2023–24 Basketball Champions League

The 2023–24 Basketball Champions League is the 8th season of the Basketball Champions League (BCL), the premier European professional basketball competition for clubs launched by FIBA. The season will begin on 17 October 2023 and will end with the championship game on 28 April 2024.[1]

Basketball Champions League
The Štark Arena in Belgrade hosted the Final Four
Season2023–24
DatesQualifying:
24 September – 1 October 2023
Competition proper:
17 October 2023 – 28 April 2024
Number of teamsCompetition proper: 32
Total: 53 (from 28 countries)
2024–25

Telekom Baskets Bonn were the defending champions, but were eliminated by Peristeri in the quarter-finals. The Štark Arena in Belgrade will host the Final Four and the championship game.[1] The champions of the league qualify as the European representative for the 2024 FIBA Intercontinental Cup.

Team allocation edit

Country rankings edit

The BCL Country Ranking is used to define the number of clubs each country is entitled to enter into the various stages of the BCL.

The results are based on the results of the past three seasons (the 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons).[2]

Rank Association Average points Teams
1   Spain 104.75 5
2   Germany 69.00 4
3   France 63.77
4   Turkey 63.20 5
5   Israel 63.00 3
6   Bosnia and Herzegovina 63.00 1
7   Czech Republic 56.00
8   Hungary 49.00
9   Greece 43.25 4
10   Italy 41.33
11   Romania 41.00 1
12   Russia (suspended) 40.50 0
13   Latvia 38.00 1
14   Belgium 34.50 2
15   Lithuania 34.50
16   Ukraine 26.00
0
17   Denmark 24.00 1
18   Portugal 21.00
Rank Association Average points Teams
19   Poland 19.00 2
20   Belarus 15.00 0
21   Estonia 12.00 1
22   Cyprus 8.00
23   Switzerland 7.00
24   Netherlands 4.00
25   Slovakia 4.00
26   Serbia 4.00
27   Finland 3.00
28   Great Britain 3.00
29   Austria 3.00 0
30   Croatia 2.00
31   Montenegro 2.00
32   Bulgaria 2.00
33   Sweden 1.00 1
34   North Macedonia 1.00 0
35   Kosovo 1.00 1

Teams edit

A total of 54 teams from 29 countries will participate in the 2023–24 Basketball Champions League.[3] 15 of them were domestic champions in the previous season.

League positions after playoffs of the previous season shown in parentheses. The Basketball Champions League rankings are taken into consideration.

  • TH: Champions League title holders
  • WC: Wild card.
Qualified teams for 2023–24 Basketball Champions League (by entry round)
Regular season
  Pınar Karşıyaka (2nd)   AEK (6th)WC   JDA Dijon (5th)   Opava (1st)
  Bursaspor İnfo Yatırım (5th)   Unicaja (3rd)   Le Mans Sarthe (6th)   Falco Szombathely (1st)
  Darüşşafaka Lassa (6th)WC   Lenovo Tenerife (6th)   Hapoel Jerusalem (3th)   VEF Rīga (1st)
  Tofaş (7th)WC   UCAM Murcia (9th)   Hapoel Holon (4th)   Rytas (2nd)
  Galatasaray Nef (8th)WC   Río Breogán (10th)   Bertram Derthona (3rd)   King Szczecin (1st)
  Peristeri bwin (3rd)   Telekom Baskets Bonn (2nd)TH   Dinamo Sassari (4th)
  PAOK (4th)   MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg (4th)   Filou Oostende (1st)
  Promitheas (5th)WC   EWE Baskets Oldenburg (6th)   Igokea (1st)
Qualifying rounds
  Cholet (7th)   Kalev/Cramo (1st)   Mornar Barsko zlato (3rd)   Monbus Obradoiro (11th)
  SIG Strasbourg (8th)   Karhu (2nd)   Heroes Den Bosch (3rd)[Note NED]   Norrköping Dolphins (1st)
  Happy Casa Brindisi (7th)   TSU Tbilisi (1st)   Legia Warsaw (4th)   Fribourg Olympic (1st)
  Openjobmetis Varese (13th)   Göttingen (7th)   Benfica (1st)   Caledonia Gladiators (4th)
  Telenet Giants Antwerp (2nd)   Ironi Ness Ziona (6th)   CSM Oradea (2nd)
  AEK Larnaca (1st)   Peja (1st)   FMP Meridian (2nd)
  Bakken Bears (1st)   CBet Jonava (4th)   Patrioti Levice (1st)

Notes

  1. ^
    Netherlands (NED): ZZ Leiden would have qualified as the winners of the 2022-23 BNXT Dutch Playoffs, but withdrew from applying because their arena did not meet FIBA Europe's capacity standards.[4] As a result, the spot was given to Heroes Den Bosch, third in the national league.

