EuroLeague Women Power Rankings: Volume 3

MUNICH (Germany) - We're now six games into the Regular Season and with things really beginning to take shape as we approach the halfway point, it's time for another volume of the Power Rankings.

Taking into account the performances and results so far and comparing with Volume 2, as well as considering mitigating factors such as absentees or injuries, here's the lay of the land as we head into the last week of November.

1. Fenerbahce Alagoz Holding  (-)

Season Record: 6-0

It's all going to plan for Valerie Garnier and her team. Kayla McBride has continued to stand out, Emma Meesseman is moving towards full throttle as evidenced by last week's triple-double and that means their two leading ballers are doing exactly that - leading. With Yvonne Anderson performing slickly and with members of the supporting cast doing well too such as Sevgi Uzun and Alperi Onar, they're on course to retain their title. Sounds good doesn't it, Fener fans?

2. Cukurova Basketbol Mersin   (+2) 

Season Record: 5-1

You have to hand it to Osman Olcay Orak who remains unbeaten since he came into post after Roberto Iniguez left due to family issues. Cukurova are growing in every way, with the form of Marina Mabrey a big factor in their momentum which is still gathering pace. Elizabeth Williams is such a rock and a true measure of their silverware potential will be seen in their next fabulous matchup with ZVVZ USK Praha in a fight for top place in Group B. 

3. ZVVZ USK Praha   (+2) 

Season Record: 5-1

Praha coped nicely to losing Teja Oblak for a handful of games, helped by the contributions of Maite Cazorla. When their influential Slovenian captain came back last week they looked even more potent. Ezi Magbegor continues to ball out and was close to being crowded October MVP, while the fine form of Valeriane Ayayi has slipped under the radar and needs to be highlighted. This previously worrying 'post-Alyssa Thomas world' really ain't that scary after all.

4. DVTK HUN-Therm  (+3) 

Season Record: 6-0

The fairytale continues - but will it morph into a Final Four fairytale? Nobody anywhere had DVTK being 6-0 on their EuroLeague Women bingo card! Not even those inside the Miskolc locker room! It's crazy this unbeaten team had to go through the Qualifiers, but their commitment, team-orientated  basketball, discipline and defense, along with that  slice of luck which hard work deserves has produced a record that is beyond even their wildest dreams. Astonishing!

5. Casademont Zaragoza (+6) 

Season Record: 4-2

Oh my. You wait for one fairytale to happen and another one comes along real hard at you! What a rookie season this is turning into. They might also be forgiven for dreaming of the Final Four. Wow. Even when they lost the influential Helena Oma to injury and were 20 down at home to Schio last week they still dug out a victory. Roared on by those passionate fans, they're also immersed in real teamwork, heart,  desire and their true mojo which is defense!

6. Valencia Basket Club (-3)

Season Record: 3-3

The performances are not matching the club's ambitions. The Final Four ticket they crave seems to be getting further away, not closer. They have looked short-handed of late without Raquel Carrera, but they should have enough on the roster to have done better than 3-3. Marie Guelich is the solitary player with a double-digit efficiency rating after almost half of the Regular Season games and that speaks volumes. This roster needs to turn up the dial - and quickly!

7. Virtus Segafredo Bologna   (-5)

Season Record: 3-3

It's a huge tumble for Virtus who were sat pretty at 3-0 when we penned Volume 2. Three game and three defeats later, they don't even have a winning record anymore. The wheels have come crashing off and while it was three tricky ones at Villeneuve and at home to Cukurova and Praha - all games are tough at this level. They certainly need more production from Haley Peters and Lauren Cox who are good ballers and arguably have another gear to find. 

8. Perfumerias Avenida  (+1) 

Season Record: 3-3

It's a possible Quarter-Finals ticket at this juncture for Avenida after stabilizing from the upset of losing marquee star Mariella Fasoula for the season. She's left a huge void, but the win against Polkowice last week was massive. As was the display of Sika Kone, which is really exciting. But before anyone gets too comfortable and happy, there are maybe  5-6 players still not performing to their best level and making the post-season depends on them all upping their game!

