European Basketball Primer: Eurocup, Euroleague & FIBA

NBA competition will not start for another month and a half. However, across the Atlantic, European continental competitions are about to get started. FIBA Champions League competition will begin with qualifying rounds on September 27th, and Eurocup and Euroleague action will begin October 12th. Last year’s competitions were some of the best we’d seen in years on the European level, with CSKA Moscow winning an incredible Euroleague championship game against Fenerbahce, and Fenerbahce rival Galatasaray taking down Strasbourg in the Eurocup final.

With the addition of the FIBA Champions League this year, European basketball is changing significantly.  We have yet to see how the new competition, which has aimed to overtake Eurocup as the 2nd tier of continental competition, will impact the overall landscape in 2016-17. Whatever the ramifications, there will be more high level international basketball this year, and that’s a good thing.

Upside & Motor will be previewing each of the three competitions over the next month, aiming to provide all of the details for what to watch for and how to follow along best as an NBA fan. We’ll begin with the Eurocup, then the FIBA Champions League once their qualifiers are completed. Finally, we’ll preview the main event, the Euroleague competition. But first, we will start things off by diving into some background about these competitions.

How do the competitions work?

Not only is there a new competition this year, but the old ones will also get an overhaul as the Euroleague and Eurocup adopt new formats. The Eurocup competition had previously operated in a similar format to the Europa league in soccer — 36 teams competed in a “group stage” that saw 24 teams advance, with the eight teams that did not qualify for the Euroleague Round of 16 joining them. The teams played another round robin-style group stage, with the top 16 teams advancing to a final playoff bracket.

This year, Eurocup adopts the old Euroleague format. There will be 24 teams broken into four groups of six to play a round robin with two games against each team. The top 16 teams advance, and will be divided into two eight-team groups that will play another two-game round robin. The top four from each group advance to an eight-team, best-of-three playoff bracket.

Euroleague will instead go to a 16-team format, playing a season that will be more familiar to American viewers. The 16 teams will all play each other twice over a 30-game regular season, with the top eight teams qualifying for a best-of-five playoff bracket. It’s a simplified tournament that should eliminate some of the randomness and coasting that the old group format was prone to.

The FIBA league will feature a similar format to the old Eurocup format. 16 teams will compete for eight spots in an initial qualifying stage, followed by a 40-team regular season that will feature five groups of eight teams in a double round robin. The top 24 teams will advance to the playoffs, where eight teams will receive first-round byes, and after a 16-team first round, a 16-team playoff bracket will follow.

How did teams qualify?

Much like in soccer, teams qualify by how they finished the 2015-16 domestic league season, although the Euroleague qualification is a bit different. In the Eurocup, 20 spots were reserved for club teams from Spain, Russia, the Adriatic League, Germany, Lithuania, and Israel, and four wild card births were awarded. Originally, Italy, Greece, Serbia, and Poland also had entrants. The FIBA competition has 52 spots for teams from 31 countries, from basketball powers like Russia and Spain to small leagues like Denmark and Cyprus. Ideally, domestic finish would be the deciding factor on which team goes where.

However, that’s not how it’ll work this year, because what’s European sport without a little corruption? FIBA started threatening national federations with sanctions if their teams participated in Eurocup, and seven of the original teams have since dropped out because of it: Trento, Cantu, Reggiana, and Dinamo Sassari of Italy, along with Zielona Gora, AEK Athens, and Partizan Belgrade. Several of these teams will be playing in the FIBA Champions League instead, although poor Cantu was relegated to the FIBA Europe Cup, a minor tournament underneath the Champions League. Eurocup has since been negotiating with several teams to nail down a 24-team field. Lietkabelis, Volgograd, Montakit, and MZT Skopje Aerodrom are already signed on. While Kalev/Cramo and FMP Beograd appear to be two of the last three to sign on, a 24th and final team has yet to be announced.

