MIES (Switzerland) - The Ninth Symphony season has started in the Basketball Champions League, with 32 teams aiming at continental glory.
They are drawn in eight groups, but in our Power Rankings we mix them all together to figure out which teams are are in the best form at the moment.
That is why the domestic results are also taken into account when ranking these 32 teams - you'll feel better about a team that's on a five-game winning run in all competitions, than about a team that's potentially at 2-0 in the BCL, but 0-3 in their national championship.
#32 Kolossos H Hotels (0)
BCL record: 0-3 Domestic league record: 1-4
Troubled times. Kolossos are 1-7 in all competitions, it's just a horrible start to the season and it doesn't look like they could break out of it any time soon.
#31 King Szczecin (0)
BCL record: 0-3 Domestic league record: 3-2
Not only do they have to beat Filou Oostende on the road in Belgium, they have to do it by 12 or more points to get the tiebreaker and stay alive in the battle for the Play-Ins. At least they are back above .500 in the Polish League, but they need a minor miracle to avoid elimination in the BCL right now.
#30 SL Benfica (0)
BCL record: 0-3 Domestic league record: 3-0
While they are struggling in the BCL, they had the biggest Derby in Portugal over the weekend, taking down archrivals Porto 82-77 to stay perfect. As much as they are happy with that one, they can't move up in the Power Rankings because they are an inch away from elimination in this competition.
#29 WKS Slask Wroclaw (-1)
BCL record: 0-3 Domestic league record: 1-4
The biggest issue is not that they are 0-3 in the BCL, it's the fact that they are two games behind everybody else in their group, with just three games left to play. Oh, and two of their last three games will be on the road, so that's why they are closer to #30 than to #20 here.
#28 RASTA Vechta (-2)
BCL record: 0-3 Domestic league record: 2-4
A pair of good news this weekend for them, as (1) they edged out MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg to get back to winning ways, and (2) they witnessed Brandon Randolph's best game of the season, with 28 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the field. In fact, he could've had a 30-piece, but his free throw shooting was 5-of-8 on the day. Anyway, signs of better things to come. Hopefully.
#27 Peristeri Domino's (0)
BCL record: 0-3 Domestic league record: 3-2
Arguably the best of the 0-3 teams in the BCL. They did lose four of their last seven games in all competitions, but all four of those defeats were by single digits, meaning they could've been at 7-0 through that span with just a bit of luck. Instead, they are stuck in 27 for two straight Power Rankings volumes.
#26 FMP SoccerBet (-7)
BCL record: 1-2 Domestic league record: 3-4
A seven-place demotion is the least we could come up with after FMP's abysmal performance in Spain two weeks ago, losing by 36 and scoring just 50 points against UCAM Murcia. They've got that same opponent coming to Belgrade this week, any kind of win would do because the idea is to run away from Peristeri, instead of trying to reach Murcia's tiebreaker margin.
#25 VEF Riga (-5)
BCL record: 1-2 Domestic league record: 7-1
Good news? Their group looks as close as possible, and even though they are fourth there currently, they could win it, too, because AEK and Bonn are just a win away.
Bad news? They lost a game at home to AEK, which is a big no-no in such short competitions, and is now forcing them to search for a 12-point win on the road in Athens.
#24 Maccabi Ramat-Gan (0)
BCL record: 1-2 Domestic league record: 3-1
This is a much different team when Adam Ariel hits a few shots from deep, and their 3-1 domestic record puts them in fourth spot at the moment, trailing just the juggernauts like their namesakes from Tel Aviv, plus the two Hapoels, from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
Now, the problem is, they are running out of time in the BCL, with two of their remaining three games being on the road, too. Back-to-back 17-point games by Ariel, 7-of-13 from deep, he should be on your Fantasy team next week.
#23 Promitheas Patras BC Vikos Cola (0)
BCL record: 1-2 Domestic league record: 3-2
Two weeks passed, but that fourth quarter by Jordan Walker is still talked about. It was like Reggie Miller and Tracy McGrady all in one.
The tricky part is Promitheas lost the game, so Walker's performance did not improve their ranking here.
#22 Nanterre 92 (0)
BCL record: 1-2 Domestic league record: 2-5
Do we need to talk about it, Nanterre? Four defeats in your last five games in all competitions sound like we need to talk about it. Not yet? Okay, let's give it another week or two, mainly because Desi Rodriguez is so strong and can get to 30 points, 9 assists and 6 rebounds like he did against Saint-Quentin Basket-Ball over the weekend.
