Win or go home: The battle of the FIBA Europe Cup Play-Offs

MUNICH (Germany) - The 16 remaining teams will be whittled down to the last four in the FIBA Europe Cup next week as the Play-Offs get underway.

After the exciting conclusion of the Regular Season in January, it's time for knockout basketball to commence and we take a look through each of the Round of 16 encounters.

BC CSU Sibiu vs UNAHOTELS Reggio Emilia  

BC CSU Sibiu have won five of their last six games in the league since advancing in the FIBA Europe Cup. The Romanian side have a 14-2 record domestically and have reinforced their squad with the additions of Blake Reynolds and Xavier Rathan-Mayes, though Isaiah Philmore departed to Germany.

There have also been some change for UNAHOTELS Reggio Emilia since they were last on the floor in European action. Antimo Martino has been replaced as head coach by Attilio Caja, while Henry Sims and Brynton Lemar have both signed with the team struggling in a three-way tie at the bottom of the league standings.

When: March 23, 16:00 (GMT+2)
Where: Oradea (ROU)

Regular Season: Sibiu went 2-1 in a tough group with a 78-70 victory over domestic rivals, CSM CSU Oradea, clinching their spot as Group D winners. Reggio Emilia split their opening two games before sealing their place in the next round with an 88-79 win over Egis Kormend.

Stat Leaders: Marquis Addison led Sibiu in scoring with 17.3 points per game with Brandon Taylor amongst the competition's leading scorers (18.3ppg) for Reggio Emilia as well as handing out 3.7 assists per outing. 

Who next? The winner faces BC Dnipro or CSM CSU Oradea in the Quarter-Finals.

BC Dnipro  vs CSM CSU Oradea 

CSM CSU Oradea will have the familiarity of home court on their side in the Round of 16 matchup with a chance of an all-Romanian clash to follow. They are currently off the pace in league action and suffered a defeat in the Cup Final with a mixed run of form coming into the contest.

One of three remaining clubs from Ukraine, BC Dnipro sit joint second in the domestic standings in the defense of their league title. DJ Cooper was signed as a replacement for Pooh Jeter and is already averaging 8.1 assists per game in league play.

When: March 23, 19:00 (GMT+2)
Where: Oradea (ROU)

Regular Season: Dnipro were in a three-team group and did enough to advance with their opening 62-57 success against Fribourg Olympic. It was an anxious wait on the final day for Oradea, however, as they clinched one of the final spots despite finishing with a 1-2 record.

Stat Leaders: Aaron Broussard was an all-round contributor for Oradea with averages of 14.3 points (2nd), 6.7 rebounds (1st) and 2.7 assists (2nd) per game. Issuf Sanon and Stanislav Tymofeyenko both posted 12.0 points across two games for Dnipro.

Who next? The winner faces BC CSU Sibiu or UNAHOTELS Reggio Emilia in the Quarter-Finals.

BC Prometey  vs Belfius Mons-Hainaut 

BC Prometey are one of three teams from Ukraine still standing, one of four teams without a loss and they will be looking at punching a Quarter-Finals place. They trail BC Kyiv Basket in the domestic league with a 19-9 record having won eight of their last 10 games.

Belfius Mons-Hainaut have played in a number of seasons in the FIBA Europe Cup, but are yet to make it to the last eight stage. The Belgian side have 10 wins from 13 games in the overall standings having kept their roster together from the start. 

When: March 23, 17:00 (GMT+1)
Where: Den Bosch (NED)

Regular Season: BC Prometey went unbeaten through the opening phase with their 3-0 record including a 72-66 success against compatriots, BC Kyiv Basket. Belfius Mons-Hainaut had a 1-2 record with close defeats either side of convincingly beating Egis Kormend, 83-66.

Stat Leaders: Mike Myers led BC Prometey with 15.0 points and 7.3 rebounds in their three wins, while Jabril Durham finished the Regular Season action with 16.0 points and 6.0 assists as a key figure for Belfius Mons-Hainaut.

Who next? The winner faces Arged BMSLAM Stal or Heroes Den Bosch in the Quarter-Finals.

Arged BMSLAM Stal  vs Heroes Den Bosch 

One of four teams without a defeat in the competition, Arged BMSLAM Stal made their mark in the Regular Season. They have 20 wins in the Polish top-flight in third place and added Swedish power forward Denzel Andersson to their roster, in February.

Heroes Den Bosch are bubble hosts once again for the knockout stages with Jonathon Williams their own new addition with the American returning for a second spell at the club. They have an 8-5 record in the DBL standings and are the only Dutch side remaining after Donar Groningen's exit.

When: March 23, 20:05 (GMT+1)
Where: Den Bosch (NED)

Regular Season: Arged BMSLAM Stal went 3-0 in the group phase with an impressive 93-86 victory over Ironi Ness Ziona capping their unbeaten start. Heroes Den Bosch split their group games with a thrilling 99-98 success against Donar proving decisive.

Stat Leaders: Trey Kell produced 16.3 points (1st) and 4.3 assists (2nd) per game for Arged BMSLAM Stal, while Thomas Van der Mars had numbers of 20.5 points and 8.0 rebounds that were boosted by a stunning 30-point haul on the opening night.

