First Semi-Final preview: Floor generals going head to head

BELGRADE (Serbia) - Joe Ragland and Marcelinho Huertas were two of the biggest stars in Season 8 of the Basketball Champions League. Now they face off in the Peristeri bwin v Lenovo Tenerife Semi-Final, at the Final Four in Belgrade.

Peristeri bwin are in their first BCL Final Four, becoming only the second Greek team to reach the season-ending event after AEK in 2018 and 2020. Meanwhile, Tenerife are back to the Semi-Finals for a record fifth time. No other team made it to the Final Four more than twice.

How did they get here?

Peristeri were off to a slow start, but after earning a Play-Ins spot, they upset Rytas Vilnius in January, sweeping the series even though they did not own home court advantage for the best-of-three Play-Ins.

They were off to a rough start in the Round of 16, but climbed out of a 0-3 hole to win five of their last six BCL games, taking the decisive Game 3 of the Quarter-Finals on the road at Telekom Baskets Bonn to eliminate the 2023 champions before the Final Four.

Tenerife had a smoother run to the Semi-Finals. They won their Regular Season group despite losing to VEF Riga and Darussafaka Lassa, before joining Peristeri and two other teams in the Round of 16 group.

Their modus operandi remained the same, as Tenerife once again put up a 4-2 run through the second group stage to win their poll and get homecourt advantage in their Quarter-Finals bout with Tofas Bursa. Playing Game 3 at home proved to be crucial, as Tenerife blew out Tofas by 23 to book their ticket to Belgrade.

What are their strengths?

Both teams take care of the ball at an exceptional level. Both commit an identical 10.2 turnovers per game, and ranked joint first in the BCL this season. Their assist-to-turnover ratios are similarly exceptional too, Tenerife at 1.9, and Peristeri at 1.8. Unicaja are the only other team at that level, averaging 1.9 assists per turnover.

What could be a problem?

Neither of these two teams is the fastest running the floor. Tenerife score 7.2 fast break points per game, Peristeri are slightly above them at 7.9, while both teams average just above 70 possessions per game, which are the lowest marks among all teams that reached the Round of 16.

What is the key matchup?

That one is simple. Marcelinho Huertas and Joe Ragland are BCL legends, two players with amazing careers, and yet, even in the latter stages of their career marathons, they are putting up team-leading numbers.

Huertas has dished out 586 assists in the BCL and is the all-time leader, while Ragland is follows him with 503 career assists. Joe has had 16 career double-doubles in the BCL, another all-time high, and yes, Marcelinho is right behind him with 11 career double-doubles in this competition.

 
This season, the Tenerife point guard is averaging a career-high 15.8 points with 7.9 assists, while Peristeri's lefty leader has 14.8 points and 9.2 assists per game.

The two of them have already matched up in a BCL Final Four game. Back in 2022, Huertas's 17 points and 9 assists led Tenerife to a win over Hapoel Holon, despite Ragland's 22 points and 5 assists on the other side.

Have they faced off before?

Yes, a total of six times, with Tenerife owning a 4-2 lead in the matchup. In fact, the two of them faced off in the Round of 16 group this season, with Tenerife winning the first game 89-68 in San Cristobal de La Laguna. Peristeri hit back with a 90-82 triumph at home in Greece.

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