Qualifying rounds edit

Draw edit

The draw for the qualifying rounds will be made on 5 July 2023. The 25 teams were divided into six pots. The top eight national champions from the unrepresented nations were placed into Pots 1 and 2, and the remaining clubs into Pots 3–6. Pots are arranged based on the competition's club ranking and, for clubs that have not yet participated in the competition, on the country ranking.[5]

The three winners of the finals will then qualify for the regular season and join the 29 directly qualified teams in the main draw. The rest of the teams will be demoted, if they apply, to the FIBA Europe Cup.[5]

Venue edit

On July 27, 2023, it was announced that Antalya Sports Hall in Antalya, Turkey, has been selected as the host city for the Qualification Rounds which was scheduled to take place from 24 September to 1 October.[6]

Champions Path edit

Pot 1
Team Pts
  Bakken Bears 24
  Benfica 18
  Kalev/Cramo 11
  Patrioti Levice 4
Pot 2
Team Pts
  Norrköping Dolphins 1
  AEK Larnaca 1
  Peja 1.00
  TSU Tbilisi 0.00

Main Path edit

Pot 3
Team Pts
  SIG Strasbourg 100
  Happy Casa Brindisi 35
  Cholet 11
  Legia Warszaw 8
Pot 6
Team Pts
  CSM Oradea 41.00
  CBet Jonava 36.50
  Telenet Giants Antwerp 34.50
Winner of the Preliminary round
Preliminary Pot
Team Pts
  Caledonia Gladiators 3.00
  Fribourg Olympic 7
Pot 4
Team Pts
  FMP Meridian 4
  Heroes Den Bosch 2
  Karhu 2
  Mornar Bar 2
Pot 5
Team Pts
  Monbus Obradoiro 102.25
  Göttingen 67.75
  Ironi Ness Ziona 62.00
  Openjobmetis Varese 41.33
Notes
^† Indicates teams with no club points, therefore using the country points as a tiebreaker.

Pre-qualifier edit

The pre-qualifier round match consists of a one leg match that is expected to take place at a neutral venue.

The winner of the pre-qualifiers round match will be drawn to Pot 6 and advanced to the main qualifying rounds. The losers of the pre-qualifiers is transferred (if they apply) to the FIBA Europe Cup

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Fribourg Olympic   57–51   Caledonia Gladiators

Qualification Group I edit

 
Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
          
 
25 September
 
 
  Bakken Bears103
 
27 September
 
  Peja79
 
  Bakken Bears68
 
25 September
 
  Norrköping Dolphins78
 
  Kalev78
 
29 September
 
  Norrköping Dolphins82
 
  Norrköping Dolphins73
 
25 September
 
  Benfica83
 
  Benfica122
 
27 September
 
  TSU Tbilisi62
 
  Benfica87
 
25 September
 
  AEK Larnaca59
 
  Patrioti Levice66
 
 
  AEK Larnaca 74
 

Qualification Group II edit

 
Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
          
 
27 September
 
 
  Cholet76
 
29 September
 
  Antwerp Giants72
 
  Cholet96
 
27 September
 
  Varese88
 
  FMP71
 
1 October
 
  Varese73
 
  Cholet80
 
27 September
 
  Brindisi69
 
  Brindisi 77
 
29 September
 
  Oradea74
 
  Brindisi78
 
27 September
 
  Heroes Den Bosch63
 
  Heroes Den Bosch96
 
 
  Göttingen84
 

Qualification Group III edit

 
Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
          
 
26 September
 
 
  SIG Strasbourg83
 
28 September
 
  Jonava78
 
  SIG Strasbourg79
 
26 September
 
  Ironi Ness Ziona74
 
  Karhu56
 
30 September
 
  Ironi Ness Ziona92
 
  SIG Strasbourg82
 
26 September
 
  Obradoiro78
 
  Legia Warsaw70
 
28 September
 
  Fribourg Olympic59
 
  Legia Warsaw66
 
26 September
 
  Obradoiro74
 
  Mornar Bar56
 
 
  Obradoiro90
 

Regular season edit

Draw edit

The 29 teams that entered in the regular season directly were divided into four pots based firstly on the club ranking and, for clubs that have not yet participated in the competition, on the country ranking. The country protection rule will apply for the stage of the draw. Clubs cannot be drawn in groups with other clubs from the same country.[5]

