova 15 Oblak 13 Vulkosavljevic 11 Jones 4/7r UMMC Griner 25/9r Meesseman 16/10r Vadeeva 12/8r Quigley 8 Vandersloot 5/7a Faulkner 3 Belyakova 2 Musina 0

Standings:

  1. Ekaterinburg 4-0
  2. USK Praha 3-1
  3. Nadezhda 3-1
  4. Bourges 2-2
  5. Cukurova 2-2
  6. Braine 1-3
  7. Reyer Venezia 1-3
  8. TTT Riga 0-4

Group B:

Wednesday’s games started with two of the presumed favorites in the group playing as Alina Iagupova lifted Fenerbahce past Dynamo Kursk 73-54.  Sopron looked to be cruising early, but Lyon dominated down the stretch to win 62-59.  Schio ended the day with a 65-60 win over Lattes Montpellier.  On Thursday, Rebecca Allen helped Gdynia pick up their first win 71-69 over Adaora Elonu and Girona.

November 6, 2019

Dynamo Kursk vs. Fenerbahce 54-73 DYNK Bonner 17/6r Shabanova 11/6r Baric 9/8r Prince 4 Xargay 2 FENE Iagupova 28/8a/6s Williams 19/12r Cakir 9/6r Cruz 8 Zandalasini 5 Stokes 2/6r Canitez 2

Lyon vs. Sopron 62-59 LYON Tanqueray 16/7r Plouffe 14 Johannes 13 Dos Santos 7 SOP Crvendakic 18/8r/7a Brooks 13/7r Hatar 11

Schio vs. Lattes Montpellier 65-60 SCH DeShields 14/8r Harmon 13/12r Gruda 11 BLMA Williams 13/6r Bernies 13 Mavunga 12/14r Tchatchouang 7 Whitcomb

November 7, 2019

Arka Gdynia vs. Girona 71-69 GDY Allen 23 Balintova 16 Kastanek 12 Gulic 6/9r Greinacher 6/6r UNI Elonu 20 Mendy 14 Coulibaly 12/7r Sykes 6

Standings:

  1. Fenerbahce 3-1
  2. Schio 3-1
  3. Sopron 2-2
  4. Dynamo Kursk 2-2
  5. Lattes Montpellier 2-2
  6. Lyon 2-2
  7. Arka Gdynia 1-3
  8. Girona 1-3

EuroLeague Round 3 October 30th-31st

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Group A:

On Wednesday, a battle of winless teams in Riga went to Bourges 70-55.  USK Praha was incredible dominant in preserving a palindrome with an 82-28 win over Cukurova.  Reyer battled Ekaterinburg, but the duo of Brittney Griner and Maria Vadeeva continued to be too tough in an 86-61 win.  The lone Thursday game went to Yvonne Turner and Nadezhda 62-55 over Braine.

October 30, 2019

TTT Riga vs. Bourges 55-70 TTT Kreslina 17 Huff 11/12r Drammeh 10/7r/7a Strautmane 5/6r Harper 3 BOUR Chartereau 17/17r Dabovic 14 Eldebrink 10 Coleman 8/6r Yacoubou 6

USK Praha vs. Cukurova 82-28 USK Thomas 19/12r/6a Rezan 18/10r Vukosavljevic 11 Jones 10/9r CUKU Guner 6 Rodriguez 4 Coffey 2/7r

Reyer Venezia vs. Ekaterinburg 61-86 VEN Steinberga 19 Penna 11 Anderson 9/7a Macchi 3 Ciabattoni 0 UMMC Griner 22 Vadeeva 21/9r Meesseman 13/10r Belyakova 9 Faulkner 9 Quigley 7/6r/6a Vandersloot 5/7a Musina 0

October 31, 2019

Nadezhda vs. Braine 62-55 NAD Turner 20 Shilova 10 Wheeler 6/6a Raincock-Ekunwe 4/6r CAST Wallace 18 Trahan-Davis 10/10r Handy 0

Standings:

  1. USK Praha 3-0
  2. Ekaterinburg 3-0
  3. Nadezhda 2-1
  4. Reyer Venezia 1-2
  5. Cukurova 1-2
  6. Bourges 1-2
  7. Braine 1-2
  8. TTT Riga 0-3

Group B:

Wednesday’s games started with Alina Iagupova and Cecilia Zandalasini teaming up to lead Fenerbahce past Gdynia 68-48.  Stephanie Mavunga and Gabby Williams helped Lattes Montpellier hand Dynamo Kursk their first loss 76-64.  On Thursday, no teams remained undefeated after Girona picked up their first win by knocking off Sopron 64-58.

