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 4-0 in the BCL, but 0-4 in their national championship.
#32 Kolossos H Hotels (0)
BCL record: 0-4 Domestic league record: 1-7
Not much to say when they are 1-11 in all competitions...
#31 King Szczecin (0)
BCL record: 0-4 Domestic league record: 5-3
The domestic record is getting better, but unless they get two wins in their last two games, starting with this week's matchup with Aliaga Petkimspor, they will remain in the 30s in our Power Rankings. If they lose this week, they are out of the hunt for a spot in the Play-Ins, too.
#30 SL Benfica (0)
BCL record: 0-4 Domestic league record: 6-0
Okay, so there is a couple of positives here for SL Benfica, because (1) they are still perfect in Portugal, and (2) they are still just a win away from the third-placed Chemnitz in their group, meaning they've got a chance of reaching the Play-Ins again.
#29 WKS Slask Wroclaw (-1)
BCL record: 0-4 Domestic league record: 3-5
In a way, it's a good thing for them that Rytas Vilnius swept Falco-Vulcano Szombathely, because now they have the clear target in front of them with a clear plan how to catch the Hungarian champs - win both remaining games, hope they lose both, advance with a tiebreaker at 2-4.
Trouble is, they haven't won back-to-back games since they claimed the Polish Supercup back in September.
#28 RASTA Vechta (-2)
BCL record: 0-4 Domestic league record: 5-4
I'm sorry, their Bundesliga record is what!?
#27 Promitheas Patras BC Vikos Cola (-4)
BCL record: 1-3 Domestic league record: 5-3
Do or die this week. After a pair of consecutive defeats to Galatasaray, Promitheas now must protect their +2 tiebreaker lead over Vechta to stay in front of them, as the two sides collide in Greece on Wednesday. All eyes will be on Nymburk and Galatasaray battling for the Round of 16 ticket in this group, but the other matchup will be tough as well.
#26 VEF Riga (-1)
BCL record: 1-3 Domestic league record: 11-1
Latvia had a really nice FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers window, and VEF Riga are still hoping they could feed off of that energy, because they need something, and they need it fast. It could all come down to the final week of the Regular Season, when they take on Maccabi Ramat-Gan...
#25 Maccabi Ramat-Gan (-1)
BCL record: 1-3 Domestic league record: 4-2
...who are still in front of VEF Riga, even though they aren't as impressive in their domestic league as the guys from Riga, and they are still in front because they won the first matchup by seven points. With that advantage over Riga, a win next week over AEK Betsson BC would increase their chances of advancing dramatically.
#24 FMP SoccerBet (+2)
BCL record: 1-3 Domestic league record: 5-5
Big, special performance by Matic Rebec over the weekend, 26 points and 8 assists to hand BC Dubai only their third defeat in 10 ABA League games. FMP are a way better team than their record suggests, you don't go 5-5 in the Adriatic League that easily.
#23 Igokea m:tel (-2)
BCL record: 1-3 Domestic league record: 6-4
Consider Igokea one of the winners of the national team break, even though they dropped a few places here. But their star Borisa Simanic made it back to Serbia's lineup, and it was one of the most inspiring comebacks in international basketball history, receiving a standing ovation from the Belgrade crowd.
#22 Peristeri Domino's (+5)
BCL record: 1-3 Domestic league record: 3-5
Good news? They picked up their first BCL win of the season, taking down previously unbeaten Manisa Basket.
Bad news? They lost four straight games in the Greek League, including three since that Manisa win.
They take on FMP this week, and they have plenty of motivation to get a win, because their first matchup was one of Peristeri's worst performances in BCL history. Chance to wash it off.
#21 NINERS Chemnitz (-3)
BCL record: 1-3 Domestic league record: 6-3
I'm sorry, their Bundesliga record is what!?
#20 Saint-Quentin Basket-Ball (-3)
BCL record: 1-3 Domestic league record: 6-4
Should we be worried about SQBB? That was one strong start, that 30-point blowout against Kolossos H Hotels, but they lost three straight in the BCL since, including being frozen at -39 in Tenerife. Okay, we should be worried.