Pot 1
Team Pts
  Lenovo Tenerife 135
  Hapoel Holon 98
  Hapoel Jerusalem 78
  Unicaja 75
  Pınar Karşıyaka 71
  Tofaş 69
  AEK 67
  JDA Dijon 65
Pot 2
Team Pts
  MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg 64
  Rytas 62
  Galatasaray Nef 61
  Telekom Baskets Bonn 56
  Igokea 56
  Falco Szombathely 52
  Darüşşafaka Lassa 52
  Filou Oostende 49
Pot 3
Team Pts
  Dinamo Sassari 40
  VEF Rīga 38
  UCAM Murcia 33
  Peristeri bwin 30
  PAOK 26
  EWE Baskets Oldenburg 8
  Bursaspor İnfo Yatırım 63.60
  Promitheas 44.25
Pot 4
Team Pts
  Opava 4
  Le Mans Sarthe 2
  Río Breogán 1
  Bertram Derthona 41.33
  King Szczecin 19.00
  Benfica (Winner QF–T1)
  Cholet (Winner QF–T2)
  SIG Strasbourg (Winner QF–T3)
Notes
^† Indicates teams with no club points, therefore using the country points as a tiebreaker.

Group A edit

Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification UNI LMS PER FAL
1   Unicaja 6 4 2 490 442 +48 10 Advance to round of 16 83–74 81–64 88–65
2   Le Mans Sarthe 6 3 3 477 463 +14 9 Advance to play-ins 85–78 96–68 63–81
3   Peristeri bwin 6 3 3 463 493 −30 9 76–73 78–86 87–70
4   Falco Szombathely 6 2 4 456 488 −32 8 78–87 75–73 87–90

Group B edit

Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification DIJ RYT PRO OPA
1   JDA Dijon 6 5 1 526 441 +85 11 Advance to round of 16 87–83 88–80 99–64
2   Rytas 6 4 2 509 455 +54 10 Advance to play-ins 79–77 77–75 99–63
3   Promitheas 6 3 3 516 475 +41 9 68–71 78–76 115–66
4   Opava 6 0 6 432 612 −180 6 67–104 75–95 97–100

Group C edit

Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification TFE CHO DAR VEF
1   Lenovo Tenerife 6 4 2 490 443 +47 10 Advance to round of 16 95–75 72–63 76–55
2   Cholet 6 3 3 485 495 −10 9 Advance to play-ins 85–91 97–86 74–73
3   Darüşşafaka Lassa 6 3 3 488 500 −12 9 88–84 80–91 87–81
4   VEF Rīga 6 2 4 431 456 −25 8 77–72 70–63 75–84

Group D edit

Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification AEK LUD DIN SZC
1   AEK 6 5 1 528 461 +67 11 Advance to round of 16 84–79 110–79 86–64
2   MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg 6 3 3 480 490 −10 9 Advance to play-ins 83–79 79–89 82–78
3   Dinamo Sassari 6 2 4 509 543 −34 8 79–83 80–97 97–81
4   King Szczecin 6 2 4 473 496 −23 8 77–86 80–60 93–85

Group E edit

Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification SIG KAR OOS OLD
1   SIG Strasbourg 6 4 2 487 467 +20 10 Advance to round of 16 80–65 81–68 85–77
2   Pınar Karşıyaka 6 3 3 495 487 +8 9 Advance to play-ins 87–72 94–77 85–83
3   Filou Oostende 6 3 3 462 499 −37 9 87–84 78–76 88–83
4   EWE Baskets Oldenburg 6 2 4 504 495 +9 8 83–85 97–88 81–64

Group F edit

Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification BON HOL BRE BUR
1   Telekom Baskets Bonn 6 3 3 497 473 +24 9 Advance to round of 16 74–75 86–71 82–92
2   Hapoel Holon 6 3 3 463 456 +7 9 Advance to play-ins 65–72 84–79 74–75
3   Rio Breogan 6 3 3 462 459 +3 9 97–92 82–72 68–48
4   Bursaspor İnfo Yatırım 6 3 3 439 473 −34 9 73–91 74–93 77–65

Group G edit

Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification JER PAO GAL BEN
1   Hapoel Jerusalem 6 5 1 513 440 +73 11 Advance to round of 16 71–61 99–96 97–68
2   PAOK 6 3 3 455 478 −23 9 Advance to play-ins 79–77 79–85 76–74
3   Galatasaray Ekmas 6 3 3 513 492 +21 9 70–85 77–88 98–78
4   Benfica 6 1 5 443 514 −71 7 66–84 94–72 63–87

Group H edit

Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification UCM DER TOF IGO
1   UCAM Murcia 6 5 1 517 427 +90 11 Advance to round of 16 87–75 115–89 72–47
2   Bertram Derthona 6 5 1 500 484 +16 11 Advance to play-ins 78–74 91–85 91–84
3   Tofaş 6 2 4 532 551 −19 8 75–90 80–88 99–65
4   Igokea 6 0 6 435 522 −87 6 63–79 74–77 102–104

Play-ins edit

The Play-ins took place from 2 to 17 January 2024. The teams classified in second and third place in their respective groups of Basketball Champions League, went to the Play-ins. Winners advanced to the round of 16. The first legs were played on 2–3 January, the second legs on 9–10 January. Eventual third legs were played on 16–17 January.

