MIES (Switzerland) - The Basketball Champions League is back with its eighth season, meaning it's also time for the Power Rankings. Disclaimer: these are not the official rankings in any shape or form, this is just a heat-check, a snapshot of which teams are in form, and which are not.

We are trying to sort these teams by their overall performance, not just their BCL record. That means that their domestic league results are also taken into account, because you'll feel better about a team that won 10 straight games overall, than about a team that won two BCL games, but lost eight games in their domestic championship.

You can revisit Volume 1 by clicking this link. Then, you can find Volume 2 here.

#32 BK Opava (=)

BCL record: 0-3
Domestic championship record: 10-3

They have a week off but then the toughest possible matchup awaits, because they have to travel to France to face JDA Bourgogne Dijon. However, that domestic championship record is making it a bit easier to find positives in this season. Get another two wins in before the next BCL game, and those stretches of good basketball could be extended from 10 to 20 minutes, then to 30 per game and maybe they challenge for a win or two the rest of the way.

#31 Bursaspor Info Yatirim (=)

BCL record: 0-2
Domestic championship record: 5-3

The Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde of the BCL. They looked nowhere near to winning a game in the first two games in this competition, but they are at 5-3 in the Turkish League, beating Galatasaray on the road. Which face are they showing this time around? With a game in hand, they still have a chance of even going to 4-2 here, but the way they looked at times, it felt like they could also be 1-5 or 2-4 at the end of the Regular Season. Guess it depends on whether you're getting Dr Jekyll or Mr Hyde when you face them...

#30 VEF Riga (-3)

BCL record: 0-3
Latvian-Estonian Basketball League record: 7-3

It couldn't have gone any worse for VEF Riga: Dropping to 0-3 in this kind of competition format isn't all that bad, but when you drop to 0-3 while the rest of the group is at 2-1, that's already a gigantic mountain to climb if you want to reach the 2024 part of the BCL season. The domestic record is fine now, with four straight wins since they were at 3-3 .

#29 Igokea m:tel (+1)

BCL record: 0-3
Adriatic League record: 6-2

Remember when everybody expected another big battle with Partizan and Crvena Zvezda in the Adriatic League, and then everybody got excited because Buducnost are looking really good and could spoil the plans of those two? Well, scratch that. Because - okay, Zvezda have a game in hand - Igokea are currently at the top of the Adriatic League. We rewarded them with +1 in the Power Rankings because they are also at the bottom of their BCL group, but still. Igokea just beat Buducnost, they are above Partizan in the standings and could stay above Zvezda, too. Crazy!

#28 EWE Baskets Oldenburg (-3)

BCL record: 0-3
Domestic championship record: 5-3

Time to give you another "Oldenburg are better than the results suggest" update: Sure, they are down at 0-3, but they lost those three games by a total of 9 points. Meaning, not only could they be 3-3 at the end of the day, they could also own the tiebreakers against Strasbourg, Karsiyaka and Oostende. But yeah, basketball is cruel and all that, once again.

#27 Rio Breogan (-15)

BCL record: 1-2
Domestic championship record: 2-8

Whoops. Six defeats in the last seven games in all competitions, including two BCL defeats. That's how you drop from 12 to 27 in the Power Rankings.

#26 Tofas Bursa (-5)

BCL record: 1-2
Domestic championship record: 3-5

Good news? They defeated Turk Telekom easily over the weekend. Much needed win.
Bad news? It was their first win in a month, because they were on a six-game losing streak, which is why they are much lower here than their group rivals Tortona or Murcia. Actually, they were one overtime win over Igokea away from being in the 30s here.

#25 King Szczecin (-6)

BCL record: 1-2
Domestic championship record: 6-3

There's no middle ground with King Szczecin. They are either the hottest or the coldest team in all of Europe, starting the season strong, then falling into a bit of a crisis with four straight defeats, and now finding their mojo again, winning back-to-back road games in the Polish League. Still very much alive in their group.