But not a lot. Just a bit. Because they are still standing tall in the French League, meaning they have the quality to bounce back internationally.
#19 Nanterre 92 (+3)
BCL record: 2-2 Domestic league record: 3-7
The main reason these guys are above SQBB - or below, depends which way you're scrolling - is the fact they have a pair of BCL wins already and are actually in a good spot to battle for the first spot in Group A, trailing Wurzburg by a win, but owning the head-to-head advantage.
That's why they've gone three spots up, despite losing three of their last four French League rendezvous.
#18 Hapoel Netanel Holon (+2)
BCL record: 2-2 Domestic league record: 4-3
Two notes: Michale Kyser needs just two more blocks to get sole possession of #1 on the BCL all-time blocks chart. The other note? These guys are doing stuff like this in the Israeli League:
#17 Filou Oostende (+2)
BCL record: 2-2 Domestic league record: 10-2
Dario Gjergja defeated Spain with Belgium at the FIBA EuroBasket 2022. He also defeated Spain in the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers. And with no generic stats to prove this claim, it feels like Oostende played a bunch of close games against the Spanish teams in the BCL over the years.
Just saying this stuff, in case something goes wrong as Unicaja search for their BCL record 15th straight win against Oostende this week.
#16 Aliaga Petkimspor (-7)
BCL record: 2-2 Domestic league record: 3-5
Don't know which part is weirder, the fact that they lost six of their last seven games in all competitions, or the fact that their only win in that span was against none other than Fenerbahce...
#15 Falco-Vulcano Szombathely (-2)
BCL record: 2-2 Domestic league record: 9-0
Back-to-back defeats to Rytas Vilnius made life difficult for the Hungarian champions, at least when it comes to a direct flight towards the Round of 16. Still, their chances of reaching the Play-Ins are more than solid.
Especially because they already did the harder part against Slask, defeating them on the road, so they are an inch away from BCL basketball in January.
#14 Manisa Basket (-3)
BCL record: 3-1 Domestic league record: 1-7
SABEN LEE IS BACK, PEOPLE! SABEN. LEE. IS. BACK. PEOPLE!
The man who scored an incredible 39.5 points per game - yes, that's right, thirty-nine-point-five points per game - to start the BCL season is back with Manisa after a brief romance with Maccabi Tel Aviv.
However, even with the potential BCL MVP on board, they drop three spots here because of their defeat to Peristeri and their poor Turkish League record.
#13 Galatasaray (+2)
BCL record: 3-1 Domestic league record: 5-3
Six wins in their last seven games in all competitions! Galatasaray are finally looking like a contender here, and their domestic record has improved a lot since that slow start to the season.
So... Why are they only 13th here? Two reasons, because (1) they need to chase a 13-point win on the road against ERA Nymburk to claim the top spot in Group D, and (2) they aren't the best Turkish team in the BCL right now.
#12 Pallacanestro Reggiana (+4)
BCL record: 3-1 Domestic league record: 6-3
I'm sorry, they signed who!?
#11 Telekom Baskets Bonn (-3)
BCL record: 3-1 Domestic league record: 4-4
Losing two straight in the Bundesliga isn't the reason why they lost three spots here. Losing two straight by a combined 40 points difference is the reason why they lost three spots here.
See, you would've felt a lot better if we only told you about their 3-1 record, but now you get the full picture of a team trying to climb out of a two-blowouts-deep hole. That's why we follow the domestic leagues around here.
#10 BAXI Manresa (+4)
BCL record: 3-1 Domestic league record: 5-4
Speaking of the domestic leagues, these guys picked up a dominant win over Barcelona over the weekend! They've done it in true Manresa fashion, too, with ten different players playing between 14 and 25 minutes, and feeding the one with the hot hand constantly.
The one with the hot hand? That's Dani Perez. He had a total of 33 points across the first eight Liga Endesa games, then went crazy for 22 points in 23 minutes against Barca. Manresa were a +28 team with him on the floor!