Team 1 Series Team 2 Game 1 Game 2 Game 3
Le Mans Sarthe   0–2   Promitheas 68–78 78–91
Rytas   0–2   Peristeri bwin 92–110 80–83
Cholet   2–1   Dinamo Sassari 72–93 95–91 93–77
MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg   2–1   Darüşşafaka Lassa 82–63 72–83 99–73
Pınar Karşıyaka   2–1   Río Breogán 89–85 73–80 86–76
Hapoel Holon   2–1   Filou Oostende 80–70 61–71 78–72
PAOK   1–2   Tofaş 63–95 88–87 (OT) 71–84
Basket Derthona   0–2   Galatasaray Ekmas 70–71 89–95

Round of 16 edit

The Round of 16 will take place from January 24 until March 22, 2024. The groups will be formed by the winners of each Regular Season Group and by eight Play-Ins winners. The 16 teams were divided in 4 groups, 4 teams each. The first two of each groups advanced to the quarter-finals.

Group I edit

Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification UNI TOF SIG CHO
1   Unicaja 6 6 0 510 422 +88 12 Advance to quarter-finals 89–70 91–62 85–70
2   Tofaş 6 2 4 462 466 −4 8 76–80 93–71 84–71
3   SIG Strasbourg 6 2 4 470 510 −40 8 70–79 78–65 96–84
4   Cholet 6 2 4 474 518 −44 8 74–86 77–74 98–93

Group J edit

Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification BON LUD DIJ GAL
1   Telekom Baskets Bonn 6 5 1 500 466 +34 11 Advance to quarter-finals 80–75 89–74 89–76
2   MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg 6 3 3 507 479 +28 9 81–85 71–59 100–80
3   JDA Dijon 6 2 4 458 490 −32 8 62–72 82–89 85–76
4   Galatasaray Ekmas 6 2 4 516 546 −30 8 95–85 93–91 93–96

Group K edit

Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification TFE PER JER KAR
1   Lenovo Tenerife 6 4 2 521 511 +10 10 Advance to quarter-finals 89–68 95–92 88–79
2   Peristeri 6 3 3 473 475 −2 9 90–82 75–77 76–73
3   Hapoel Jerusalem 6 3 3 485 479 +6 9 85–61 61–76 83–74
4   Pınar Karşıyaka 6 2 4 514 528 −14 8 97–106 93–88 98–87

Group L edit

Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification UCM PRO HOL AEK
1   UCAM Murcia 6 4 2 490 453 +37 10 Advance to quarter-finals 90–81 78–61 100–89
2   Promitheas 6 4 2 485 472 +13 10 79–78 92–93 80–79
3   Hapoel Holon 6 4 2 474 480 −6 10 64–60 65–74 79–68
4   AEK 6 0 6 490 534 −44 6 79–84 67–79 108–112

Playoffs edit

The playoffs will begin on 3 April 2024 and ends with the 2024 Basketball Champions League Final Four, which will be hosted in the Štark Arena in Belgrade, Serbia.[1]

 
QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinal
 
                
 
 
 
 
  Lenovo Tenerife838178
 
26 April
 
  Tofaş779055
 
  Lenovo Tenerife97
 
 
 
  Peristeri93
 
  Telekom Baskets Bonn896277
 
28 April
 
  Peristeri789089
 
  Lenovo Tenerife
 
 
 
  Unicaja
 
  UCAM Murcia9885
 
26 April
 
  MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg7272
 
  UCAM Murcia74
 
 
 
  Unicaja80Third place
 
  Unicaja6790
 
28 April
 
  Promitheas5483
 
  Peristeri
 
 
  UCAM Murcia
 

Final Four edit

Semifinals edit

The semifinals were played on 26 April 2024.

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Lenovo Tenerife   97–93   Peristeri
UCAM Murcia   74–80   Unicaja

Third place game edit

The third place game will be played on 28 April 2024.

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Peristeri     UCAM Murcia

Final edit

The final will be played on 28 April 2024.