October 30, 2019

Fenerbahce vs. Arka Gdynia 68-48 FENE Iagupova 24/10r Zandalasini 20 Williams 10/6r Canitez 6/10r Cakir 4 Cruz 2 GDY Allen 14/6r Papova 11/6r Gulich 10/6r Kastanek 6 Greinacher 2 Grymek 0

Lattes Montpellier vs. Dynamo Kursk 76-64 BLMA Mavunga 25/19r Williams 25/6r Whitcomb 13/6r Tchatchouang 4 DYNK Vidmer 18/8r Prince 16 Bonner 15/6r Xargay 3 Baric 1

October 31, 2019

Girona vs. Sopron 64-58 UNI Mendy 16/6r Sykes 11/7r Elonu 11 Buch 11 SOP Crvendakic 19 Jovanovic 16/6r Brooks 10 January 6

Schio vs. Lyon 69-59 SCH Gruda 20 DeShields 14 Harmon 13/10r Lisec 12 LYON Plouffe 16 Dos Santos 12/10r Turcinovic 10 Allemand 8 Johannes 1

Standings:

  1. Sopron 2-1
  2. Lattes Montpellier 2-1
  3. Dynamo Kursk 2-1
  4. Fenerbahce 2-1
  5. Schio 2-1
  6. Lyon 1-2
  7. Girona 1-2
  8. Arka Gdynia 0-3

EuroLeague Round 1 October 16th-17th

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Group A:

A new season started on Wednesday.  TTT Riga is not likely to sneak up on anyone this season after their run in the last campaign and they had major roster changes, but started well against a USK Praha team that knew that they would have to play at full strength to leave with the 73-66 win, suiting up Alyssa Thomas and Brionna Jones less than a week after they were in the WNBA Finals.  Reyer barely made it through the qualifiers, but hit the ground running with a 73-63 win over Bourges.  Braine had the tough task of hosting Ekaterinburg, but did keep the scoreline respectable in an 87-79 loss as the post duo of Maria Vadeeva and Brittney Griner led the visitors.  The lone Thursday game saw Nadezhda beat Cukurova 69-53 as they look to stay in the competition longer this season.

October 16, 2019

TTT Riga vs. USK Praha 66-73 TTT Drammeh 13 Harper 12 Strautmane 12 Pilabere 11/6r Huff 10/7r Kreslina 6 USK Thomas 17/8r/6s Vukosavljevic 17 Jones 12

Reyer Venezia vs. Bourges 73-63 VEN Macchi 14 Penna 14 Steinberga 11/7r/6a Gorini 10 Anderson 4/7r Ciabattoni 0 BOU Coleman 16/7r Yacoubou 14 Chartereau 11/6r Dabovic 10

Braine vs. Ekaterinburg 79-87 BRA Malashenko 15 Wallace 12 Trahan-Davis 10/11r Ortiz 10 Handy 6 EKA Vadeeva 22/10r Griner 20/8r Quigley 18 Belyakova 8/6r Faulkner 7 Musina 5 Vandersloot 5/6s

October 17, 2019

Cukurova vs. Nadezhda 53-69 CUK Coffey 13/14r Rodriguez 13/6r Avci 11 Marginean 8/6r NAD Raincock-Ekunwe 15/17r Wheeler 13 Turner 11

Group B:

This group’s first game on Wednesday was an excellent test for both teams as Dynamo Kursk hosted ambitious Lyon, winning 79-64 to show that their pedigree should be respected even with roster changes.  Fenerbahce made drastic changes in the offseason and started with a 86-82 win at home behind Alina Iagupova and Cecilia Zandalasini over Magali Mendy and Girona.  Lattes Montpellier wanted to show that they are making a return to their glory days, but lost 66-53 to Sopron at home.  The round ended on Thursday with a close game that almost saw Gdynia escape with a win only for Schio to bear down at the end and win 51-47.

October 16, 2019

Dynamo Kursk vs. Lyon 79-64 DYK Zhedik 19 Bonner 18/7r Prince 13 Baric 12/6a Xargay 0 LYO Ciak 14/7r Johannes 12/8a Plouffe 11 Dos Santos 8/6r Allemand 0/6r

Fenerbahce vs. Girona 86-82 FEN Iagupova 22/8a Zandalasini 21 Cruz 13 Williams 10/6r Stokes 9/6r Canitez 5/6r Cakir 2 GIR Mendy 24 Coulibaly 16 Palau 14/7a Sykes 10 Elonu 8

