2008–09 Eurocup Basketball

2008–09 Eurocup Basketball was the seventh edition of Europe's second-tier level transnational competition for men's professional basketball clubs, the EuroCup, and the first to be contested under the Eurocup name.[1] From the inception of the competition in 2002, it had been known as the ULEB Cup. The EuroCup is the European-wide league level that is one tier below the EuroLeague level.

Eurocup 2008–09
LeagueEurocup
SportBasketball
Season MVPUnited States Chuck Eidson (Lietuvos rytas)
Top scorerUnited States Khalid El-Amin (Azovmash)
Finals
ChampionsLithuania Lietuvos rytas
  Runners-upRussia Khimki
Finals MVPLithuania Marijonas Petravičius

During this season, there were 48 teams, from 22 countries. After the preliminary rounds, there were 32 teams left for the regular season, with the 16 eliminated teams being relegated down and parachuting into Europe's third-tier transnational competition, the EuroChallenge. Lithuanian club Lietuvos Rytas of Vilnius, won the tournament and promotion to the top level EuroLeague for the next season.

Teams of the 2008–2009 Eurocup

Format

The competition format was also revamped. A total of 48 clubs participated, down from 54 in the previous year's competition. The competition was jointly organized by Euroleague Basketball Company and FIBA Europe.[1]

First preliminary round

Sixteen teams competed in the first preliminary round, which was organised by FIBA Europe. These teams were paired in two-legged matches, with winners decided on aggregate score. The eight winners advanced to the second preliminary round, and the eight losers parachuted into the third-tier European competition, the EuroChallenge. The matches were played from October 14 through October 21.

Due to a decision of the Italian Basketball Federation to revoke Capo d'Orlando's first division license, followed by an Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) tribunal rejected appeal by the club, Capo d'Orlando lost the right to participate in European competitions.[2] As a result, Benetton Treviso automatically qualified to the group stage, while Benetton Fribourg advanced to the second qualification round where they met Kalise Gran Canaria.[2][3]

Second preliminary round

The second preliminary round, also organised by FIBA Europe, also featured 16 teams, with the eight winners from the first preliminary round joined by eight automatic qualifiers to that phase. As in the first preliminary round, matches were two-legged and decided on aggregate score, with the winners advancing to the Eurocup regular season and the losers parachuting into the EuroChallenge. Matches were played from November 4 to November 11.

Regular season

Thirty-two teams—24 automatic qualifiers and the eight survivors of the second preliminary round—entered the Regular Season. From this point onward, the competition is organised by Euroleague Basketball Company. The teams were divided into eight groups of four teams each, with each group playing a double round-robin schedule. The first and second-place teams in each group advanced to the Last 16. Regular Season matches were held from November 25, 2008 until January 13, 2009.

Last 16

For the first time in the history of the competition, a second group phase was played. The survivors of the Regular Season were divided into four-team groups, each playing a double round-robin schedule. This phase has a direct analogue in the top-tier EuroLeague, which conducts an identical group phase, the Top 16, at the same stage of the competition. As in the EuroLeague Top 16, the first- and second-place teams in each group advance to the next phase. However, unlike the EuroLeague, which conducts a separate quarterfinal round before its Final Four, the Eurocup sent its surviving teams into a single knockout tournament, the Final Eight. Last 16 matches were played from January 27 to March 10, 2009.

Final eight

Like the Euroleague Final Four, this was a knockout tournament, conducted in one-off matches, held at a single site. The semifinal losers played a single match for third place, and the semifinal winners played a single match for the Eurocup title and an automatic place in the 2009-10 Euroleague. This phase was carried over from the prior ULEB Cup format. Matches were played from April 9 through April 12.

This was the last season for the Final Eight format. From 2009–10 onward, a quarterfinal round has been introduced, consisting of two-legged ties between a group winner and the runner-up from a separate group, with the winner of each tie determined on aggregate score. The quarterfinal winners will advance to the Eurocup Finals, with one-off semifinals followed by a one-off final.

Preliminary rounds

Sixteen teams participated in the first preliminary round, and after the first preliminary round matches, sixteen teams played in a second preliminary round, with the top eight teams from the first preliminary round. Teams that were eliminated from the first or second preliminary round games competed in the EuroChallenge 2008-09.

