The draw for the Euroleague Top 16 has taken place. I have posted here a brief analysis from each of the groups from euroleague.net.
For each of the groups there is a link to read up on the reactions from the clubs about their draw in the Top 16 of the Euroleague phase.
GROUP D
- Panathinaikos
- Montepaschi Siena
- Efes Pilsen
- Partizan Igokea
Reigning Euroleague champion Panathinaikos will look to repeat, but it must first get through Italian champion Montepaschi Siena, Serbian champion Partizan Igokea and rival Efes Pilsen. Games between Panathinaikos and Partizan are always interesting, since the Greens’ head coach, Zeljko Obradovic, got his start with Partizan. The two played two entertaining games in Group C this season, though the Greek champs won both. Panathinaikos beat out Efes in a thrilling three-game Quarterfinal Playoffs series in 2005. Meanwhile Montepaschi has survived some injuries and rebounded to become a dangerous challenger as well. All the teams here are noted home court sides, which should produce much exciting basketball.
GROUP E
- Lietuvos Rytas
- Tau Ceramica
- Fenerbahce Ulker
- Aris TT Bank
Lietuvos Rytas will look to reach new heights from Group E, but one of the teams it will need to beat to get there is Tau Ceramica. Head coach Neven Spahija of Tau was on the L. Rytas bench two seasons ago when it reached the Top 16 for the first time. On paper, L. Rytas and Tau, which has made three consecutive Final Four appearances, are the favorites, however with some of the best young big men in Europe, Fenerbahce Ulker is also hungry to win. Meanwhile Aris TT Bank, which arrives from Group B of the regular season together with L. Rytas, is making its second consecutive Top 16 appearance. Aris made some late regular season roster moves and could turn into a big contender in the playoff race.
GROUP F
- Real Madrid
- Maccabi Elite
- Zalgiris
- Olympiacos
With three domestic champions, Group F will be one of the toughest of the Top 16. The Top seed is Spanish champion Real Madrid, which as the winningest club in European basketball history and being from the host city of the Final Four, will be ready for all comers. One of those is Israel champ Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv, which finished the regular season with five straight wins. Madrid and Maccabi will renew a classic rivalry, which saw them meet in the 1980 Euroleague title game. Another set of rivals is Maccabi and Lithuanian champ Zalgiris Kaunas, which saw its spot in the 2004 Final Four taken away at the last possible second on Derrick Sharp’s miracle three-pointer in the Top 16 finale that season. Meanwhile Olympiacos Piraeus, which like Zalgiris is from Group A, will look to make a big splash under new head coach Panagiotis Giannakis.
GROUP G
- CSKA Moscow
- Unicaja
- AXA FC Barcelona
- Lottomatica Roma
Group G features a rematch of last season’s Euroleague Basketball Final Four semifinals between CSKA Moscow and Unicaja. CSKA, the 2006 Euroleague champion, is one of the teams to beat in the competition and is looking for a record-breaking sixth consecutive Final Four appearance. The matchup between Unicaja and AXA FCBarcelona is also with plenty of history, as the former beat the latter in an exciting three-game Quarterfinal Playoffs series last season. Lottomatica Roma, which arrived from Group C of the regular season together with Barcelona, is also an exciting game for that club with a handful of former Barca stars on the Roma roster.
Filed under: Europe Sport, Greek Sport | Tagged: Basketball, Euroleague, Top 16
