Tuesday preview: Nizhny Novgorod looking to settle the score against Istanbul BBSK

MUNICH (FIBA Europe Cup) - The number of teams qualified for the Play-Offs could rise by two after Tuesday's games in the FIBA Europe Cup, with the high-stakes staredown between Istanbul BBSK and Nizhny Novgorod taking center stage.

Both teams stand an excellent chance to claim the only remaining ticket to the Round of 16 after the top of the table ESSM Le Portel clinched their spot already last week.

Meanwhile, Dutch champions Donar Groningen will be looking to seal the deal and lock in the top spot in Group L in an away game against Keravnos in Cyprus.

Group I: Nizhny Novgorod (2-2) v Istanbul BBSK (2-2)

It is not a foregone conclusion that this will be the decisive battle in Group I, but there's a very good chance that is exactly what it will be. Locked in at 2-2 in the standings, Nizhny Novgorod and Istanbul BBSK are now in a nearly winner-takes-all scenario with a minor caveat. Having won the first head-to-head meeting by three points, the Turkish side could afford to lose by the same margin without being eliminated, while Nizhny Novgorod will not have such a luxury. However, the Russian club have a much better overall point differential if the head-to-head games were to balance each other out.

Time: Tuesday, 17:00 CET
Key Matchup: Stevan Jelovac v Stefan Bircevic
Previous Meeting: Istanbul BBSK +3 (82-79)
Domestic Form: Nizhny Novgorod did not play in the VTB League last week. They are in 10th place with a 3-8 mark. Istanbul BBSK inscribed an 85-71 win over Eskisehir in the Turkish Basketball Super League, climbing to 8th place with an 8-8 record.
Permutations: Istanbul BBSK will secure a spot in the Round of 16 with a win; Nizhny Novgorod on the other hand, with a win of 4 or more points; Istanbul BBSK and Nizhny Novgorod would both remain in the race for the remaining Round of 16 spot if Nizhny Novgorod win by between 1-3 points.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

Group L: Keravnos (2-2) v Donar Groningen (3-1)

Keravnos needed quite a bit of time to recover from the 40-point smackdown Donar Groningen handed them in the Netherlands, but they finally put their Group L campaign back on track with a win against Belfius Mons-Hainaut, who had surprisingly defeated Donar the previous week. The Dutch side also returned to winning ways with a 92-72 win over U-BT Cluj-Napoca. After losing Stephen Domingo to a season-ending injury, Donar inked Bradford Burgess, who will likely have to wait a week to make his FIBA Europe Cup debut.

Time: Tuesday, 18:00 CET
Key Matchup: Mohamed Abukar v Evan Bruinsma
Previous Meeting: Donar Groningen +40 (109-69)
Domestic Form: Keravnos topped Apop Paphou 86-72 in the Cypriot Championship and improved to a 10-3 record, which puts them in 2nd place. Donar Groningen blew out Leeuwarden 85-61 and stayed at the top of the Dutch Basketball League with a 14-2 record.
Permutations: Donar Groningen can secure a place in the Round of 16 with a win; they can even lose by up to 39 points and accomplish the task if U-BT Cluj-Napoca beat Belfius Mons-Hainaut on Wednesday. Keravnos cannot secure a place in the next round or be eliminated this week.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

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