The Euroleague qualification process is more streamlined. There are 11 permanent Euroleague clubs: Maccabi Tel Aviv, Zalgiris, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Baskonia, CSKA Moscow, Fenerbahce, Anadolu Efes, EA7 Milano, Panathinaikos, and Olympiacos. Three other teams qualify through top-placed domestic finishes. This year, those teams are Brose Baskets, Crvena Zvezda, and UNICS Kazan. The 15th spot goes to 2016 Eurocup champion Galatasaray, and the last team is a wild card, David Blatt-led Darussafaka Dogus. Euroleague is the top competition, and their qualification structure makes a lot more sense.

When do games take place?

Eurocup games generally take place on Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout the first two rounds, whereas Euroleague games will be on Thursdays and Fridays. FIBA has not announced their regular season schedule dates yet, but given their controversy with the other competitions, you can probably expect their games will run right up against the other two competitions’s designated days. Games will not be played on weekends, much like in soccer’s continental cups, because that’s when domestic leagues play.

Specific game times have not been announced yet, but the times are usually posted on the Euroleague or Eurocup Game Center in Central European Time. Essentially, a good rule of thumb is to follow time zones, and prepare for games to start at about 7:00PM local time. In the U.S., that will mean games in Russia start around 6:00AM EST, games in Germany will follow around 10AM EST, and games in Spain will finish the day by kicking off soon after.

How do I best follow the competition in the US/Canada?

Getting live stream games for Eurocup is going to be a major challenge compared to the Euroleague, which has pretty reliable streams available internationally through their website. Euroleague.tv is a $15/month subscription, but it’s the best basketball on demand service available. I’d even put it above NBA League Pass for reliability. For Eurocup and FIBA Champions League, there are a few streams here and there that you can find through YouTube, although they generally pop up close to the event starting. Trying to find online versions of the TV broadcasts is a good option, although that can be challenging if you’re looking for a non-Spain team.

Your safest bet, however, is to find games after the fact on YouTube. There are several reliable sources for extended highlight packages, and many team accounts are good at keeping the updates and highlights flowing. Additionally, there are certain outlets, such as Partidos Baloncesto, that will post full games for Spanish league teams on delay.

In terms of stats, the Eurocup website and EuroBasket are the best places to look. Sportando is your best news aggregate, and David Pick (@IamDPick) is the most reliable Twitter follow for breaking news.

Why should I watch European basketball?

Besides the fact that it’s basketball? First, it’s a great way to get familiar with international NBA Draft prospects. This international class will be a bit unique just because so many young prospects will play roles for these teams in international competitions. You can watch Isaiah Hartenstein and Rodions Kurucs in Euroleague, Blaz Mesicek and Marko Arapovic in Eurocup, and Ogjnen Jaramaz and Frank Ntilikina in the Champions League, and you should get to see all of them play a decent amount.

You’ll also get to see guys who have been stashed attempt to hone their skills. If you’re a Spurs fan, you can watch Adam Hanga, Nikola Milutinov and Olivier Hanlan play. Cavs fans can give in to Cedi Osman fever. Nuggets fans can watch their next international roster addition develop in Petr Cornelie.

It’s also incredibly fun to watch former NBA players excel in big roles for good teams. There are plenty to pick from, from former lottery picks, like Joe Alexander at Maccabi, to fringe NBA guys like Kyle Kuric of Gran Canaria who are trying to show their stuff for a future NBA bid. Seriously, Jan Vesely and Anthony Randolph play MASSIVE roles for top squads in Euroleague. It’s amazing as an NBA fan to watch.

Finally, the overall aesthetics of the game are just phenomenal. Let’s let Fear the Sword writer Carter Rodriguez summarize:

He’s absolutely right. The game’s played at a fast pace, but retains a technical skill level that’s only surpassed by the NBA. Everyone rains threes and lobs all over the place. The passing is exquisite. Yes, the team defense isn’t the best, but there’s plenty of solid one-on-one defensive ability everywhere. The fans are as passionate as they are about soccer, and the small bandbox gyms absolutely explode whenever something awesome happens.

Watching international basketball is simply an experience that’s totally different than what you’re used to. I hope you’ll join me in watching this year.

Next: Clint Capela is ready for his breakout season