#24 MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg (-7)

BCL record: 1-2
Domestic championship record: 4-3

How is this happening? How are they losing home games in the BCL? How can they be down at 1-2 and down at #24 in the Power Rankings? How can they be so low, when they have the stats MVP of the BCL so far in Jayvon Graves, who's averaging an 23.3 efficiency rating? How? How!? Or, to be consistent with the way they prefer to write their name: HOW!?

#23 Banco di Sardegna Sassari (+6)

BCL record: 1-2
Domestic championship record: 2-6

To be fair, this must be the highest a 3-8 team has ever ranked in our Power Rankings. Keep an eye on Stephane Gombauld: 18 points, 9 rebounds, 5 blocks, fourth man in efficiency 30+ territory in a single game this season. But yeah, three wins in 11 games isn't exactly championship mentality Sassari.

#22 Le Mans Sarthe Basket (-2)

BCL record: 1-2
Domestic championship record: 6-6

Losing at home is a big no-no. Losing at home to Falco Vulcano Szombathely, a direct rival in the battle for the next phase is an even bigger No-No. Losing at home to Falco Vulcano Szombathely, a direct rival in the battle for the next phase, by 18 points is a gigantic NO-NO. Losing at home to Falco Vulcano Szombathely, a direct rival in the battle for the next phase, by 18 points is actually the biggest Michael Scott kind of NO! GOD! NO! because Le Mans Sarthe Basket have Unicaja coming to town this week.

#21 SL Benfica (-13)

BCL record: 1-2
Domestic championship record: 5-2

One thing about the MVP awards and contenders: Their team has to be a contender, League-wise. Otherwise, you could have a career year like Ivan Almeida and not even get mentioned in the MVP Race, because you're on a 1-2 team in the BCL. But Almeida is currently the leading scorer in the BCL, with 20.7 points per game, in just 28 minutes of playing time per game. More stats? Makram Ben Romdhane is currently the leading rebounder in the BCL. Terrell Carter is fourth in blocks. Just unlucky to be 1-2 here.

#20 Galatasaray EKMAS (+3)

BCL record: 1-2
Domestic championship record: 3-5

Somebody please check Zvezdan Mitrovic's heart rate. Because, sure, yeah, losing four of your last five games is tough, but losing those four by a total of NINE points is just heart-breaking. They were -3 v Jerusalem in overtime, -1 v Turk Telekom, -3 v Darussafaka Lassa, -2 v Bursaspor. Oh, and they lost to Petkim Spor by 2 over a month ago. So, out of their seven defeats this season, five were one-possession games. Pain.

#19 Peristeri bwin (-3)

BCL record: 1-2
Domestic championship record: 4-3

Five wins in their last six games. But wait, why are they so low then? Why did they lose three spots then? Well, because they are still 1-2 here and about to face Falco Vulcano Szombathely on the road, meaning this is make-or-break time already. If they win, they complete the sweep and march forward towards home court advantage in the Play-Ins. If they lose, it gets complicated. If they lose by 18+, oh boy, they lose the tiebreaker and find themselves in a hole so deep that it doesn't compare even with the one Alice in Chains where in.

 

#18 Falco Vulcano Szombathely (+8)

BCL record: 1-2
Domestic championship record: 7-1

Just one sentence for you: Zoltan Perl is going to play against a Greek club this week.

#17 Filou Oostende (+11)

BCL record: 1-2
BNXT League record: 7-2

Txus Vidorreta is beyond anybody's reach in the history books, with 82 wins to his name in this competition. However, Dario Gjergja can now point his finger to the numbers and proudly say he's the best of the rest, confirmed. The Croatian playcaller moved into second place in BCL wins all-time, and he celebrated it in truly Gjergja-way, by finding another high-flying Belgian prospect out of nowhere.

