EuroCup Betting Tips: Second Round Overview 2023-24
The second round of the EuroCup 2023-24 season kicked off last week, and now every game will have a much higher value, making Eurocup betting tips even more crucial for informed decisions. This means that not only will the teams try harder, but at the same time, there will be more value in the betting.
The teams have played ten matches each, which means there is already a large sample from which to take various statistics, look for trends, and thus increase the chances of winning.
Before the start of the season, the new EuroCup regular season format was introduced. The two groups remain ten teams, but the playoffs will be played with six teams instead of eight.
This has immediately increased the competition, as four teams will finish their European appearances after the regular season.
Group A Highlights:
- In great form, Paris Basketball is likely to secure one of the top two places in Group A, having suffered only one defeat in ten games. Consider checking our carefully selected best betting sites for an opportunity to bet on it.
- London Lions and Tel Aviv Hapoel are contenders for the second spot with eight wins and two losses each. Hapoel’s away win over the Lions could be crucial for the final standings.
- Istanbul Beşiktaş could add intrigue but needs a strong stretch, mostly playing away. Their last two games against Paris and Tel Aviv may determine the final group standings.
- Teams around sixth place need attention, as each round will be crucial for playoff contention.
Group B Highlights:
- Gran Canaria is poised for first place in Group B, with JL Bourg in second place but facing competition from U-BT Cluj-Napoca and ratiopharm.
- A fierce battle for playoff spots is anticipated, with teams around sixth place needing attention in every match.
- 7bet-Lietkabelis, Buducnost, and Dolomiti Energia, share 5th-7th places. Podgorica’s favorable schedule might secure them a playoff spot.
Playoff Contention:
- Teams around sixth place in Group A (Badalona Joventut, Prometey, Vilnius Wolves, Venezia Reyer) are in a tight battle for playoff spots.
- Group B has a more straightforward situation, with Podgorica expected to benefit from a favorable schedule.
- Teams’ performance at home in the first round could impact their playoff chances.
In Group A, Paris Basketball has lost once and can be considered the favorite, while in Group B, Gran Canaria has not lost once and is the only team to have won all ten matches.
Last season’s champions are currently on an 18-game winning streak, having finished last season with eight wins, and this year, they have already won ten in a row. The Spanish team is closing on the EuroCup record of 20 consecutive wins.
Lokomotiv Kuban and Virtus have had the same streak twice. To improve the record, the team must win three games against ratiopharm, Dolomiti Energia, and JL Bourg.
This is something to note, as these victories would give us a new record and bring Gran Canaria even closer to first place in the group and a direct qualification to the quarter-finals.
Table of content
The Battle For the First Two Places in the Group
Teams have different goals in the regular season – some teams want to make the playoffs, and others want to finish in the top two places to avoid the eighth round and qualify for the quarter-finals immediately.
Pre-season goals may change depending on how the first round goes. For example, last season’s runner-up, Ankara Turk Telekom, certainly had expectations of making the playoffs. Still, the Turks now have only two wins, and finishing in the top six will take a lot of work.
Group A
In Group A, Paris Basketball, which is in great form, should take one of the top two places. They have suffered only one defeat in ten games against Istanbul Beşiktaş. It should be noted that this team has played seven of its ten matches away and won all of them.
This means the team will have many more home games in the second round, which should significantly increase its chances of finishing in one the first places.
The second team should be the London Lions, who surprised everyone, even basketball bookmakers, or the solid Tel Aviv Hapoel. Both teams have eight wins and two losses. Hapoel won the away game, which could be essential to the final standings.
The win was by eight points, so the Lions will not only have to try to win but also try to win by a more significant margin in the return match.
As for Tel Aviv Hapoel, they have handled a tough start to the season well. The local championship was suspended and only started in the first week of December with a maximum of 1000 spectators.
In Europe, Hapoel played in Serbia without spectators, but this did not prevent them from winning all three matches. Due to the lack of home games, Hapoel has played many away games and, therefore, has many home games in the second round.
The team will play six games at home between 20 December and 24 January, which is perfect for finishing the regular season on a high note.
Istanbul Beşiktaş, who looks solid, can still add some intrigue in Group A, but they need to play a good stretch, and most of the games will be away.
So far, the team has won and lost twice on the road. Beşiktaş will play their last two regular-season games at home against Paris Basketball and Tel Aviv Hapoel. This could be the game that decides the final place in the group.
On the other hand, both teams may have already secured the first two places in the group.
Recently, we also reviewed the odds of NBA Rookie of the Year – take a look!
FAQ
🏀 What is EuroCup?
The EuroCup is a European professional basketball competition for clubs, serving as the secondary continental competition behind the EuroLeague. It features teams from across Europe competing in a structured tournament format to determine the champion.
🏀 What is EuroCup format?
The EuroCup format involves a regular season where teams are divided into groups, followed by a Top 16 stage. Afterward, the competition progresses through knockout rounds, including quarterfinals, semifinals, and a final, ultimately determining the EuroCup champion.
🏀 Where to watch EuroCup?
You could watch EuroCup on Euroleague.tv. For all available TV listings, you should check the official Euroleague website.
🏀 Who are the most recent EuroCup basketball winners?
