MUNICH (Germany) - The FIBA Europe Cup Semi-Finals are on the horizon as the stakes intensify for a place in the Finals.
Bilbao Basket, JDA Bourgogne Dijon, PAOK mateco, and Cholet Basket are the four teams left in the hunt to look to add their name into the competition's history books.
Let's delve into the matchups below, and you can vote on who will advance to the Finals.
PAOK mateco vs Cholet Basket
First Leg: Wednesday, March 26 - 18:15 CET (Thessaloniki, GRE) Second Leg: Wednesday, April 2 - 19:00 CET (Cholet, FRA)
PAOK mateco looks to take another step closer to becoming the first-ever Greek winners when they face Cholet Basket, who are looking to become the second French side to lift the trophy following Nanterre 92's success in 2017.
Home comforts will be important in this tie. Both PAOK and Cholet are spotless at 7-0 in the competition, which makes an away win in this Semi-Final clash priceless.
Between the two teams, Cholet's offense has been solid this season. It ranked fourth in the FIBA Europe Cup, with an average of 89.2 points per game and conceding just 75.4 points. This fares better than PAOK, which posts a shade over 81 points, with its defense allowing just 76.6 points.
It's been well documented how PAOK's fantastic four of Shavar Reynolds, Devonte Upson, Frank Bartley, and Jackson Kreuser have been in this competition. Still, it was Jakob Forrester who ultimately put Fribourg Olympic to the sword in the Quarter-Finals.
Cholet rely on their explosive guard Stefan Smith and agile big man Bastien Vautier to command things, and had big games in the second leg to get them past Casademont Zaragoza, so they will aim to lead from the start and throughout.
Key matchup: Devonte Upson (PAOK mateco) vs Bastien Vautier (Cholet Basket)
Stats don't lie: Home advantage will be crucial in this Semi-Final, and none more so than for PAOK, who haven't been consistent enough on the road in the FIBA Europe Cup. So, they will look to their home floor and incredibly vocal supporters for a big win in the first leg - where they have won all seven games with a winning margin of 11.4 points.
But against a team the caliber of Cholet, the Greek side will aim to secure a win above their average; otherwise, the tie is still firmly in the balance, especially as their French counterparts boast a winning margin of 16 points at home and also have a 100 percent winning record.
JDA Bourgogne Dijon vs Bilbao Basket
First Leg: Wednesday, March 26 - 19:00 CET (Dijon, FRA) Second Leg: Wednesday, April 2 - 19:00 CET (Bilbao, ESP)
Bilbao Basket is back in the Semi-Finals in back-to-back seasons, and this time, they go up against a JDA Bourgogne Dijon side brimming with confidence after a huge Quarter-Final win over the fancied MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg.
For Dijon, they will have nothing to lose against a Bilbao side, who have undoubtedly the strongest roster in the competition if you view it from a stats perspective, and have only conceded just 69.5 points this season if you include the Qualifiers.
But the French side can counter that with its high-octane offense. The team currently ranks second in the FIBA Europe Cup in points per game, scoring 90.1 points at an impressive 52.6 percent overall. However, Bilbao's latest victim, Tofas Bursa, was the competition's leader in both fields.
This tie pits the best offense against the best defense of the remaining sides. Can Dijon's free-flowing offense repeat what last season's winners, NINERS Chemnitz, did and eliminate Bilbao? Or can Bilbao advance and do what no other Spanish side has done: go on and win the FIBA Europe Cup?
Key matchup: David Holston (JDA Bourgogne Dijon) vs Melwin Pantzar (Bilbao Basket)
Stats don't lie: Out of the four teams, Bilbao is second in rebounding at 37.4 per contest, and they do a great job at limiting second-chance opportunities. Out of the four teams, who are last in rebounding? It's Dijon with just 32.7, so execution will be key if they are to topple the Spanish side.
FIBA