 

#16 Rytas Vilnius (+8)

BCL record: 1-2
Domestic championship record: 9-1

Okay, the easiest way to describe this - Rytas are the best 1-2 team you'll see in any competition. They are in a three-way tie at the top of the Lithuanian League, and Margiris Normantas is leading the steals categoryt in the BCL, still feeling good after his fine FIBA Basketball World Cup campaign. Up by 8 spots now, they'll be up by 8 more if they keep winning until the next Power Rankings come around.

#15 Promitheas Patras (-6)

BCL record: 2-1
Domestic championship record: 5-2

Yep, losing one game will cost you six places in a crowded field such as the Power Rankings. They lost to Dijon in a matchup which was just their first real test of strength and ambition this season. They are resting this week and will come back with another massively difficult game, on the road in Vilnius, against that colorful crowd in Lithuania. They have the chance to pull off a double win there, to go to 3-1 with a sweep over Rytas, that could be big when the Regular Season ends.

#14 Cholet Basket (+8)

BCL record: 2-1
Domestic championship record: 6-6

This is why the BCL is tough. Because you can go and beat a genuine Round of 16 contender, but you lose one of the other games and all of a sudden you're in a three-way tie at 2-1, nowhere near being safe for even home court advantage in the Play-Ins, let alone the Round of 16. Focus on the two wins in a wildly competitive Group C, learn the lessons of that single defeat, and pray one of your rivals drops a game against VEF Riga to help you out. The BCL is just tough, every point counts around here.

#13 Darussafaka Lassa (-7)

BCL record: 2-1
Domestic championship record: 6-2

This is why the BCL is tough. Because you can go and beat a genuine Round of 16 contender, but you lose one of the other games and all of a sudden you're in a three-way tie at 2-1, nowhere near of being safe for even home court advantage in the Play-Ins, let alone the Round of 16. Focus on the two wins in a wildly competitive Group C, learn the lessons of that single defeat, and pray one of your rivals drops a game against VEF Riga to help you out. The BCL is just tough, every point counts around here. Did anybody say Deja Vu? 

#12 Lenovo Tenerife (+1)

BCL record: 2-1
Domestic championship record: 5-5

In case the point didn't sink in with the other two 2-1 teams in this group: This is why the the BCL is tough. Because you can go and beat a genuine Round of 16 contender, but you lose one of the other games and all of a sudden you're in a three-way tie at 2-1, nowhere near of being safe for even home court advantage in the Play-Ins, let alone the Round of 16. Focus on the two wins in a wildly competitive Group C, learn the lessons of that single defeat, and pray one of your rivals drops a game against VEF Riga to help you out. The BCL is just tough, every point counts around here.

#11 Telekom Baskets Bonn (+3)

BCL record: 2-1
Domestic championship record: 5-3

The defending champs have gotten over that early season slump. They have won eight of their last ten games in all competitions and, to be fair, they were one buzzer-beating three-pointer away from winning nine of ten, from winning all three of their BCL games and from being a Top-5 team in the Power Rankings. Oh, and good job, Glynn Watson! He bounced back from a horrible Holon game to pick up 20 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists against Breogan. Especially important, since Harald Frey wasn't around that week.

#10 Pinar Karsiyaka (-9)

BCL record: 2-1
Domestic championship record: 4-3

One defeat and you go from #1 to #10. But maybe that shows how bad they were in their road game in Strasbourg, nowhere near of testing the best defense in the BCL with that omnipotent KSK offense.

#9 Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem (-6)

BCL record: 2-1
Domestic championship record: none

Speedy giveth, Speedy taketh away. Speedy Smith hit a clutch triple against Galatasaray EKMAS to send the game to overtime, but last week he missed a clutch three-pointer for the win against PAOK mateco. Levi Randolph has been huge to start the season, he's #2 in the MVP Race right now, and his 19 points per game put him at #3 in the leading scorer race. A lot of positives for coach Aleksandar Dzikic, the biggest one being they can win the tiebreaker over PAOK with a three-point win in December. They are resting this week, then facing Galatasaray on the road - that one will be amazing, for sure.

