MIES (Switzerland) - The curtain rises on Week 3 action on Tuesday with a four-game slate, as all four Group C teams take to the floor and there is also one game from each of Group C and Group G.
Here's a closer look at some facts and figures for each game:
MACCABI RAMAT-GAN vs. VEF RIGA (Group E, 17:30 CET)
Maccabi Ramat-Gan lost their debut game in the BCL (80-71 at AEK) but the last Israeli team to lose their first two games in the competition was Hapoel Holon as far back as 2017-18.
VEF Riga won their 2024-25 BCL season opener (86-72 v Telekom Baskets Bonn) and will try to win their first two of the season for the first time in their six BCL campaigns. The Latvian champions however have lost their last 14 games on the road in the BCL, with their last victory away dating back to December 2020 (85-81 at Rytas Vilnius).
VEF Riga made 13 triples in the game against Bonn, more than any other team in the opening week. They have made 10 or more three-pointers in each of their last three BCL games, their second-longest such run after four games between December 2022 and October 2023.
Maccabi Ramat-Gan's Kendale McCullum scored a team-high 21 points in the club’s BCL debut game. McCullum scored more points in that game than in his three previous BCL appearances combined (a total of 13 points in three games with Rytas Vilnius).
Dairis Bertans scored his BCL career-high and a club BCL record high 31 points in the opener against Bonn. VEF Riga have won three of the four BCL games in which Bertans played more than 25 minutes, and have lost all three in which he played fewer than 25.
KARSIYAKA vs. SAINT-QUENTIN BASKET-BALL (Group C, 18:30 CET)
Karsiyaka, who lost their first game at home in the BCL this season (87-76 to La Laguna Tenerife) have never lost their first two home games in any of their previous six BCL campaigns. Karsiyaka are 2-1 in their last three BCL games against French teams, after going 0-3 in their previous three.
Saint-Quentin, who defeated Kolossos H Hotels 84-54 in their BCL debut, hope to become only the fourth of 11 French teams in BCL history to win their first two games ever in the competition (Le Mans and Monaco, both in 2016; Nanterre in 2017).
Saint-Quentin gave up only 4 points off turnovers in that game against Kolossos, the fewest amongst all teams in the first week the season. The French side also forced more turnovers than any other team, 22.
Karsiyaka's Errick McCollum scored more than 15 points in each of his last three games in the BCL and if repeats that feat on Tuesday he will tie his longer such run in the competition, as he had scored more than 15 points in each of his first four games in the BCL.
Saint-Quentin's 18-year-old rising star Nolan Traore scored 27 points in his BCL debut, and is looking to become the first ever player under the age of 20 to score 20 or more points in each of his first two games in the BCL. Traore already became in Week 1 the first player under 21 to post at least 20 points and 5 assists without committing a single turnover in a BCL game.
TELEKOM BASKETS BONN vs. AEK BETSSON BC (Group E, 20:00 CET)
This will be the fifth BCL matchup between Telekom Baskets Bonn and AEK Betsson BC, two former league champions. Bonn won the last two games, in the 2022-23 season, while AEK won the first two such encounters, back in 2019-20.
Bonn won their first game at home in only one of their previous five seasons in the BCL (85-71 v Zaragoza in 2019-20). Bonn, who lost their first BCL game this season (86-72 at VEF Riga) have only started a campaign on two defeats once in their six BCL seasons, when they lost three in a row to start the 2017-18 season.
This will be AEK's first road game in the 2024-25 BCL. They won their first road game in 2023-24, after losing the first road game in each of their previous four BCL campaigns; AEK have lost more six games in Germany, more than on their visits to any other country in the BCL.
Thomas Kennedy had 10 points and 12 rebounds in his first game with Bonn in the BCL this season, his first double-double in the competition. Kennedy has grabbed 7 or more rebounds in seven of his last 10 games in the league.
Prentiss Hubb has scored more than 10 points in each of his nine games in the BCL, including his 28-point showing in his debut with AEK in Week 1. Hubb had 5 or more assists in seven of his nine BCL games.
BERTRAM DERTHONA BASKET vs. BAXI MANRESA (Group G, 20:30 CET)
Bertram Derthona Basket have won four of their five games at home in the BCL, including the first one of the current season (87-81 v NINERS Chermnitz). Interestingly, all five games were decided by slim margins, of seven or fewer points.
BAXI Manresa will visit Italy for the third time in BCL history, having won on both of their two previous trips there (74-73 v Dinamo Sassari in 2019-20 & 103-88 v Treviso in 2021-22). Manresa won their first game on the road in two of their three previous BCL campaigns.
Derthona allowed Chemnitz to attempt only 14 three-pointers in their first game, fewer than any other team in Week 1 and the fewest the team has ever allowed in a single BCL game. The Italian team have won all three BCL games in which their opponents attempted less than 20 triples.
Arturs Strautins posted BCL career-highs of 16 points and 9 rebounds in Derthona's win over Chemnintz (18 BCL appearances). However, he's never scored more than 5 points in any of his three games against Spanish teams in the BCL.
Derrick Alston scored 25 points against SL Benfica in Week and is looking to become on Tuesday the first Manresa player to score 20 or more points in each of his first two BCL games with the Spanish club. He's become only the fifth player in. BCL history to score 25+ points in fewer than 21 minutes in a single game.