Wednesday preview: Can Alba Fehervar, Mornar Bar and Bakken Bears clinch Round of 16 spots?

MUNICH (FIBA Europe Cup) - The number of Play-Off vacancies in the FIBA Europe Cup will continue to shrink on Wednesday, with Alba Fehervar, Mornar Bar and Bakken Bears on the verge of locking in Round of 16 berth.

At the same time, the lower-ranked teams in Groups J, K and L will be mounting fierce challenges to stay in the race for top-half finishes in their respective standings.

Group J: Demir Insaat (2-2) v Alba Fehervar (3-1)

Alba Fehervar pulled off an upset against Demir Insaat in the first meeting between the teams, racing back from a 20-point deficit to clip the Turkish side 74-72 in the first game in Hungary. Demir Insaat have since had their confidence shaken by another loss to Egis Kormend, but their home form has been much better than their play on the road.

Time: Wednesday, 17:00 CET
Key Matchup: Erving Walker v Kasey Hill
Previous Meeting: Alba Fehervar +2 (74-72)
Domestic Form: Demir Insaat picked up a 77-67 defeat against Sakarya in the Turkish Basketball Super League, dropping to 11th place with a 5-11 record. Alba Fehervar inscribed a 98-86 win over Zalakeramia and stayed in 4th place in the Hungarian Championship with a 12-5 mark.
Permutations: Alba Fehervar will secure a spot in the Round of 16 with a win; Demir Insaat cannot secure a spot in the Round of 16, or be eliminated this week.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

Group J: BC Nevezis (1-3) v Egis Kormend (2-2)

Egis Kormend brought a new spark into their Round of 16 challenge by surprising Demir Insaat at home in Hungary last week, but they still need to play catch-up with the two teams above them in the standings. As do Nevezis, who cannot afford another defeat if they plan on finishing in the top half of the table.

Time: Wednesday, 17:00 CET
Key Matchup: Tadas Sedekerskis v Eric Fanning
Previous Meeting: Egis Kormend +6 (85-79)
Domestic Form: A 94-77 win over Kaposvari moved Egis Kormend's marker in the Hungarian championship to 13-4, good enough for 2nd place. Nevezis added a rare victory in the Lithuanian league, defeating Siauliai 70-67 and moving to 6-15 in the standings. They are in 9th place.
Permutations: Egis Kormend cannot secure a spot in the Round of 16 or be eliminated this week; BC Nevezis cannot finish higher than third if they lose.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

Group K: Tsmoki-Minsk (1-3) v Szolnoki Olaj (1-3)

Tsmoki-Minsk and Szolnoki Olaj will be clawing for the opportunity to prolong their FIBA Europe Cup journey, with the winner preserving at least a semi-realistic chance of reaching the Round of 16. Both teams are currently 1-3 in the standings, with group leaders Mornar Bar and Bakken Bears rocking inverted 3-1 records, which leaves very little margin for error, for both of the teams trying to stay relevant.

Time: Wednesday, 17:00 CET
Key Matchup: David Kravish v Luksa Andric
Previous Meeting: Szolnoki Olaj +34 (79-45)
Domestic Form: Tsmoki-Minsk fell to VEF Riga 82-70 in the VTB League, falling to 4-8, which puts them in 7th place. Hungarian Championship leaders Szolnoki Olaj stayed in pole position with an 85-70 win over Szedeak by improving to a 15-2 mark.
Permutations: Szolnoki Olaj cannot finish higher than third if they lose to Tsmoki-Minsk or if Bakken Bears beat Mornar Bar; Tsmoki-Minsk would finish last in the standings if they lose.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

Group L: U-BT Cluj-Napoca (2-2) v Belfius Mons-Hainaut (1-3)

U-BT Cluj-Napoca will try to forget last week's 19-point fourth-quarter collapse against Donar Groningen and score another win against the struggling Belfius Mons-Hainaut, who must win to stay alive in Group L. In the first game between the sides, the Romanian champions edged their opponents 85-81 in Belgium and will be hoping for nothing less in Cluj-Napoca to put pressure on Keravnos.

Time: Wednesday, 19:00 CET
Key Matchup: Zeljko Sakic v Garlon Green
Previous Meeting: U-BT Cluj-Napoca +4 (85-81)
Domestic Form: U-BT Cluj-Napoca blew out BC Mures 101-62 to return to winning ways in the Romanian Championship, taking their record to 13-3 and staying at the top of the standings. Belfius Mons-Hainaut defeated Charleroi Spirou 71-63 on Friday and 72-66 on Sunday in the Belgian Cup to advance to the Final.
Permutations: U-BT Cluj-Napoca cannot secure a spot in the Round of 16 or be eliminated this week. Belfius Mons-Hainaut need to win to be eligible for a top-half finish.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

Group I: ESSM Le Portel (4-0) v Kataja Basket (0-4)

ESSM Le Portel's winning streak in the FIBA Europe Cup has reached a league-high 9 games, with their last defeat in the competition coming back in October on the very first day of the Regular Season. Already through to the next round, the only thing the French side need to worry about is clinching the top spot in Group I. Can the winless Kataja Basket be the team to stop the Le Portel machine?

Time: Wednesday, 20:00 CET
Key Matchup: Trae Golden v Damier Pitts
Previous Meeting: ESSM Le Portel +5 (82-77)
Domestic Form: ESSM Le Portel defeated Limoges 73-51 in the French Pro A and climbed to 8th place after their fourth win in a row moved their record to 9-9. Kataja Basket suffered a 77-67 loss against Kauhajoen Karhu in the Finnish Korisliiga, dropping to 7th place with a 14-10 mark.
Permutations: ESSM Le Portel are already through to the Round of 16 and will clinch the top spot in Group I if they win against Kataja Basket.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

Group K: Mornar Bar (3-1) v Bakken Bears (3-1)

As surprising as that may be, neither Mornar Bar nor Bakken Bears are through to the Round of 16 just yet despite boasting impressive 3-1 marks in the Second Round. That will change on Wednesday, with the winner finally securing safe passage. DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell's overtime game-winner allowed the Danish side to claim a 93-92 win in the first meeting between the teams, but achieving a positive result in Montenegro will be a much more difficult task, as Mornar are still undefeated at home this season.

Time: Wednesday, 20:00 CET
Key Matchup: Derek Needham v Doug Wiggins
Previous Meeting: Bakken Bears +1 (93-92)
Domestic Form: Mornar Bar won the all-Montenegrin derby in the ABA League, downing rivals Buducnost 87-81 for their sixth win in a row. They are 11-7 in the standings. Bakken Bears defeated Copenhagen Wolfpack 100-67 in the Final of the Danish Basketball Cup, lifting the title for a record 11th time.
Permutations: Bakken Bears secure a place in the Round of 16 with a win; Mornar Bar will secure a place in the Round of 16 if they win against Bakken Bears or if Szolnoki Olaj beat Tsmoki-Minsk.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

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