FIBA Basketball

Power Rankings: Who are the movers and shakers in our last lineup of 2018?

MUNICH (EuroLeague Women) - As we close the door on the calendar year, who is moving up and down in our EuroLeague Women Power Rankings as we get ready to push the pause button for the winter break?

Here is the lineup heading into Week 7:

RANK	CLUB	MOVE
1			UMMC Ekaterinburg - It looks like the reigning EuroLeague Women champions will sign off 2018 on a high as they will be huge favorites to move to 7-0 with struggling Castors Braine in town this week. They had to work hard to see off Schio, but Brittney Griner put her team on her back, along with a nice cameo from Alba Torrens. Traditionally, Ekat come alive in the second part of the season and that is a quite scary thought.
2			Dynamo Kursk - Dynamo Kursk won yet another tight game when they pipped Avenida last week. It meant head coach Lucas Mondelo is now a staggering 42-1 in EuroLeague Women with the club. While they have had to dodge several bullets, the positive is that this feels like a work in progress and like UMMC, there is more to come. This week should be another win against Hatay - it would be an upset if they lost as the visitors are on a poor run.
3			Bourges Basket - They have every opportunity of moving to 5-2 with the visit to Le Prado of a struggling ESBVA-LM this week and that would underline the impressive start Bourges have had. Last week they almost left the back door open for Castors Braine but then killed off their renaissance. With the offense and defense both looking solid, Bourges continue to move from strength to strength.
4			ZVVZ USK Praha - After going up an offensive gear and into full overdrive against ESBVA-LM with more than 100 points, Coach Hejkova and her players have a great test ahead of them. CCC Polkowice's main strength is in their defense, so it is going to be a really interesting clash. With Alyssa Thomas shooting the lights out, it was good to also see the likes of Marija Rezan remind everyone of her qualities last week with a big showing. It's all going to plan!
5			TTT Riga - It's party time in Riga after the locals celebrated seeing their favorite side moving to 4-2 with that super win against the mighty Fenerbahce. It was a close one, but TTT got it done in crunch time after showing their usual traits of hard work and team-play. Kate Kreslina is proving to be an ace in the pack for them with some terrific cameos in recent weeks. Now they have a big test at Sopron to come and what a win this would be. Even a loss would struggle to take the shine off a great first part of the campaign.
6			Sopron Basket - It was a great week for Sopron after they not only won at Hatay, but also produced some of their best defense of the season (a trait always associated with Coach Iniguez) and they managed to hand a debut to new signing Queralt Casas. Currently 3-3, they have this fascinating matchup next against Riga and it could be the Game of the Week! Task number one for Sopron is to box out and keep TTT off that offensive glass. Interestingly, a win for the home team and both clubs go into the winter break 4-3.
7			Perfumerias Avenida - They came so close to handing Dynamo Kursk a first loss of the season but were pipped in crunch time as the visitors came up with a couple of sweet clutch plays. Now they go in search of a third straight road win when they play in Greece against Olympiacos. They will want to ensure they don't get bitten unexpectedly, since 3-4 might be viewed as a big disappointment , while 4-3 would certainly feel respectable. All eyes on team leader Silvia Dominguez, who has been handing out a super 7.5 assists per game! They might also have a point to prove (to themselves) after being heavily beaten by arch Liga Femenina rivals, Spar Ciylift Girona last weekend.
8			CCC Polkowice - Perhaps unfortunate to not be even higher in our rankings after four wins in a row, having completed a total lockdown of Nadezhda last week, the momentum is with Maros Kovacik and his team. Never likely to pour in the points at the offensive end, experience and strength has meant their defense is still reigning supreme. So what a beautiful test awaits against Praha. Surely they won't make it five in a row? Or will they? This one is so, so interesting from a tactical and clash of styles standpoint.
9			Fenerbahce - It was a disappointing loss in Riga for the Turkish giants after we had said that beforehand that this was a statement game for Fenerbahce. To have invested so much resource into their talented roster and only be 3-3 at this stage is not great. That is probably an understatement. Too many players are under-performing and even if they beat Carolo Basket as you would expect this week, is 4-3 good enough heading into 2019? It's all a bit up and down, with the fact they have never been in the Top 5 of our power rankings all season, certainly telling the story. Losing to Carolo and being 3-4 is just unthinkable. But they should win.
10			Carolo Basket - The French side have certainly got real guts, since they showed a lot of courage to come back from behind at home to Olympiacos and put a poor and disruptive few weeks behind them. Kaleena Lewis dropped that spectacular performance and got all the headlines and so it is time to flag up the sweet cameo and 8-of-10 shooting effort from Zofia Hruscakova which was vital as well. The game against Fenerbahce gives them a 'free hit' as they are huge underdogs, so can relax, try to enjoy it and see how the chips fall in this one.
11			Hatay - This season is now becoming a problem for Hatay - their form, their lack of depth and lack of defensive strengths. Scoring is not much of a problem for them, even if Courtney Paris has been below par, but they have to turn the screw defensively. 2-4 is not where they expected to be. The loss to Sopron is followed by a trip to Kursk and so 5 losses in their first 7 games looks very likely.
12			Nadezhda - The offensive wheels come crashing off in spectacular fashion. Yes, Nadezhda posted the lowest score of the season with just 36 at Polkowice. It was out of context with recent form since Coach Lapena and his players had just celebrated successive wins prior to them imploding. Now the pressure is on with a tricky home clash against Schio, with the Italians edging towards a first victory. It is going to be a very unhappy winter break if Nadezhda lose this and go 2-5. But oh how so much better 3-4 will seem. Time for Sandra Ygueravide, Erica Wheeler and Ksenia Tikhonenko to step up and support Brionna Jones.
13			ESBVA-LM - A hammering at the hands of ZVVZ USK Praha last week and only saved from a drop in our rankings by every team below them losing as well. ESBVA-LM played 'soft' and did not bring any kind of defense from the tip-off and it proved to be a long night. One positive was Angela Bjorklund getting her highest score in the tournament and another is they finish 2018 with their second shortest trip of the season with a matchup at Bourges. Although it will still be tough at Le Prado.
14			Famila Schio - If you are wondering why Schio have moved up after losing again and slumping to 0-6, go and watch their match with UMMC on YouTube. The Italian side showed more improvements and made Ekat work seriously hard for their win. It was a pity Allie Quigley had a rare off-night or it might have been mightily close. It feels things are now coming together, even if their record does not show it yet. With Nadezhda as opponents, they have a great opportunity against a team that will have been rocked by their ultra low score last week in Polkowice. Opportunity knocks for the Italians.
15			Castors Braine - Five straight losses and then you check out the fixtures to find that you are required to sign off ahead of the winter break with a trip to Ekaterinburg. They need a game against UMMC like a hole in the head at the moment. The break can't come quick enough and unless a minor miracle happens and they complete the biggest shock/surprise in competition history, it will be 1-6 by Wednesday night. Only Celeste Trahan-Davis continues to show any kind of reasonable form and that is an issue for a team with limited offensive power.
16			Olympiacos - They were in a great position last week after leading at Carolo Basket at half-time, against a team low on confidence. But, they blew it and had no answer to Kaleena Lewis. It leaves them with the prospect of now heading into 2019 with a 0-7 record if they don't get a belated first Regular Season win by beating Avenida. Their opponents score 10 more points per game inside and so they really must stand up and be counted in the paint at both ends of the court.