#21 Igokea m:tel (-3)
BCL record: 1-2 Domestic league record: 4-3
Even though we're just at the halfway point of the Regular Season, the BIH champions are facing their crucial game this week, playing host to Hapoel Holon. Any kind of win would be gigantic, because they would be avoiding a sweep. An 11+ point win would see them claim the tiebreaker over Holon, putting them within inches of reaching the Play-Ins, again.
#20 Hapoel Netanel Holon (+9)
BCL record: 1-2 Domestic league record: 3-1
Even though we're just at the halfway point of the Regular Season, the Israelis are facing their crucial game this week, playing on the road at Igokea. Any kind of win would be gigantic, because they would claim the tiebreaker over the Bosnian champs, and just like that, with just two BCL wins, Holon would be within inches of reaching the Play-Ins, again.
See? A lot on the line in Bosnia and Herzegovina this week!
#19 Filou Oostende (+6)
BCL record: 1-2 Domestic league record: 7-2
Don't look now, but the perennial Belgian champions have strung together their first three-game winning streak of the season, winning each of those games by 10 or more points, including an 11-point route of King Szczecin on the road Now, if they get four in a row by completing the sweep against the Polish team, they could hire a party bus to start driving them towards the Play-Ins once more.
#18 NINERS Chemnitz (-3)
BCL record: 1-2 Domestic league record: 4-2
The only reason you're not demoted to #32 after that -46 defeat to Manresa last week? Your rock-solid domestic league form. It's been going on for a couple of seasons now, so maybe a good German Bundesliga stint translates to a better BCL campaign as well, especially since they are off in the BCL this week.
#17 Saint-Quentin Basket-Ball (-3)
BCL record: 1-2 Domestic league record: 5-2
One day, in about five years or so, we'll be searching for the best forgotten games in the BCL, and somebody will go, "hey, remember when that guy with the mullet nearly defeated La Laguna Tenerife all by himself!?" and we'll reminisce about that 21-point, 10-rebound double-double by Dominik Olejniczak from late October 2024.
He nearly defeated them by himself. But he did not, so they lose another three spots. Good bounce-back overtime win in France though, taking down fellow BCL team Nanterre 92.
#16 Pallacanestro Reggiana (+1)
BCL record: 2-1 Domestic league record: 3-3
Even though they are 2-1, they are not climbing a lot because we'll wait for their last two group games to promote them, when they face Rytas Vilnius and Falco-Vulcano Szombathely.
However, we'll be here to demote them a spot or two if they drop a game to Slask next week. Cruel world of the Power Rankings.
#15 Galatasaray (+1)
BCL record: 2-1 Domestic league record: 2-3
The road back to the Top 10 began with a road win over Promitheas in Greece. The same two teams will meet in Turkiye this week, and a win there would push Galatasaray not only towards the Play-Ins, but also make them a contender to win the group over the last two gamedays.
A direct flight to the Round of 16 sounds like something which would push Galatasaray towards the top five here, too.
#14 BAXI Manresa (+7)
BCL record: 2-1 Domestic league record: 3-3
To be fair, they probably deserve an even bigger jump than just seven spots in the Power Rankings, because 105-59 against Chemnitz sounds crazy and 109-69 against previously unbeaten Unicaja sounds even crazier.
It's just that any time we put Manresa into the Top 10, they lose the next game, and when we keep them in double digits, they respond with furious wins, as in the previous paragraph. This is actually us helping Manresa, get it? Got it.
#13 Falco-Vulcano Szombathely (-6)
BCL record: 2-1 Domestic league record: 7-0
Wow, this is harsh. They lost just one game this season, and they are already out of the Top 10...
#12 Karsiyaka (0)
BCL record: 2-1 Domestic league record: 3-2
Plenty of rumors off the court surround Karsiyaka lately, but that seems to have brought the team together on the court, as Ufuk Sarica's men have now won five of their last six games in all competitions, all five by double digits.
Also, somebody tell Errick McCollum he's about to turn 37 and he's not supposed to be getting 20 or more points every single game. Actually, never mind.
#11 Manisa Basket (0)
BCL record: 3-0 Domestic league record: 0-5
Your domestic record is keeping you out of the Top 10, guys.
Your French guy is the reason you could be back into the Top 10, guys.
#10 AEK Betsson BC (+3)
BCL record: 2-1 Domestic league record: 2-3
Instead of something about their recent form here, enjoy this Mindaugas Kuzminskas quote about playing in Riga, Latvia once again in his career:
"I have a special memory from this gym. I am not at home, but during warm-up I caught myself feeling like I was home because my family and friends came to support me, but also because in this gym I scored my first points as a professional player when I was 17. The coach put me on, it was a full gym, I don't know 14,000 people, I remember tying my shoes and my legs were shaking, but I got in the game and made the three," the Lithuanian forward remembered.