Lattes Montpellier vs. Sopron 53-66 LMA Williams 19 Whitcomb 12 Mavunga 4/10r Tchatchouang 3 SOP Brooks 16/10r Crvendakic 16 Hatar 14 January 5

October 17, 2019

Schio vs. Arka Gdynia 51-47 SCH Gruda 16/7r Lisec 10/10r Harmon 4 DeShields 3/6r GDY Slamova 17/6r Allen 15 Gulich 6/8r Greinacher 2 Kastanek 0

SuperCup October 10th

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October 10, 2019

The game matching the EuroLeague and EuroCup winners took place on Thursday as both competitions went to Russian teams this year.  Ekaterinburg hosted Nadezhda and both teams were chasing a trophy and a chance to establish their reputations ahead of meeting on multiple fronts this season.  The game was close in the first half, but the hosts pulled away in the second half for an 87-67 win led by Brittney Griner as Erica Wheeler paced the visitors.

Ekaterinburg vs. Nadezhda Orenburg 87-67 EKA Griner 28/11r Belyakova 17 Vadeeva 13 Quigley 13 Musina 9/6r Vandersloot 5/6r/10a Faulkner 0 NAD Wheeler 20/9a Razheva 10 Turner 10 Raincock-Ekunwe 9

EuroLeague Qualifiers Game 2 October 2nd

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October 2, 2019

All the series concluded on Wednesday.  Gdynia had done the hard work on the road, but went ahead and won this game outright 84-75 behind Maryia Papova, pushing the margin to 172-147 and allowing Joanna Grymek to make her professional debut back in her home country.  Kelsey Mitchell and Shey Peddy were both firing for Botas, but it was not enough.  Reyer quickly eliminated the deficit in Italy, but Cyesha Goree and DVTK kept it at around the right margin so their regulation loss left the aggregate score tied at 146.  The hosts did just enough in overtime and Jolene Anderson had a triple-double to get them an 81-68 win and the 156-153 final margin.  Lattes Montpellier looked like they were going to quickly put away their series, but Jessica Thomas helped Olympiacos keep it reasonable before Stephanie Mavunga and the hosts pulled away again for an 86-67 win and the 152-130 overall score.  Reyer Venezia slots into Group A while the other two teams join Group B.

Arka Gdynia vs. Botas 84-75 GDYN Papova 27r Allen 14 Rembiszewska 12 Balintova 10/13a Kastanek 8 Greinacher 6/11r Grymek 0 BOTA Mitchell 23 Peddy 22 Fagbenle 17/8r Hollingsworth 2

Arka Gdynia advances 172-147

Reyer Venezia vs. DVTK 81-68(OT) VEN Steinberga 16 Bestagno 14 Macchi 11 Anderson 10/12r/10a Penna 6 Ciabattoni 3 DVTK Goree 23/12r Morrison 15/12r Zele 11

Reyer Venezia advances 156-153

Lattes Montpellier vs. Olympiacos 86-67 BLMA Mavunga 23/13r Whitcomb 19 Duchet 13 Williams 6 Tchatchouang 3 OLY Thomas 24 Graves 16/8r Gemelos 12 Pavlopoulou 4 Stamolamprou 0

Lattes Montpellier advances 152-130

EuroLeague Qualifiers Game 1 September 25th

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September 25, 2019

All three series started on Wednesday with the return games set for next week.  Gdynia was absolutely impressive, going to Turkey and using an early lead to beat Kelsey Mitchell and Botas 88-72 to bring home a big lead.  Olympiacos started well at home, but Stephanie Mavunga and Lattes Montpellier settled into proceedings and left with a 66-63 win and something to build on in France.  DVTK started well at home in Miskolc behind Ziomarra Morrison, winning 85-75.  Anete Steinberga helped Reyer keep it close for the next game in Italy as the visitors got a boost with Elisa Penna returning to Europe to start her professional career.

Botas vs. Arka Gdynia 72-88 BOTA Mitchell 24 Hollingsworth 15/12r Fagbenle 15 Peddy 6 GDYN Greinacher 17/10r Slamova 15 Balintova 14/7a Kastanek 14 Papova 13/16r

Olympiacos vs. BLMA 63-66 OLY Thomas 16/9r Graves 14/7r Gemelos 11 Sotiriou 11 Pavlopoulou 0 Stamolamprou 0 BLMA Mavunga 26/11r Williams 13/7r Whitcomb 10 Tchatchouang 9

DVTK vs. Reyer Venezia 85-75 DVTK Morrison 28/10r Goree 17/16r VEN Steinberga 22 Anderson 13 Bestagno 10 Macchi 10 Penna 9 Ciabattoni 4

2019-20 EuroLeague and EuroCup Draws

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Both draws were conducted on Tuesday:

Video

EuroLeague:

Draw

One set of qualifiers was already determined with Botas playing Arka Gdynia and the other two were drawn with Lattes Montpellier playing Olympiacos and Reyer Venezia playing DVTK.  After that, both groups were drawn.

