MIES (Basketball Champions League) - As you are set to enjoy the holiday season, we bring you the last Power Rankings of 2017. We'll be back in 2018!

CLUB	MOVE
32		A win in the Polish league, followed by a defeat in our Group C. Rosa Radom are sticking to their rhythm, and we've stopped counting how many double digit leads they've let slip out of their hands this season. Movistar Estudiantes got the best of them last week, down at 1-8 it would be a crazy kind of miracle if they won all the remaining games and advanced to the Play-Offs.
31		Finally a win! After falling to the hands of PAOK in the Basketball Champions League, Gaziantep bounced back to take an 85-72 win over Istanbul BBSK in the Turkish League. The weirdest part about their 7-game losing skid in Group B? They are still not out of the Play-Off hunt! Fourth-placed Chalon is three games ahead with five games remaining...
30		Juventus Utena dropped down to the bottom of Group A, after yet another home defeat. Things aren't looking all that impressive for them in the Lithuanian League, either, but two straight wins got them to 6-10, which is - amazingly - good enough for fifth place at the moment! They need (at least) two straight wins to bring their Basketball Champions League campaign back to life.
29		Enisey Krasnoyarsk are 1-5 in games decided by 10 points or less. If they knew how to close out their games better, they would've been at a much better record than the 2-7 that sees them right next to Juventus in Group A.
28		Andrej Urlep started his reign at the helm of Stelmet Zielona Gora with a 92-80 win in the tongue twisting derby against BM Slam Stal Ostrow Wielkopolski. At 9-4, Polish champs are third in their championship, but at 2-7 with five straight defeats in Group D, seems that the damage is already done. Or is it? A couple of wins could see them challenge for the Play-Offs in a crowded Group D...
27		SikeliArchivi Capo d'Orlando are playing better with each passing week. The problem is that "playing better" does not count - they need wins and they need them asap! And another problem - they still have to face all the top teams of Group B... Last four games see them play Tenerife, Neptunas, Ventspils and MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg. Survive that, and you'll (probably) see Play-Off basketball!
26		A win in Israeli Cup saw UNET Holon end a three-game losing skid, which came at the worst possible time. They are still sharing the second spot in Israeli League with Hapoel Jerusalem, just a couple of wins behind Maccabi Tel Aviv, but at 2-7 in Group A, a place among the last 16 seems miles away. (Should've used "miles away" for Krasnoyarsk...)
25		PAOK are looking good in Greece, capable of a comfy win over AEK, sharing the third spot in the league. And they've even won two of their last three games in the Basketball Champions League, so they might just squeeze into this battle for the Play-Offs in Group B. Especially with their next two games being against Capo d'Orlando and Chalon in Thessaloniki - two wins there could take them to 5-6 ahead of closing time...
24		Think your December was busy? Take a look at Petrol Olimpija then - once 2018 comes around, they will have played 13 games in December, same as LA Lakers*... Slovenian champs trying to protect their crown in the Slovenian League, but also playing Slovenian Cup, ABA League and Basketball Champions League. Good thing about it - there's no time to be depressed after a loss, or euphoric after a win... *Jordan Morgan > Jordan Clarkson?
23		Telekom Baskets Bonn, we know you put a spell on all the other Group D teams! That's why Aris, Avellino and Oostende all dropped their games last week, and now you are just a game behind in the battle for the Play-Offs! But it's okay, we'll allow the spell. Keep winning, we'll keep on using all the Gamble-ing puns in the live-feed. It's a win-win, really...
22		Soundtrack of the month in Thessaloniki: Baby Huey - Hard Times Aris' sole triumph over the last six games was the one away at Stelmet Zielona Gora, as they fall deeper down in the Basketball Champions League and even find themselves in a relegation battle in Greece, being just a win away from the red zone! Cold, cold eyes, upon Aris they stare...
21		They keep going up and down in the Basketball Champions League, sweeping Tenerife and then losing to Neptunas (at home)... But Ventspils are the most consistent team in Latvia, starting the season 12-0, setting sights on a first domestic title in four years.
20		Since the beginning of November*, Oostende dropped only their away games at Nanterre and Nymburk, and the home game against Besiktas. They also suffered a minor defeat against Antwerp Giants in the Belgian Cup, but advanced on aggregate, dominating in Belgium even more than Ventspils in Latvia! They are 13-0 in the League, if they get to the Round of 16, nobody should be surprised, honestly. *Nope, not December. Since November. That's last two months.
19		Ugh... Let's just skip to the next team, please. It hurts seeing such a well-coached, balanced, mighty, explosive, fun-to-watch team as Sidigas Avellino down at 4-5... Non ce la faccio...
18		(Yeah, just re-read the Avellino bit for Dinamo Sassari. I'm non-ce-la-faccio-ing this part, too.)
17		Need bizarre? Here's your new favorite team! Elan Chalon went from being French champions last season to being down at the bottom of the league this season. Then they went from relegation battle domestically to a different kind of battle in the Basketball Champions League - at 5-4 in Group B, Chalon are on their way to the Play-Offs! It's making me crazy... Every time I look around...
16		Early MVP candidate? How about Sylven Landesberg of Movistar Estudiantes - leading the Spanish League in scoring with 18.3 points per game, and being fourth in that same department in Basketball Champions League at 18.1 per contest. Landesberg's sharp shooting got Estudiantes out of trouble in Poland, and back into the Play-Off battle in Spanish League, too.