Basketball goes full circle most of the time.
#9 Aliaga Petkimspor (-3)
BCL record: 2-1 Domestic league record: 3-2
Okay, against Unicaja, they were still feeling the nerves of playing against such a tough opponent. But then, something clicked and they were close to upsetting Anadolu Efes in Turkiye.
Facing back to back tough games, they were ready for the next challenge, and just like that, Petkimspor picked up an incredible 75-66 road win over Fenerbahce over the weekend!
They do drop three spots in the Power Rankings, but after this run of games, their second matchup with Unicaja doesn't seem like it's going to be another 30-point blowout. Nice to see more growth from a team which won the BCL Qualifiers back in September.
#8 Telekom Baskets Bonn (+1)
BCL record: 2-1 Domestic league record: 3-2
The fact that TJ Shorts II and Darius McGhee are the only two players to start their BCL careers with three straight games of 20+ points and 5+ assists, that's just the highest praise possible for GM Savo Milovic and the rest of his staff. Feels like 2023 again over there, doesn't it?
#7 UCAM Murcia (+3)
BCL record: 2-1 Domestic league record: 3-3
Sit back, relax and enjoy this one. Including a three-place improvement for Murcia, which Rodions Kurucs probably doesn't agree with and thinks it should by at least +9 next to their name.
#6 ERA Nymburk (-1)
BCL record: 3-0 Domestic league record: 8-1
Wait, what!? They lost a spot!? WHY!?
Relax, it's all good, they just suffered an unexpected defeat to Decin in the Czech League, and that's just enough for them to lose a spot because some of the others are even hotter right now. Like these guys just below them:
#5 Rytas Vilnius (+3)
BCL record: 2-1 Domestic league record: 6-1
Make that SEVEN straight wins for Rytas Vilnius now, defeating Zalgiris, Lietkabelis, Slask, Nevezis, Siauliai (118-109 without overtime, btw), Szombathely and Jonava, scoring 97.3 points per game in that run.
Yep. Ninety-seven-point-three points per game. Not a single overtime played. Bro...
#4 FIT/One Wurzburg Baskets (-1)
BCL record: 3-0 Domestic league record: 3-2
Same as Nymburk, them losing a spot isn't about them as much as about the others going crazy recently. That's all.
#3 Bertram Derthona Basket (+1)
BCL record: 3-0 Domestic league record: 4-1
Are we ready to call them Europe's best kept secret? Derthona lost their last game nearly a month ago - their only defeat of the season - when Trieste edged them out by three points, and they have a pair of tricky games in Italy before coming back to the BCL next week.
But with the way they played all season long, don't be surprised if these guys defeat both Virtus Bologna and Pallacanestro Reggiana this week. Not saying it's going to happen. Just don't be surprised if it does, because these guys are the best of the rest in the Power Rankings.
#2 La Laguna Tenerife (0)
BCL record: 3-0 Domestic league record: 3-1
We've seen it happen a million times, others steal the headlines, others steal the highlights, but somehow, when all is said and done, Tenerife still end up with a perfect record and already packing their bags to the Round of 16.
They've had some unfortunate events complicating their domestic schedule, but with all this experience in their locker room, you kinda expect them to figure everything out along the way and share the top of the standings of the Spanish League with Unicaja in no time.
That's what happens when you make winning a habit.
#1 Unicaja (0)
BCL record: 3-0 Domestic league record: 5-1
Just one win away! Unicaja have joined the ranks of the most dominant teams in BCL history, and are now just one win away from tying AS Monaco's all-time mark of 14 straight wins in the Basketball Champions League.
The winning run to start 2024-25 came to an end over the weekend, as they were blown out by 40 points against BAXI Manresa, but it's still worth noting that they took down:
Petro de Luanda, Al-Riyadi, NBA G League United, UCAM Murcia, Real Madrid, Girona, Oostende, Granada, Szczecin, Lleida, Coruna, Aliaga Petkimspor and Barcelona in nearly two months of basketball perfection.
Still top of the Power Rankings, even though that upcoming road game at Petkimspor is trickier than it appears at first.
###
The power rankings are entirely subjective and are in no way a true and accurate ranking system. All comments are purely those of the author.
The Basketball Champions League takes no responsibility and gives no guarantees, warranties or representations, implied or otherwise, for the content or accuracy of the content and opinion expressed in the above article.