Round of 16 preview: Stelmet v Cibona

ZIELONA GORA (FIBA Europe Cup) - Former Basketball Champions League teams will meet head-to-head in the FIBA Europe Cup Round of 16, as Polish champions Stelmet Zielona Gora were drawn against historic Croatian club Cibona Zagreb in the bout for a place in the Quarter-Finals.

Both of the sides saw the Basketball Champions League post-season door close in front of them even before the final week of action, so they have already had time to adjust their focus to the FIBA Europe Cup.

Cibona qualified to the competition as the sixth-placed team in Group D with a 5-9 record, while Zielona Gora, who finished seventh in Group E with a 4-10 mark, were quite literally the last team to jump onboard the departing Round of 16 train.

For coach Damir Mulaomerovic, the play-caller of Cibona, it will already be the second time in the FIBA Europe Cup Play-Offs, having guided the young Croatian side to the Quarter-Finals last season.

Although only a handful of players like Marin Rozic, Nebojsa Joksimovic and Nik Slavica remain from last year's roster, their experience might prove invaluable in determining which of the teams gets to progress.

Scottie Reynolds has been the team's go-to player this season, having averaged 14.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game in the Basketball Champions League.

The always-steady Zeljko Sakic, experienced Luka Zoric and the aforementioned high-flying Nik Slavica complete Cibona's offensive axis, which has been responsible for quite a number of highlight reel moments this season.

For Zielona Gora, the offense revolves around Montenegrin power forward Vladimir Dragicevic, who averaged 11.9 points and 7.2 rebounds in the Basketball Champions League for coach Artur Gronek.

James Florence is the team's only other double-digit scorer with 10.8 points and 2.9 assists, but solid play of Lukasz Koszarek, Nemanja Durisic, Przemyslaw Zamojski and the ever-present threat of Thomas Kelati finding his groove make Stelmet a dangerous opponent for any of the remaining teams in the FIBA Europe Cup.

FIBA