First preliminary round
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Šiauliai Lithuania 136–167 Turkey Galatasaray Café Crown 73–73 63–94
MyGuide Amsterdam Netherlands 133–143 Serbia FMP 66–60 67–83
Energa Czarni Słupsk Poland 126–151 Russia UNICS 76–62 50–89
Allianz Swans Gmunden Austria 146–139 Estonia Tartu Ülikool Rock 86–64 60–75
Panellinios Greece 154–124 Germany Telekom Baskets Bonn 69–54 85–70
Triumph Lyubertsy Russia 146–159 Belgium Telindus Oostende 78–78 68–81
ASK Riga Latvia 142–137 France Cholet 69–62 73–75

Second preliminary round
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Galatasaray Café Crown Turkey 147–176 Montenegro Budućnost 85–83 62–93
FMP Serbia 138–118 Russia Ural Great Perm 69–61 69–57
UNICS Russia 161–142 Israel Hapoel Jerusalem 88–66 73–76
Allianz Swans Gmunden Austria 163–178 Serbia Crvena zvezda 82–82 81–96
Panellinios Greece 168–165 Ukraine Kyiv 96–69 72–96
Le Havre France 172–168 Belgium Telindus Oostende 84–85 88–83
Benetton Fribourg Switzerland 125–195 Spain Kalise Gran Canaria 64–92 61–103
ASK Riga Latvia 151–134 Spain Cajasol 83–69 68–65

Regular season
Key to colors
     Top two places in each group advance to Top 16

Group A
Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification MAR ZAD ASK ROA
1 Greece Maroussi Costa Coffee 6 4 2 493 468 +25 10 Advanced to Top 16 — 91–75 82–77 88–73
2 Croatia Zadar 6 4 2 505 480 +25 10 87–79 — 83–68 82–70
3 Latvia ASK Riga 6 3 3 496 478 +18 9 84–70 106–94 — 86–70
4 France Chorale Roanne 6 1 5 430 498 −68 7 72–83 66–84 79–75 —
Source: Eurocup Basketball

Group B
Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification UNI DYN BAR LUK
1 Russia UNICS 6 6 0 488 435 +53 12 Advanced to Top 16 — 80–71 76–55 79–72
2 Russia Dynamo Moscow 6 4 2 492 442 +50 10 77–87 — 84–74 94–78
3 Latvia Barons LMT 6 1 5 443 489 −46 7 81–86 61–80 — 84–88
4 Bulgaria Lukoil Academic 6 1 5 454 511 −57 7 79–80 62–86 75–88 —
Source: Eurocup Basketball

Group C
Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification KHI BEN BEŞ LEH
1 Russia Khimki 6 5 1 459 400 +59 11 Advanced to Top 16 — 80–71 91–65 79–55
2 Italy Benetton Treviso 6 4 2 478 443 +35 10 77–59 — 80–89 91–67
3 Turkey Beşiktaş Cola Turka 6 3 3 459 471 −12 9 69–71 72–77 — 96–91
4 France Le Havre 6 0 6 413 495 −82 6 63–79 76–82 61–68 —
Source: Eurocup Basketball

Group D
Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification TÜR PNE ARI BNE
1 Turkey Türk Telekom 6 4 2 393 344 +49 10 Advanced to Top 16 — 70–64 78–65 20–0
2 Greece Panellinios 6 3 3 453 435 +18 9 82–74 — 69–71 85–70
3 Greece Aris 6 3 3 457 459 −2 9 79–75 72–77 — 84–71
4 Israel Bnei HaSharon 6 2 4 362 427 −65 8 54–76 78–76 89–86 —
Source: Eurocup Basketball

Group E

Ukraine AZO Lithuania LRY France ASV Spain GRA
Ukraine AZO 76-66 87-74 92-90
Lithuania LRY 83-64 95-74 74-64
France ASV 85-83 93-90 69-81
Spain GRA 74-82 94-83 78-80
Team Pld W L PF PA Diff
1.Ukraine Azovmash 642484472+12
2.Lithuania Lietuvos rytas 633491465+26
3.France ASVEL 633475514-39
4.Spain Kalise Gran Canaria 624481480+1

Group F

Belgium SPI Serbia CZV Poland TUR Germany BRO
Belgium SPI 71-65 89-69 64-62
Serbia CZV 93-91 97-69 82-65
Poland TUR 61-86 76-86 67-56
Germany BRO 65-84 53-67 39-69
Team Pld W L PF PA Diff
1.Belgium Spirou 651485415+70
2.Serbia Crvena zvezda 651490425+65
3.Poland PGE Turów 624411453-42
4.Germany Brose Baskets 606340433-93

Group G

Spain VAL Germany ART Italy FOR Serbia FMP
Spain VAL 84-67 80-74 83-58
Germany ART 79-89 87-78 73-62
Italy FOR 71-77 89-93 88-61
Serbia FMP 65-84 93-65 59-70
Team Pld W L PF PA Diff
1.Spain Pamesa Valencia 660497414+83
2.Germany Artland Dragons 633464495-31
3.Italy Fortitudo Bologna 624470457+13
4.Serbia FMP 615398463-65

Group H

Spain BIL Serbia HEM Czech Republic NYM Montenegro BUD
Spain BIL 78-67 93-72 69-66
Serbia HEM 62-82 82-74 89-85
Czech Republic NYM 79-92 80-82 75-70
Montenegro BUD 65-67 70-59 63-66
Team Pld W L PF PA Diff
1.Spain Iurbentia Bilbao 660481411+70
2.Serbia Hemofarm 633441469-28
3.Czech Republic ČEZ Nymburk 624446482-36
4.Montenegro Budućnost 615419425-6

Top 16

The second grand stage begins from January 27, 2009.