#8 PAOK mateco (+10)

BCL record: 2-1
Domestic championship record: 4-3

At which point are we allowed to talk about this being the best PAOK team since they joined the BCL? They jumped by 10 spots because they are currently on top of arguably the closest group in the League, all while playing just one game at home. Was it pretty against Jerusalem? Not really. Was it efficient? Yes, absolutely. Our Social Media channels will be full of Pame PAOKara comments again, and we don't mind it one bit, because these guys really are Round of 16 contenders. They haven't been there since 2019...

 

#7 UCAM Murcia (+8)

BCL record: 2-1
Domestic championship record: 7-3

Yeah, this is the season. For real. This is the one, where they go full Unicaja mode, or full Tenerife mode, or full Burgos mode, and win a trophy somewhere, because their latest win over Barcelona (in weekend ACB action)  proves they've put together a monster of a team in 2023-24. What's better than five straight wins in all competitions? Four straight double-digit wins and another by 9 points, that's what's better.

#6 Hapoel Holon (+4)

BCL record: 2-0
Domestic championship record: none

There is one rule you need to remember when looking at shooters. Confidence is contagious. That's why Hapoel Holon, even though they don't have a typical lights-out, Sasu Salin kind of guy, are capable of hitting 14 threes and climbing to 2-0 in their group in the BCL, looking like a strong Round of 16 contender once again. They have back-to-back road games before the next edition of the Power Rankings, just hope they don't learn about the only thing that's more contagious than confidence.
(Spoiler alert: It's lack of confidence.)

 

#5 SIG Strasbourg (+6)

BCL record: 3-0
Domestic championship record: 5-7

That French League record doesn't look so horrible anymore, and being perfect in the BCL certainly helps in creating a mood that could send SIG Strasbourg to another Round of 16 run, in addition to a Play-offs appearance in France. How are they doing it? We had a nice stats breakdown here, Strasbourg are currently the best defensive team in the entire League, going by that good old "defense wins championships" mantra.

#4 Bertram Derthona Tortona (+3)

BCL record: 3-0
Domestic championship record: 4-4

No need to say anything. Just click play and enjoy the Mic'd Up Moments with one of the highest IQ guys in international basketball.

 

#3 JDA Bourgogne Dijon (+2)

BCL record: 3-0
Domestic championship record: 5-7

Sure, David Holston had another David Holston kind of game last week, but he's happy to hand the reins over to Gregor Hrovat nowadays. The Slovenian Olympian is effective all over the floor, and his consistency to start the 2023-24 season put him not just in the Team of the Month for October, but also in the MVP discussions in the BCL. We just heard it's a popular thing to do these days, take a dude from Slovenia, add an MVP tag around, people will start talking...

#2 AEK BETSSON BC (+2)

BCL record: 3-0
Domestic championship record: 3-3

Six wins in the last seven games, The Queen wants the throne back! Okay, Justin Tillman is really good, his numbers are off the charts, but Chasson Randle is the leader of this team, and not just this team, he's also the leader of the MVP Race in the BCL. King Szczecin are coming to Athens this week, which could be an opportunity for AEK to climb to 4-0 . They have never started their BCL season with four straight wins, so this is perhaps the best piece of evidence of AEK's strength. Because we're talking about the 2018 champs here, remember.

#1 Unicaja (+1)

BCL record: 3-0
Domestic championship record: 7-3

NINE straight wins in all competitions. NINE!!! Unicaja are unstoppable, instead of trying to throw out a bunch of fancy words to demonstrate it, let's just say that they handed Real Madrid their first defeat of the season, and they've done so by ending a streak of 19 straight defeats on the road to Real Madrid  over the last 15 years. But guess what, there was no room for euphoria. Instead, they got a "never too high, never too low" message from coach Ibon Navarro.

Well, they are as high as it gets in the Power Rankings, that's for sure!

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