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Lenovo Tenerife     Unicaja

Individual awards edit

Season awards edit

The annual season awards were announced on 27 April.

Award Player Club
Most Valuable Player   Marcelo Huertas   Lenovo Tenerife
Final Four MVP
Best Defensive Player   Howard Sant-Roos   UCAM Murcia
Best Young Player   Tidjane Salaün   Cholet
Best Coach   Vassilis Spanoulis   Peristeri

Star Lineup edit

First Team Second Team
Player Team Player Team
   Joe Ragland   Peristeri    Dylan Ennis   UCAM Murcia
  Marcelinho Huertas   Lenovo Tenerife   Hunter Hale   Promitheas Patras
  Kendrick Perry   Unicaja   Levi Randolph   Hapoel Jerusalem
  David Kravish   Unicaja   Dylan Osetkowski   Unicaja
  Austin Wiley   Tofaş   Vernon Carey Jr.   Pınar Karşıyaka

MVP of the Month edit

Month Player Club Ref.
2023
October
  Vernon Carey Jr.   Pınar Karşıyaka
November
  Justin Tillman   AEK
December
  Levi Randolph   Hapoel Jerusalem
2024
January
  Hunter Hale   Promitheas Patras
March
   Joe Ragland   Peristeri
April

Team of the Month edit

Year Month Player Team Ref.
2023 October   Chris Dowe   Derthona Basket
  Justin Tillman   AEK
  Gregor Hrovat   JDA Dijon
  David McCormack   Darüşşafaka Lassa
  Vernon Carey Jr.   Pınar Karşıyaka
November   Marcelinho Huertas   Lenovo Tenerife
  David Holston   JDA Dijon
  Kendall Smith   PAOK
  Levi Randolph   Hapoel Jerusalem
  Justin Tillman   AEK
December   Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman   Darüşşafaka Lassa
  Levi Randolph (x2)   Hapoel Jerusalem
  Pierre-Antoine Gillet   Filou Oostende
  Gytis Radzevičius   Rytas Vilnius
  David McCormack (x2)   Galatasaray Ekmas
2024 January   Marcelinho Huertas   Lenovo Tenerife
  Hunter Hale   Promitheas Patras
  Craig Randall II   Cholet Basket
  Justin Smith   Hapoel Holon
  Austin Wiley   Tofaş
2024 March    Joe Ragland   Peristeri
  Marcelinho Huertas (x2)   Lenovo Tenerife
  Jayvon Graves   Riesen Ludwigsburg
  Dustin Sleva   UCAM Murcia
  Jaime Echenique   Promitheas Patras

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Belgrade unveiled as Final Four host on night of Serbian legends". FIBA.basketball. 21 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  2. ^ "Country Ranking". FIBA.basketball.
  3. ^ "Newcomers, returnees, familiar challengers: These are the teams of BCL's Season 8". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  4. ^ "Tekort aan zitplaatsen kost ZZ Leiden Champions League: 'Dramatische keuze'". nos.nl (in Dutch). 29 June 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  5. ^ a b c "Draw explained: Seedings revealed for Regular Season, format change for Qualification Rounds". FIBA. 3 July 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  6. ^ "Antalya selected as host city for Basketball Champions League Qualification Rounds". championsleague.basketball. 27 July 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  7. ^ "Youngest in BCL history: Vernon Carey Jr named October MVP". Basketball Champions League. 3 November 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  8. ^ "The Queen has a new king: AEK's Justin Tillman is November MVP". Basketball Champions League. 4 December 2023. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  9. ^ "Levi Randolph is December MVP: "He should've gotten it last month, too"". Basketball Champions League. 29 December 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  10. ^ ""It was just a matter of time" - Hunter Hale named MVP for January". Basketball Champions League. 2 February 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  11. ^ "'Head of the snake' Ragland picks up March MVP honors, extends all-time lead". Basketball Champions League. 29 March 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  12. ^ "Tortona, Dijon, AEK, Darussafaka and Karsiyaka with players on Team of the Month for October". Basketball Champions League. 2 November 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  13. ^ "Tenerife, Dijon, PAOK, Jerusalem and AEK with players on team of the month". Basketball Champions League. 1 December 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  14. ^ "Darussafaka, Jerusalem, Oostende, Rytas, Galatasaray represented on Team of the Month". Basketball Champions League. 28 December 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  15. ^ "Team of the Month for January: Huertas, Hale, Randall, Smith, Wiley". Basketball Champions League. 1 February 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  16. ^ "Team of the month for March: Ragland, Huertas, Graves, Sleva, Echenique". Basketball Champions League. 28 March 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.

External links edit