MIES (Switzerland) - After splitting two Regular Season games, The Queen will do battle with The Freaks again. These two clubs won their home games by 7 points each, and now there is very little left to separate two of the hot favorites to lift the BCL trophy in May. Let's take a closer look at the Quarter-Finals' marquee matchup.

Honors even, AEK and Bamberg will do battle again

The road to the Quarter-Finals

AEK: The Champions, like Bamberg, were drawn into the now famed Group C.  After catching stage fright and fluffing their lines on opening night against Hapoel Jerusalem, Coach Banchi's squad found their flow very quickly, and regularly delivered show-stopping performances en route to winning the group. AEK was already looking like a dominant force as the Regular Season drew to an end, but just as they did last season with Kevin Punter, The Queen got even richer by adding some familiar faces; former BCL MVP Jordan Theodore, and one of the key pieces in the championship run, Delroy James. AEK's highlight win of the Regular Season was the road win in Jerusalem.

The Play-Offs draw delivered that best matchup that any neutral and Greek fan could ask for. AEK vs PAOK, Athens vs Thessaloniki, Constantinople vs Constantinople, and a guaranteed recipe for passion and drama.  As expected off the court, attendance records were broken.

On the court, AEK got the job done. Talisman and MVP favorite Vince Hunter did work. 15.5 points and 7.5 rebounds across two legs almost looked like light work for AEK's dunk machine, as he continues to outwork every opponent The Queen faces. 

Brose Bamberg: If AEK's progression through the mighty Group C was straight forward, Bamberg's was almost the opposite. We hate to remind Bamberg fans of this (again) but that Pako Cruz buzzer beater for Fuenlabrada on Gameday 1, set the tone for the first half of the Regular Season in Freak City.  Late drama and less than clinical execution meant that Bamberg's start to life in the Basketball Champions League was not as smooth as many had expected. A 3-3 record in its first 6 games was not a true indicator of the talent level that this Bamberg squad possessed. Even those three wins required some heroics from their "King in the Fourth".

January saw a coaching change in northern Bavaria. Eyebrows were raised when at just 34 years of age, Federico Perego was given the keys to a true supercar of German Basketball. The former Video Scout and Assistant Coach during some of the club's heydays took the reigns and instantly spoke of wanting to play "Bamberg Basketball". It wasn't, however, all plain sailing for Perego to start. The team looked very clunky in a loss to Lietkabelis in his first BCL game. Since then they have gone on an absolute tear. Their win streak now stands at 11 games. It is their longest since the heights of 2016 and has seen The Freaks rise to 2nd in our Power Rankings. The highlight win of the Regular Season was probably the revenge win over Pako Cruz and Fuenlabrada.

The Play-offs saw a dangerous opponent in Banvit arrive in Freak City. Any team with the likes of Gary Neal, Jordan Morgan and Alex Perez on board, is always going to be a tough opponent. Bamberg rode the momentum from their Greek Cup victory over rivals Alba Berlin and found a way to take a narrow lead to Bandirma. In the second leg, Tyrese Rice was in MVP mode. A classic performance in a hostile environment showed that Rice and this team have clicked up a notch for the Play-Offs. This play in particular, with 0.5 on the shot clock was a clear sign that this team and their coach are on the same page and ready to execute in the toughest of situations.

Stats

Given AEK's dominance in Group C, it probably comes as a shock to see the shot zone chart below. The Germans outshoot the Greeks in ten of eleven zones on the floor. Of those eleven zones, six of them are efficient zones. All of their zones behind the arc, midrange top of the key and in the paint, yield more than 1 point per shot for The Freaks. For AEK, that left-wing 3-point zone remains a hotspot. In our shooting preview of the Play-Offs, we discovered that only four AEK players have made more than ten 3-pointers (Sakota, Larentzakis, Maciulis, and Griffin) and the majority of those shots have come from the left wing. Also interesting to see here, is that Bamberg are one of the few teams that outshoot AEK in the paint. Directly under the basket, Vince Hunter is still king and dramatically boosts AEK's scoring numbers within a few feet of the rim. However, when we consider the entire painted area as one shot zone, Bamberg comes out on top.  The battle between the likes of Elias Harris, Cliff Alexander and Vince Hunter for real estate in the key, will likely be decisive over the two legs. 

 Per Game

AEK: 79.9 points, 11.8 turnovers, 45 FG% 29.8 3P%, 71.3 FT%

Brose Bamberg: 82.6 points, 12.1 turnovers, 46.5 FG%, 36.1 3P%, 83.3 FT%

Advanced

AEK: 107.9 ORtg, 98.9 DRtg, 51 eFG%, 13.9 TOV%, 50 Reb%, 26.5 OReb%, 64.6 AST%.

Brose Bamberg: 112.6 ORtg, 110.8 DRtg, 53 eFG%, 14.9 TOV%, 49.4Reb%,  22 OReb%, 62.4 AST%.

Personnel 

AEK: Looking at AEK's rotation heat map below, we can see that Coach Banchi has employed a tight and consistent lineup rotation for most of the season. There is a clear first and second unit for the first three quarters. In the fourth quarter, the lineups are much more fluid.  Vince Hunter, Howard Sant-Roos and Jonas Maciulis have been the ever-presents in the starting lineup. Captain Dusan Sakota and Malcolm Griffin have also seen regular starting minutes. Another instant takeaway is the change in role for Dusan Sakota. AEK's captain rarely started in the championship season, but played every minute of Q4 and was regularly used as the closer. Sakota was the man that AEK often relied on to make big shots in the clutch. The growth of Giannoulis Larentzakis can also be seen. Last season Larentzakis was an important role player, but his consistent presence in AEK's closing lineups this season is a sign of Banchi's increased trust in the National Team guard. It's still a small sample size but you can clearly see Theodore taking a starters role and Delroy James in the second unit. 

