17 October, 2023
05 May, 2024
31 Dylan Ennis (UCAM)
24/04/2024
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Eight things to look out for in the second Semi-Final in Belgrade

BELGRADE (Serbia) - An all-Spanish clash will determine the second finalist at the 2024 BCL Final Four in Belgrade, as two Liga Endesa title contenders will fight it off for a place in their first ever BCL title game.

UCAM Murcia vs. Unicaja

2nd Semi-Final - 21:00 CEST - Belgrade Arena


Tyler Kalinoski is going through a purple patch, will it continue in Belgrade?

● This will be the first Semi-Final in BCL history between teams from the same country.

● The two teams have met once already this season, in the Spanish Liga Endesa, with Unicaja winning 88-65 on the road. Unicaja also defeated UCAM in both of the two games between them in the BCL, in the 2022-23 Quarter-Finals, and both times by more than 15 points.

● This is going to be UCAM's second Semi-Final appearance in the BCL. In 2018, at the Athens Final Four, they lost 77-75 to AEK, who went on to win the trophy. This will be Unicaja's second Semi-Final in a row. In 2023 they lost 69-67 to Telekom Baskets Bonn, who went on to win the title.

● UCAM have won 11 of their last 13 games in the competition, and nine of those by double-digit margins. Unicaja are riding an 8-game winning streak in the BCL and have an average win margin of 13.5 points during that stretch. Unicaja's previous longest win streak in the BCL was five games.

● UCAM lead the BCL this season in points in the paint, with 39.9 per game, and in two-point field goal percentage, converting 58.6 percent of their shots from within the arc.

● Unicaja have the best defense in this season's BCL by two different metrics: First, they allow only 99.3 points per 100 possessions, as the only team that gives up fewer than 100 points per 100 possessions. Second, they hold opponents to an impressively low field goal percentage, 42 percent.
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● UCAM's Marko Todorovic has scored more than 15 points in each of his last three BCL games, averaging 18.7 points per game in that stretch. By comparison, he averaged 10.7 points per game over his first six BCL appearances;

● Unicaja's Tyler Kalinoski scored a BCL career-high 23 points int the Game 2 win at Promitheas Patras in the Quarter-Finals. The Unicaja guard is averaging 2.3 made triples over his last six BCL games, after averaging 1 triple over the previous 12 games.