2017 Eurocup Playoff Preview: Who gets in to Euroleague?

After a two-week break to allow for rest and cup competitions to take place, the Eurocup playoffs will start this week. Eight teams remain of the original 20, as the top two teams advanced from each group in the Top 16. These eight represent a sample of the best teams from the ACB, the German Bundesliga, and the VTB League, perhaps the three deepest leagues in Europe. This competition has provided plenty so far:

• We’ve seen the emergence of a first-round level draft prospect in Anzejs Pasecniks.
• Alexey Shved is having an MVP-level season, just obliterating opposing guards in the Top 16.
• Cedevita got two fantastic performances from Pierre Jackson, lost him to the D-League, and then signed Ryan Boatright, who delivered perhaps the best individual game in Eurocup history.
• Lietuvos Rytas, chaos team.

Now, we shift to the real fun stuff. The quarterfinals, which feature four best-of-three series, will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 28th, Friday, Mar. 3rd, and if needed, a deciding Game Three on Wednesday, Mar. 8th. The winning teams move on to a best-of-three semifinal, and a best-of-three finals takes place between Mar. 28th and Apr. 5th. The winner takes a pretty big prize: A spot in Euroleague in 2017-2018. This is a chance for a second-tier team to break through to an elite level, allowing them to compete at the highest level of European basketball. While this went poorly for last year’s winner, Galatasaray, teams like Lokomotiv Kuban in 2013 and Joventut in 2008 have parlayed their Euroleague shots into successful runs in the top league.

Four former Eurocup champions and two more teams with extensive history in Euroleague will try to get back to the top level, while two Eurocup staples will try to break into the competition for the first time. But first, they have to win three series, starting with what should be an excellent quarterfinals round.