Key Players: Vince Hunter and Dusan Sakota lead the team in scoring, with Giannoulis Larentzakis, Malcolm Griffin and Jonas Maciulis also making important contributions. Howard Sant-Roos has been able to contribute offensively - especially in transition - but his elite defensive ability has been particularly vital to AEK this season. 

Without question, AEK's most important player has been Vince Hunter. The former Memphis Grizzly is averaging 18.3 points and 8 rebounds in 26.2 minutes and has been the leading candidate in the BCL MVP race. 

Brose Bamberg: Where we saw a tight rotation of two clear units in the AEK heat map. For Bamberg, we can see that every player in the rotation has been in the starting five. Augustine Rubit, Nikos Zisis, and Cliff Alexander have been the most constant presences in the starting lineup.  When we look at the heat map for the fourth quarter, we see further evidence of Tyrese Rice as this season's "Mr. Fourth Quarter". Although not a regular starter, Rice often comes in halfway through Q1 and plays heavy minutes from then on. Elias Harris has been dominant recently and although he is also not a regular starter, it should come as no surprise to see his presence in the majority of Bamberg's closing lineups. It should also be mentioned that Coach Perego will have tweaked this rotation after the first half of the season. In particular, we have seen more minutes for Kulboka and Olinde since the coaching change. The departure of starter Stevan Jelovac will have also impacted this chart and the minutes that needed to be replaced. We can also see Ricky Hickman's role forming in the second unit since joining the group late.

Key Players: Tyrese Rice, Aug Rubit and Elias Harris lead the team in scoring. Ricky Hickman has also provided an important playmaking punch since his return from injury and Nikos Zisis veteran leadership can't be overlooked. Tyrese Rice was MVP of the Round of 16 but this Bamberg roster has depth and now that the squad is getting increased contributions from the likes of Elias Harris and Ricky Hickman, they are becoming even more challenging to gameplan for.

The go-to-guy for Bamberg will indisputably be Tyrese Rice. We were warned when he returned to Europe that Rice was coming back with a point to prove. He has repetitively proved that point all season with big performances in the clutch. As it stands, Rice is possibly behind Vince Hunter in the MVP race, but, Rice's points and assists have potentially been more vital to Bamberg's win%. If you are looking for evidence of that claim, just look at his performance on the road in Bandirma. 

Coaching and Tactics

The coaching battle promises to be a fascinating clash. The experience of Luca Banchi against the new school ideals of Federico Perego. Banchi is, of course, no stranger to Bamberg and after serving as Head Coach before moving to AEK, he may feel the extra motivation of a point to prove himself. 

On the court, Banchi has got this AEK team to play a distinct brand of Basketball. There has been a slight culture change from the championship squad last year. There is more of a focus on creating shots with ball movement this season, and as a result, the team's assist percentage is up. Banchi knows his system and how to apply his players to get the best out of it. Watch the two clips below against Antwerp. For AEK's first score of the game, they went into their "Chin" action. Theodore set a "Flex Screen" for Maciulis and received a screen-the-screener from Tsalmpouris. They go deeper into the options of the set and Theodore cuts back to the ball to get into a pick-and-roll with Hunter. AEK clear the corner when Tsalmpouris lifts and Hunter gets a lob pass from Theodore. The second clip sees AEK in the same action after a timeout. This time Antwerp lose concentration on the earlier actions of the set and Griffin is wide open under the basket. This is clearly a team with everyone on the same page. 

A sure fire way to get a good indicator of a young coaches ability to earn the respect of their squad is through the body language and words of the team's veteran players. We have already seen a fantastic response from the likes of Tyrese Rice and Nikos Zisis. The two veteran guards have played under some outstanding coaches and if you can trust anyone's view, it should be theirs. On the court, Perego has already started to show us what he's about. The two sets in the video below were from the Round of 16. In the first clip, Alexander faked to set a down screen (a normal action in Bamberg's offense), then received a back screen for a lob. The second clip Tyrese Rice is employed as a back screener in a "Spain" pick-and-roll. Instead of popping for the shot, he then received a screen himself as he leaked to the corner. Functional and creative at the same time. 

Summary

If it is a shame that Jerusalem vs Tenerife came in the Quarter-Finals and not the Final Four, then that is certainly true for this matchup. It's being billed as the biggest Quarter-Final in the history of the BCL and it's hard to argue against that. The Champions and Intercontinental Cup winners against a German Giant that has already won the German Cup this season. 

We also have a duel between the two front-runners for the MVP race. No doubt Hunter and Rice will both be more focused on team success and doing whatever it takes for their clubs to advance. They could also both be forgiven if they had it in the back of their mind, that doing so would severely enhance their own chance of winning the MVP award and at the same time put a major dent in their rivals case. 

Both teams have rosters that include depth and multiple players with championship winning experience. They both come into the matchup on long winning streaks. They know each other well from the Regular Season and will have been formulating plans to stop each other since the start of the season. Buckle up, this one is going to be a bumpy ride.