The 2023 Finals saw Gran Canaria emerge as champions, defeating Turk Telekom and winning their first title.
🏀 Who is the favorite to win EuroCup 2023-24?
The favorite to win EuroCup 2023-24 is Gran Canaria, with 3.75 odds.
Group B
If you can still try to beat Paris Basketball in Group A, in Group B, the first place should go to Gran Canaria. The second-placed French team, JL Bourg, has two losses and is eight points behind Gran Canaria, meaning more than a simple home win might be needed.
However, the French have a good chance of finishing second in a group that looks much weaker than Group A.
JL Bourg are playing well at home so far, having won all five of their games, but with four home games left to play, they will need an away win to take second place. Two more teams, U-BT Cluj-Napoca and ratiopharm, are in contention for second place.
Both teams have seven wins and three losses. It will likely be between these three teams who will make it through to the eighth-finals.
The Battle For the EuroCup Playoffs
We’ve discussed the teams with the best chances of finishing in the top two spots in the group, but it will be a much more brutal battle between the teams trying to qualify for the playoffs.
The teams that fail to finish at least second and remain in third place will certainly not be as sad as the teams in seventh place and below because, for them, the season in Europe is over.
Therefore, the teams around sixth place need to be given more and more attention with every match, as each round will soon be like a final.
Group A
There is much more action in this group. Just as there is a fierce battle for first place, there is a fierce battle for a place in the playoffs. Three teams are expected to fight for the top three spots – Paris Basketball, London Lions, and Tel Aviv Hapoel.
Istanbul Beşiktaş is in a relatively safe fourth place, while the other four teams will fight for two playoff spots. In Group A, it is already possible to write off Ljubljana Olimpija, who has not won a single game in ten matches, and Hamburg Towers, who has just one win.
Badalona Joventut and Prometey share 5th – 6th place, with five wins and the same number of losses. In seventh place is Vilnius Wolves, who have four wins and five losses but have played one less game. In eighth place is Venezia Reyer, with four wins and six losses.
The Spanish team has the slightest chance of these four teams. The Venetian club has a poor away record, with only one win in four matches, including in Paris and then against Hapoel and Joventut. Three defeats in a row would almost take away any chance of thinking about the playoffs.
Badalona Joventut is looking relatively weak this season, with one of last season’s leaders losing three times at home and six times in total. This means there will be many away games in the second round against Wolves, Lions, Paris Basketball, and Prometey.
There are four games against potential playoffs teams – these defeats would complicate the odds considerably, and it would not be a surprise to see Joventut in seventh place.
The one to look out for is Wolves, who have the potential to surprise. The team, which is playing its first EuroCup season, welcomed Jeffery Taylor back to the court, and the league’s top scorer, Rasheed Sulaimon, should be back at the end of December.
However, the schedule could be more favorable for the Vilnius club, with the last five games on the road. All the opponents are at playoff level, so every win would be worth its weight in gold.
Group B
In Group B, the situation is more straightforward. Here, 7bet-Lietkabelis, Buducnost, and Dolomiti Energia have four wins and six losses but share the 5th-7th places.
Note that both Panevėžys and Podgorica have a very poor away record, with Panevėžys winning once in five games and Buducnost once in six games, and that win came in Panevėžys.
Podgorica will play a lot at home in the second round, where they have lost only once this season. Yogi Ferrell has joined the team, and with such a favorable schedule, we should see Buducnost in the top 6.
The Italian club has already played six times at home and won only twice. In the second round, there will be more away games against Gran Canaria, Turk Telekom, U-BT, and Aris. It would not be surprising if they did not win a single match. And thus reduce their chances of qualifying for the playoffs.
Panevėžys is in a pretty good situation. Although they will play twice at home, they are scheduled to play against Slask and U-BT, who have already secured a playoff spot. These two wins would bring us very close to the playoffs.
Other home games will be against ratiopharm and Gran Canaria. If the Spaniards are not easy, the Germans can be beaten. Panevėžys has been playing poorly away from home, so that a crucial match will be on 27 December against Dolomiti Energia.
This is the only game where you can take a point away from home because it will not be easy against JL Bourg and Turk Telekom.
First Round Trends
After the first round, we can distinguish between the teams playing well at home. Gran Canaria and JL Bourg have not lost once, while U-BT and ratiopharm have lost only once in five matches. Buducnost also suffered one defeat at home but played four times.
Paris Basketball and London Lions are also notable, with six and seven away losses in the first ten games, respectively. These clubs are worth keeping an eye on in the following rounds, as they are still in contention for the top spots in the group.
Three teams have more than 90 points – Basketball, Hapoel and Lions. Tel Aviv has played four home games this season, scoring 100, 98, 103, and 81.
The team will play six consecutive home games in the second round, so it would not be surprising to see the 100-point mark reached at least a few more times.
The offense is also hurricane-like on the road, but there will be few road games in the second round – only in the last two rounds when the value might be low.
Pay attention to the teams fighting for something as the second round starts. The last-placed teams may already focus more on the domestic championship, and with each round, there may be more and more teams with nothing to fight for.
Similarly, in the last rounds, check to see if teams have already secured a place – in these cases, it is expected to protect the leaders, making it harder to make EuroCup predictions.