A: Braine (Belgium), USK Praha (Czech Republic), Cukurova (Turkey), winner Reyer Venezia (Italy) vs. DVTK (Hungary), Bourges (France), Nadezhda Orenburg (Russia), TTT Riga (Latvia), Ekaterinburg (Russia)
B: Lyon (France), Fenerbahce (Turkey), winner Botas (Turkey) vs. Arka Gdynia (Poland), winner Lattes Montpellier (France) vs. Olympiacos (Greece), Sopron (Hungary), Schio (Italy), Girona (Spain), Dynamo Kursk (Russia)

Ekaterinburg looks likely to avoid too many difficult challenges early in Group A play, but there will be plenty of interest competing for the other places with USK Praha looking to return to the final stage.  TTT Riga is less likely to sneak up on anyone this year and Nadezhda will be looking to stay in this competition rather than fighting for other trophies.  Bourges had to battle their way back into this competition and should be tough when the season rolls around while roster strength will be the key factor for Cukurova and Braine as a qualifying round winner will complete the group.

The final strength of the group may rest on the qualifying round winners, but Group B looks to have a lot of teams with realistic playoff aspirations, especially with significant roster turnover for the big name teams.  Dynamo Kursk and Sopron will certainly feel like they should go back to final four, but Fenerbahce has gone with more drastic changes to get back to that level.  Lyon is ambitious and Girona will be trying to carry some of the momentum from their domestic triumph while Schio may be flying under the radar now, but will be worth watching when the games begin.

EuroCup:

Draw

East Conference:

A: Gorzow (Poland), loser Botas (Turkey) vs. Arka Gdynia (Poland), Elitzur Ramla (Israel), KP Brno (Czech Republic)
B: Spartak Moscow (Russia), MBA Moscow (Russia), Prishtina (Kosovo), Besiktas (Turkey)
C: Umea (Sweden), Polkowice (Poland), winner Kayseri (Turkey) vs. Spartak Noginsk (Russia), Orman (Turkey)
D: Enisey Krasnoyarsk (Russia), Hatay (Turkey), Tsmoki-Minsk (Belarus), Ruzomberok (Slovakia)
E: Bydgoszcz (Poland), Galatasaray (Turkey), Lulea (Sweden), Sepsi (Romania)

The story of the draw is the large number of Turkish teams possible here after they were spread out among the groups.  The EuroLeague qualifier will drop into Group A, which could be a wide open affair as Elitzur Ramla brings Israeli representation back to the competition.  Prishtina is happy to be a part of proceedings, but unless they can pull out big name signings, they will definitely struggle in Group B, which features the Moscow teams and a tough Besiktas club.  The lone qualifying matchup will send its winner to Group C, where all eyes will be on Polkowice to see how they compare to last year’s team.  Teams in Group D should be ready for extra long trips around the continent as Tsmoki and Ruzomberok will be looking to surprise Enisey or Hatay.  Galatasaray figures to start as the favorites in Group E, but the other teams will have a chance to make their case.

West Conference:

F: Avenida (Spain), Gyor (Hungary), Olivais (Portugal), Gernika (Spain)
G: loser Lattes Montpellier (France) vs. Olympiakos (Greece), Cegled (Hungary), Valencia (Spain), Namur (Belgium)
H: loser Reyer Venezia (Italy) vs. DVTK (Hungary), Landes (France), Sedis (Spain), PEAC (Hungary)
I: Szekszard (Hungary), Keltern (Germany), Herner (Germany), Sint-Katelijne-Waver (Belgium)
J: Carolo (France), Fribourg (Switzerland), Roche (France), Liege (Belgium)

Teams in Group F will be wary of the threat of newcomers Olivais, but Gyor will be focused on breaking in to the battle of Spain between Avenida and Gernika.  In Group G, Valencia is in a strong position to advance its ambitions even with a EuroLeague qualifier dropping down into the group.  Group H is a bit more open for now unless one of the teams makes a key signing to give them the advantage.  The German teams were both drawn into Group I, where Szekszard will start as the favorite, but both will think that they can advance.  France is the story in Group J where Roche will be looking for a strong start against a team with more experience in this format like Fribourg.  Carolo figures to be the overwhelming favorite and it remains to be seen whether Liege and the other Belgian teams will be fielding young teams or if they can bolster their roster with more known players.