Who next? The winner faces BC Prometey or Belfius Mons-Hainaut in the Quarter-Finals.

Fribourg Olympic  vs BC Balkan 

Fribourg Olympic have a chance of a historic first European Quarter-Final, but in order to do so they must defeat BC Balkan on their home floor - as they did in Wloclawek. The Swiss side have a 12-5 league record having not strung successive wins together since before they began their FIBA Europe Cup campaign.

Balkan have the advantage of familiar surroundings in the knockout stages as they also sit third in their domestic standings. They previously reached the last 16 of the competition in the 2018-19 edition, but were edged out on aggregate in a three-point defeat.

When: March 23, 18:00 (GMT+2)
Where: Botevgrad (BUL)

Regular Season: Fribourg bounced back from an opening defeat to advance in style with an 86-69 victory against Anwil, while Balkan came through a tough group in dramatic fashion with a 74-71 triumph over Besiktas ICRYPEX in Istanbul.

Stat Leaders: Malcolm Armstead was one of five Fribourg players to average double figures in scoring with 13.0 points along with 4.0 assists per game. For Balkan, Bozhidar Avramov starred with 15.7 points per game including multiple clutch plays.

Who next? The winner faces BC Parma or Rilski Sportist in the Quarter-Finals.

BC Parma  vs Rilski Sportist 

Two sides looking to take their European ventures further than they have before with a place in the Quarter-Finals on the line. BC Parma have a 7-11 record in the VTB United League with Eigirdas Zukauskas dropping 32 points in their most recent defeat.

Rilski Sportist are flying high at the top of the league in Bulgaria with a commanding 16-2 record, though they will be aware of the challenge that awaits. They have maintained their roster throughout the season with momentum building as they make the short trip from Samokov.

When: March 23, 21:00 (GMT+2)
Where: Botevgrad (BUL)

Regular Season: BC Parma enjoyed consecutive double-digit wins including an 85-63 victory over bubble hosts Heroes Den Bosch, while Rilski Sportist recovered from a 0-2 start to beat BC Kyiv Basket 74-69 to claim their spot amongst the last 16.

Stat Leaders: Adas Juskevicius led Parma with an efficiency rating of 18.5 in their two games with averages of 14.0 points (2nd) and 4.0 assists (2nd). Chile international Nicolas Carvacho has been a double-double machine in his rookie year and he put up 12.3 points (2nd) and 5.3 boards (1st) per game.

Who next? The winner faces Fribourg Olympic or BC Balkan in the Quarter-Finals.

Iraklis BC  vs Anwil 

Iraklis BC were one of the most impressive sides from the Regular Season, but have made some changes to their roster as a result of their indifferent league form. Thanasis Skourtopoulos is now at the helm with Josh Hagins a new arrival following the departure of Skyler Bowlin.

Their opponents, Anwil, are having a tough time domestically in Poland as they remain adrift of the Play-Off positions with their current 10-19 record. They too have made changes with James Washington returning for another spell at the club to add to the strength in the back-court.

When: March 24, 17:00 (GMT+1)
Where: Den Bosch (NED)

Regular Season: Iraklis set out their intentions with a 94-76 opening victory before sealing top spot in Group A with four-point wins in their final two outings. Anwil survived despite an 86-69 defeat to Fribourg Olympic that had threatened their chances of going through.

Stat Leaders: Olivier Hanlan starred during Iraklis' unbeaten start with 21.0 points per game to lead the way, while Kyndall Dykes shone for Anwil with 19.5 points and 4.0 assists in their two encounters.

Who next? The winner faces Ironi Ness Ziona or BC Kyiv Basket in the Quarter-Finals.

Ironi Ness Ziona  vs BC Kyiv Basket 

Ironi Ness Ziona fell at the Second Round stage in last season's competition, while BC Kyiv Basket are the only remaining side to have previously reached the Quarter-Finals with their run to the last eight 12 months ago.

The two sides have contrasting league records with Kyiv leading the way with a 21-5 record in Ukraine with Ironi Ness Ziona battling to remain amongst contention for the Play-Offs in Israel, though both have maintained the majority of their rosters with Travin Thibodeaux a new addition for Kyiv.

When: March 24, 20:00 (GMT+1)
Where: Den Bosch (NED)

Regular Season: Ironi Ness Ziona made a strong start to their campaign with back-to-back victories to advance before a defeat in the unbeaten clash with Arged BMSLAM Stal. Meanwhile, Kyiv finished with just one win from three, though it would be enough to progress as the runners-up from Group B.

Stat Leaders: Patrick Miller led his side in scoring with 15.3 points per game along with 4.7 assists (2nd), while Bogdan Bliznyuk topped the efficiency charts for Kyiv having posted 11.0 points (2nd), 6.7 rebounds (1st) and 4.0 assists (2nd) per game.

Who next?: The winner faces Iraklis BC or Anwil in the Quarter-Finals.

The Quarter-Finals are set to take place on Thursday and Friday to determine the final four teams to battle out for the title in April.

FIBA