#9 UCAM Murcia (-2)
BCL record: 3-1 Domestic league record: 5-4
Not happy with being ninth here? Okay, here's your chance to get to the Top 5: Beat Manisa Basket on the road on Wednesday, and beat them by seven points, too, to get the tiebreaker.
We'll talk in a couple of weeks again.
#8 AEK Betsson BC (+2)
BCL record: 3-1 Domestic league record: 4-4
Why are they up by two spot? Because they bounced back from a horrible 1-4 stint by winning three of their last four games, including an overtime thriller against Panionios over the weekend.
More good news? RaiQuan Gray was their best player on the day, getting 22 points, giving them another option to an already talented offensive line. AEK look good, guys. AEK look good.
#7 FIT/One Wurzburg Baskets (-3)
BCL record: 3-1 Domestic league record: 5-3
The Power Rankings are brutal, you lose one game and we send you down three spots. Also, that's how competitive this season's lineup is, it's not just the 4-0 teams you need to worry about. Wurzburg are probably the best example, even with a pair of defeats in their last four games in all competitions, they are still the team to beat in Group A.
#6 Karsiyaka (+6)
BCL record: 3-1 Domestic league record: 6-2
Remember when we told you Galatasaray went 6-1 in their last seven games? Well, KSK are the "one" in that equation! Coach Ufuk Sarica has done it again, he's got them clicking together, and it shows, as Karsiyaka are rolling on a six-game winning streak in all competitions.
Oh, they are 9-1 over their last ten games. And they've won three straight BCL games for the first time since May 2021. You know what happened in May 2021?
Yep. That's right. Karsiyaka played the Final of the BCL in May 2021.
#5 ERA Nymburk (+1)
BCL record: 4-0 Domestic league record: 12-1
Calculators ready for Tuesday: a win over Galatasaray sends them through to the Round of 16, no matter what happens on Gameday 6; a defeat of up to 12 points doesn't send them through to the Round of 16, but keeps them in pole position ahead of the last Gameday; a defeat of 13+ points means they failed to convert their set point, and Galatasaray get the match point on their serve on Gameday 6.
Or, you know, just win. Just do you, win, and it's all going to take care of itself afterwards.
#4 Rytas Vilnius (+1)
BCL record: 3-1 Domestic league record: 8-2
That's an 11-3 record for the Lithuanian champs in all competitions. They've got the leader of the MVP Race, too:
#3 Bertram Derthona Basket (0)
BCL record: 4-0 Domestic league record: 5-4
Winning on the road is not easy in Italy. Winning on the road against Milano? Next to impossible, but Tommy Kuhse doesn't care - he had 26 points and 6 assists, four of them in the opening seven minutes, to point Derthona to a memorable win over the defending champs.
Justin Gorham was also impressive with 19 points on five threes, while Vital, Baldasso and Weems all had 11 to push these guys back above .500 in the Italian League. Simply put - they are the best of the rest in the BCL right now.
#2 La Laguna Tenerife (0)
BCL record: 4-0 Domestic league record: 6-2
For more than three quarters over the weekend, it looked like Tenerife could remain the only team with a single defeat in the Spanish Liga Endesa, as they had a seven-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. But then, they allowed 32 points in the final stanza and lost the game.
That's how tough Tenerife are, you need a 32-point fourth quarter to defeat them. Make that 10-2 in all competitions this season.
#1 Unicaja (0)
BCL record: 4-0 Domestic league record: 8-1
Yeah, you remember that part about Tenerife allowing 32 points in the fourth? Of course you do, you just read it.
Turns out, Unicaja are the ones who came up with a monster fourth quarter to remain at the top of the standings in Spain, closely followed by Valencia and Tenerife at 6-2.
Yep, that's how strong these guys are, and a potential win over Oostende on Tuesday would make them the first team to collect 15 straight wins in BCL history! Right now, they are tied with AS Monaco with 14 in a row.
With five wins in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup and the Spanish Supercup, plus four in the BCL and eight in the Liga Endesa, Unicaja own a 17-1 record since the 2024-25 campaign started.
Seventeen and one. All part of Ibon's plan.
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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.
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