Key to colors
     Top two places in each group advance to final eight

Group I

Russia DYN Russia KHI Greece MAR Greece PNE
Russia DYN 73-68 94-73 91-84
Russia KHI 69-77 94-69 101-94
Greece MAR 76-80 71-58 83-85
Greece PNE 72-77 73-89 59-71
Team Pld W L PF PA Diff
1.Russia Dynamo Moscow 660492442+50
2.Russia Khimki 633479457+22
3.Greece Maroussi Costa Coffee 624443470-27
4.Greece Panellinios 615467512-45

Group J

Italy BEN Croatia ZAD Russia UNI Turkey TÜR
Italy BEN 94-81 68-66 89-87
Croatia ZAD 76-84 93-91 94-86
Russia UNI 81-59 69-71 72-57
Turkey TÜR 67-99 89-82 66-86
Team Pld W L PF PA Diff
1.Italy Benetton Treviso 651493458+35
2.Croatia Zadar 633497513-16
3.Russia UNICS 633465414+51
4.Turkey Türk Telekom 615452522-70

Group K

Spain VAL Serbia HEM Ukraine AZO Serbia CZV
Spain VAL 65-60 68-66 82-80
Serbia HEM 66-62 84-74 88-73
Ukraine AZO 91-88 89-71 62-74
Serbia CZV 73-85 65-91 72-95
Team Pld W L PF PA Diff
1.Spain Pamesa Valencia 642450436+14
2.Serbia Hemofarm 642460428+32
3.Ukraine Azovmash 633477457+20
4.Serbia Crvena zvezda 615437503-66

Group L

Spain BIL Lithuania LRY Belgium SPI Germany ART
Spain BIL 67-59 82-78 71-62
Lithuania LRY 73-71 77-56 105-64
Belgium SPI 59-79 78-74 88-79
Germany ART 84-79 70-79 82-94
Team Pld W L PF PA Diff
1.Spain Iurbentia Bilbao 642449415+34
2.Lithuania Lietuvos rytas 642467406+61
3.Belgium Spirou 633453473-20
4.Germany Artland Dragons 615441516-75

Final eight

The Final Eight was the last stage of EuroCup 2008-09.

Quarter finals

April 2, Pala Alpitour, Turin

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Dynamo Moscow Russia 85–93 Serbia Hemofarm
Benetton Treviso Italy 79–85 Lithuania Lietuvos rytas

April 3, Pala Alpitour, Turin

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Pamesa Valencia Spain 73–76 Russia Khimki
Iurbentia Bilbao Spain 76–67 Croatia Zadar

Semi finals

April 4, Pala Alpitour, Turin

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Hemofarm Serbia 68–73 Lithuania Lietuvos rytas
Khimki Russia 79–73 Spain Iurbentia Bilbao

Final

April 13, Pala Alpitour, Turin

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Lietuvos rytas Lithuania 80–74 Russia Khimki
2008–09 Eurocup Champions
Lithuania
Lietuvos rytas
2nd title

Individual statistics

Points
Rank Name Team Games Points PPG
1.United States Khalid El-AminUkraine Azovmash1119717.90

Rebounds
Rank Name Team Games Rebounds RPG
1.United States C. J. WallaceItaly Benetton Treviso13967.38

Assists
Rank Name Team Games Assists APG
1.United States Khalid El-AminUkraine Azovmash11585.27

Awards

Eurocup 2008–09 MVP

Eurocup 2008–09 Finals MVP

All-Eurocup team
SeasonPositionAll-Eurocup First TeamClub TeamAll-Eurocup Second TeamClub Team
2008–09
G
 United States Chuck Eidson Lietuvos rytas United States Khalid El-Amin Türk Telekom
2008–09
G
 Russia Kelly McCarty Khimki United States Gary Neal Treviso
2008–09
F
 Slovenia Boštjan Nachbar Dynamo Moscow Russia Travis Hansen Dynamo Moscow
2008–09
F
 Croatia Marko Banić Bilbao Australia Matt Nielsen Valencia
2008–09
C
 North Macedonia Todor Gečevski Zadar Croatia Sandro Nicević Treviso

Rising Star

Coach of the Year

See also

Notes and references
  1. "ULEB, FIBA Europe announce new competitions names, formats" (Press release). Euroleague.net. 2008-07-02. Retrieved 2008-07-04.
  2. Clubs Replaced In European Competitions
  3. Benetton Basket Tamoil subs Orlandina Basket, Benetton Olympic Fribourg joins second qualifying round
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.