9. Beretta Famila Schio  (-3)

Season Record: 3-3

It's turning into the Arella Guirantes show being pretty much the only show in town for Schio. The Puerto Rico national team guard continues to perform nicely - even if support and cameos are thin on the ground. To lose that 20-point lead at Zaragoza last week was so disappointing. They lack a dynamic scoring touch as that epic drought in Spain underlined. A critical fork in the road is now here. With Valencia and Lublin next up, two wins feels almost essential. 

10. Villeneuve d'Ascq  (+2)  

Season Record: 3-3

With two wins in their last three games, are the French club quietly creeping their way towards a possible Quarter-Finals slot? Kennedy Burke is still bringing it as their marquee baller, while one true unsung hero of the season is Kariata Diaby who does such a solid job without spectacular numbers. Also with 9.2 steals per game which is the second best in the competition, these scores in transition from that source has been particularly productive for the French club. 

11. KGHM BC Polkowice  (-3)

Season Record: 3-3

The bounce and momentum gained from the arrival of Brittney Sykes has not exactly flat-lined, but it feels like it is running out of steam. The guard herself has performed, but few others outside of Dragana Stankovic and Brianna Fraser have hit the heights. The loss last week to Perfumerias Avenida  could be costly, but these next two home games in a row against Villeneuve and Virtus are seriously  huge. Win these and their aspirations will be revived. 

12. LDLC ASVEL Feminin (-2)

Season Record: 1-5

Who would have thought ASVEL fans would be left celebrating an arguably fortunate home win over underdogs Lublin like it was lifting the EuroLeague Women title itself? To be fair, making it sixth time lucky was probably a mixture of sheer relief and joy. Gabby Williams outshone Marine Johannes last week to get that first win with a nice show, but the pair are not miracle workers. It's going to take an epic team transformation to make the post-season.

13. Basket Landes  (-)

Season Record: 1-5

It's all been a bit familiar territory for Basket Landes. It's kind of went very much according to the script, expectation and of course, recent tradition. They've struggles as usual but always try to land some blows along the way (just ask Avenida). Overall, they're just not shooting the ball well enough and that's the bottom line. Some talented headliners like Angela Salvadores (barely hitting 30 percent) are in a slump and it must change if they want to accrue more wins.

14. Serco UNI Gyor  (-)

Season Record: 1-5

To their credit, after the second volume of the rankings when they were winless, they went on to secure a first victory by beating Basket Landes. However, a couple of more familiar defeats happened and they are competitive but just not deep enough. Injuries to the likes of Diamond Miller and Kristine Anigwe have hurt them. But help is on the way after they turned to Bridget Carleton to temporarily replace Miller, so maybe the sun will appear from these clouds.

15. Polski Cukier AZS UMCS Lublin  (-)

Season Record: 1-5

While it doesn't get any easier for the rookies, they must take heart from almost winning at LDLC ASVEL Feminin last week. While the French side are nowhere near their best, it was still encouraging to see Lublin almost winning that one. Elin Gustavsson has been tremendous and the fact the team is competing is a positive. They just don't have the consistent scoring power to get over the line and more wins on the board. They average just 56 points per game!

16. ACS Sepsi-SIC   (-)

Season Record: 0-6

It now feels like the Romanian side are a little out of their depth, although even the most passionate ACS Sepsi-SIC fan would have probably admitted this was always going to be the case. Especially without the physical presence of Bethy Mununga in these past games. Props to Borislava Hristova who has still dropped regular buckets, while Ellen Nystrom has performed well too. Morgan Green has been up and down with 6 assists but also 5 turnovers per game.

Disclaimer: The Power Rankings are entirely subjective and is in no way a true, accurate ranking system. All comments are purely those of the author.