15		Andiamo, ragazzi! At least the month won't end winless - Umana Reyer Venezia outgunned Dinamo Sassari in overtime on Tuesday, going 1-6 in December, dropping all the way down to 15th in our Power Rankings... Good news for them? They are still above .500 in Group C. Bad news for them? So are Banvit, Bayreuth, AEK, Estudiantes and Strasbourg...
14		The Duke of Duquesne began his reign in Spain! Ovie Soko gets 12 points and 8 rebounds every night, UCAM Murcia are using all of his power down low to win 6 of their last 8 games in Basketball Champions League and Spanish League. The two defeats? Thanks for asking, away at Real Madrid (in OT), at home v Real Betis. That one could've been avoided, Betis are the bottom placed team of the ACB League...
13		Losing at home is the biggest no-no in European basketball. SIG Strasbourg allowed medi Bayreuth to sweep them in Regular Season, a tough blow which ricocheted SIG all the way down to sixth place in Group C... But Dee Bost and Miro Bilan combined for 42 points against Chalon on Tuesday, with the newest two members blending in, Strasbourg still have more than enough time to go on a positive run. BTW, Bilan also had 9 rebounds and 6 assists in that one #NotYourOrdinarySevenFooter
12		Πάμε ΑΕΚ! They seem to be peaking at the right time, a 20-point win over Italian champs Venezia was like a walk in a park for the Queen, as they climbed to third in Group C. Since the coaching change, they have defeated Olympiacos, Estudiantes (away from home) and Venezia, losing only to PAOK in Thessaloniki. Season sweep against Venezia could be important, too, especially in such a close Group C.
11		D.J. Kennedy since his return: 26 points away at Muratbey Usak, 27 points, 9 rebounds away at Juventus Utena, 17 points, 11 rebounds at home against Besiktas!! Just like that, Pinar Karsiyaka win three straight, stay away from the relegation zone in Turkey, get back into the fight for the second spot in Group A, and put smiles on the faces of their faithful crowd. There's just something about playing Besiktas...
10		Back to the Top 10! Seemed like Neptunas' season was heading towards a slippery slope after they said their goodbyes to Arnas Butkevicius and Mindaugas Girdziunas and lost away at Elan Chalon. But a three-hour drive to Ventspils proved to be a fun road-trip for the Lithuanians, they got back to winning ways and they are still in second place in Lithuanian League. MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg will visit Lithuania in January, that'll be a fast-paced game for sure!
9		Damian Kulig's trip to Istanbul summarized: 👌👌👌👌👌👌👌 Banvit's big guy hit 7 three-pointers to lead the Turkish Cup winners to a massive 22-point win away at Anadolu Efes! Banvit have won four straight, reaching that kind of form they showed throughout last season. Watch out people, they are clicking again...
8		CEZ Nymburk are here to stay. Four straight wins in the Basketball Champions League, plus 12 straight in Czech League, plus an active 11-game winning streak in all competitions... They won't stay under the radar for too long now.
7		Does Rickey Paulding know he's 35? EWE Baskets Oldenburg talisman averages 17.7 points per game in Basketball Champions League and 14.1 points per game in the Bundesliga. A 35-year-old... He's not 25, I've double-checked it, I'm telling you...
6		Nothing like a pattern to make your season: medi Bayreuth won three straight to start their Basketball Champions League, then lost three straight, then won three straight*... Gabe York had yet another explosion in Germany, detonating for season-high 32 points in 30 minutes, scoring 6 three-pointers, the same amount that the whole Braunschweig team had at the other end... Doing it with a smile on his face, too! *Don't blame us if you lose the next three...
5		Jamal Shuler just keeps on schooling people... About to turn 32 in January, but playing perhaps the best basketball of his career, leading Nanterre 92 to a 6-3 record in Group D, grabbing some MVP kind of attention along the way.
4		OH MY GOD, MHP RIESEN LUDWIGSBURG LOST BACK-TO-BACK GAMES!? (Don't worry, people. They are still on pace for home court advantage in both Bundesliga and Basketball Champions League.)
3		The firefighters of the Basketball Champions League! Neptunas were on fire, Iberostar Tenerife put it out with a comanding 90-67 win. Then MHP Riesen were the ones steaming, only to get ice cold once they saw what Tenerife's defense was all about, holding them to a season-low 62 points in Germany last week. First in rebounding (40.1rpg), second in assists (20.3apg), Tenerife are giving you plenty of reasons to tune in.
2		Besiktas Sompo Japan are 14-2 since late October. And they've done it in arguably the toughest group of the Basketball Champions League, and one of the toughest domestic championships around, the Turkish League. Karsiyaka and Avellino are their black cats, but they won't be seeing them anytime soon, so let's all just pack our bags for the Play-Offs...
1		Think Besiktas' form has been impressive? Well, AS Monaco have won 21 of 24 games this season, including 9 straight in Basketball Champions League, including 10 straight in all competitions right now. Oh, yeah. Christopher Evans had (yet another) dunk of the season. Coach Zvezdan Mitrovic created Monstars* 2.0!! *Yes, that's a Space Jam reference.

*The power rankings are entirely subjective and is in no way a true, accurate ranking systems. All comments are purely those of the author.