EuroLeague: What Can We Expect From the Last Four Games?
by Joseph King | by Joseph King
How does qualification to the EuroLeague playoffs work?
If you’re familiar with the NBA Playoffs qualification system, this is very similar to that. Out of the 18 teams in the EuroLeague, the top six automatically qualify for the postseason, while the 7th through 10th-placed teams duke it out in the Play-in Tournament.
The Play-in Tournament consists of a one-off game between 7th place and 8th place, with the winner claiming the seven seed. The loser of that game plays the winner of the 9th vs 10th place matchup to determine which team claims the eight seed.
Let’s take a closer look at the standings:
| Position | Team | Record (Win-Loss) | Point Diferential |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Olympiacos Piraeus (Q)* | 22-8 | +171 |
| 2. | Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | 20-10 | +59 |
| 3. | Panathinaikos | 19-11 | +131 |
| 4. | AS Monaco | 18-12 | +116 |
| 5. | FC Barcelona | 17-13 | +108 |
| 6. | Crvena Zvezda | 17-13 | +32 |
| 7. | Paris Basketball | 17-13 | +20 |
| 8. | FC Bayern Munich | 17-13 | -20 |
| 9. | Anadolu Efes Istanbul | 16-14 | +125 |
| 10. | Real Madrid | 16-14 | +57 |
| 11. | Olimpia Milano | 16-14 | -23 |
| 12. | Partizan Belgrade | 15-15 | +63 |
| 13. | Zalgiris Kaunas | 14-16 | -28 |
| 14. | Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz | 13-17 | -28 |
| 15. | ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne | 11-19 | -136 |
| 16. | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 10-20 | -119 |
| 17. | Virtus Bologna | 7-23 | -175 |
| 18. | ALBA Berlin | 5-25 | -353 |
*(Q) = Qualified for the playoffs
Battle for the top seed
Interestingly, no top seed has gone on to win the EuroLeague championship since the introduction of the single-league format that has been used since the 2016/17 season. Still, we can expect the contending teams to still give their all with plenty of pride still on the line.
Olympiacos, the consensus favorites at many of the best online bookmakers, lead the pack with a 22-8 record and are the only team so far to have officially secured a spot in the playoffs. This puts them two games ahead of Fenerbahce (20-10) and three games ahead of defending champions Panathinaikos (19-11).
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Olympiacos' key man is Sasha Vezenkov, who has returned with a vengeance this year following a one-season stint with the NBA’s Sacramento Kings. Vezenkov is the EuroLeague’s co-leading scorer with an average of 20.0 points per game and also leads the league in PIR (Performance Index Rating) at 24.4.
Three-time champs Olympiacos have a few paths to securing the top seed thanks to their head-to-head tiebreaker advantage over both Fenerbahce and Panathinaikos. Three wins from their last four would automatically clinch the top spot for Thrylos, while two wins will also be enough to get the job done as long as Fenerbahce lose twice and Panathinaikos fail to win out.
Fenerbahce, champions in 2017, made the Final Four last season and are seeking their third consecutive playoff appearance. Panathinaikos returned to the playoffs in style last year after a five-year absence. Led by the excellent Kendrick Nunn, the Shamrock secured its seventh EuroLeague title and first in 13 years.
Top-six automatic qualification
Going down the table a bit reveals a congested race for a spot in the top six seeds. There are four teams deadlocked with identical 17-13 records: Barcelona, Crvena Zvezda, Paris and Anadolu Efes.
Fifth-placed Barcelona is one of the most consistent clubs when it comes to making the EuroLeague playoffs, although their last championship came back in 2009/10. Barca are seeking their fifth straight playoff appearance after crashing out in the first round to Olympiacos last season.
Crvena Zvezda will play a key role in determining the playoff picture for a number of teams.
Crvena Zvezda find themselves in the final automatic qualification spot in sixth place. They have matches against Real Madrid, Anadolu Efes and Panathinaikos still to come, with each of those being potential “make or break” games. The Red-Whites are one of the more intriguing squads to keep an eye on as they seek to end a nine-year playoff drought and qualify for just their second EuroLeague playoffs all time.
Crvena Zvezda suffered a huge loss after Joel Bolomboy went down with a sprained ankle last week. The big man is expected to miss 3-6 weeks and his absence leaves a sizable hole in the paint. Bolomboy is the EuroLeague leader in rebounds at 8.3 per game and leads his team in PIR at 16.6 PIR. Filip Petrusev, who leads the team with 13.1 points per game, will have to shoulder even more of the load with Bolomboy out.
Play-in Tournament
Real Madrid, the most successful EuroLeague team of all time with 11 championships and last season’s runners-up, are in an extremely precarious position.
Los Blancos are battling just to stay in the Play-in Tournament picture with their 16-14 record, which sees them grasping onto the final spot in 10th. Not only that, but they’re dealing with a few injuries to key players. Madrid will face off with 11th-placed Olimpia Milano on 25 March in what is sure to have a significant impact on both teams’ postseason hopes. See what our experts think will be the result in our Real Madrid vs Olimpia Milano prediction!
Their chances of making the postseason could well hinge on the health and availability of Facundo Campazzo. Last season’s Spanish League MVP, former Denver Nuggets player Facu Campazzo is one of the most popular players in the EuroLeague. He’s dealing with an injury and it’s unknown whether he’ll be able to suit up for the Milano game. However, the Argentine maestro is expected to return before the playoffs start.
Elsewhere, Partizan Belgrade have hit a nasty three-game losing skid at the worst time which has dropped them down to 12th. They’ll have to turn things around quickly but with favorable matchups against bottom-placed ALBA Berlin and Zalgiris Kaunas, along with ninth-placed Bayern Munich and Real Madrid still to come, the Black-Whites could still have something to say.
