NYMBURK (Czech Republic) - Suspense? What suspense? ERA Nymburk winger Vojtech Hruban didn't even bat an eyelid during the Play-Offs Draw that pitted his team against Teksüt Bandirma in the Basketball Champions League Round of 16.

Bandirma are a much better team than fourth spot in their group says, we know a lot of the guys on that team and I respect them very much - Vojtech Hruban

"I wasn't surprised that we got Bandirma, in the back of my mind I already knew we were going to play them," the Czech international told championsleague.basketball with a laugh.

"I said before the Draw that I didn't want us to get Bandirma, so I was kind of expecting it to happen. This sort of thing happens to us pretty much every year, we draw the team we don't want to get."

Hruban believes that the Turkish side, who claimed the fourth and last ticket to the Play-Offs from Group B, were the team that none of the seeded teams in the Draw wanted in their path.

"Bandirma are a much better team than fourth spot in their group says, we know a lot of the guys on that team and I respect them very much," he said.

"Emanuel Terry has been playing great and he is in the MVP race, Tyler Kalinoski had a great season with Telenet Giants Antwerp last year, and I remember playing against Ian Hummer a couple of years back in the VTB United League.

After the win at Tenerife our mindset changed. If we can beat Tenerife, which for me was the best team in the BCL until that point, well then maybe we can also be the best team - Vojtech Hruban

"They are a high-scoring team and playing in Bandirma must be really, really tough for any team. But, then again, that's why we got home advantage," Hruban added with a smile.

Nymburk won Group C on a 12-2 record, the best among all teams in this Regular Season and a club best in their four-year history in the competition.

Securing homecourt advantage all through the Play-Offs is a big confidence booster in itself. Pulling off all this in a year you didn't set out to achieve it is the cherry on top, and Hruban can pinpoint the exact moment the Czech champions' confidence peaked.

"At the beginning our goal was simply to get to the Play-Offs, because we had a new team and we didn't know what to expect. But we had a good start to the season and with every win our confidence kept increasing," the 30-year-old small forward said.

"Until the Tenerife game (on Gameday 11 Nymburk handed Iberostar Tenerife their first defeat of the season) we were thinking along the lines of 'ok, we are playing well, we can be second in the group and do something good in the Play-Offs'.

The Play-Offs are an entirely different competition. But in my mind, the teams that belong in the Final Four are Hapoel, Tenerife, Zaragoza and ourselves - Vojtech Hruban

"After the win at Tenerife our mindset changed. If we can beat Tenerife, which for me was the best team in the BCL until that point, well then maybe we can also be the best team. That win changed our mindset and since then we aimed only for the first spot.

"So our goal has kept moving through the season, we keep aiming higher and higher, and our goal now can only be to reach the Final Four.

"[The race to the Final Four] is as open as always, because the Play-Offs are an entirely different competition. But in my mind, the teams that belong in the Final Four are Hapoel, Tenerife, Zaragoza and ourselves. I think that judging from what we showed in the Regular Season, we deserve it this year."

The first obstacle of course in the Czech champions' quest for a first-ever trip to the Final Four is the one Hruban was expecting all along, Bandirma. He will be of paramount importance to his team, as one of their top-3 players in efficiency, scoring and assists, in what is his best ever season in the BCL.

Except for Zach [Hankins] who is the cornerstone of our defense, we don't have any superstar defenders, it's a team effort - Vojtech Hruban

"I think I am just riding the wave of the team playing very well, I am going with the flow," he said modestly. "I am the kind of player who plays best when the team plays well. That said, I wouldn't mind at all if my numbers were lower but we won the series.

"I think we are prepared for Bandirma, we have been playing well, we had some rest and we have our full roster available.

"Obviously in the Play-Offs you take it game by game, by I don't want us to repeat what happened the last couple of seasons, when we were knocked out in the first round."

Nymburk's biggest weapon this season is anything but a secret. It is in fact lying in plain sight, as you don't have to look past the very top of the table in each defensive category.

The Czech team finished the Regular Season with the best defensive rating (95.4 per 100 possessions) and the best defense both inside and outside the arc, as measured by opponents' shooting percentage.

"I like the new statistics because while people always pay more attention on offense at least now they can see that we are also playing good defense, which is very nice," Hruban said.

Everybody in the Czech Republic was talking about basketball while we were playing in China - Vojtech Hruban

"Except for Zach [Hankins] who is the cornerstone of our defense, we don't have superstar defenders, it's a team effort. We rotate a lot, we double team a lot, we press full court, we do a lot of stuff to not expose any weaknesses on the defensive end.

"I am not saying our defense is spectacular, but we work very hard, we work together, and we cover for each other's mistakes. These are our biggest strengths."

Maintaining the same core during the past years is of course a huge factor behind Nymburk's admirable team chemistry. Their Czech core hasn't only be playing together for long, they play together all year round. A total of six Nymburk players were members of the Czech national team that clinched a historical sixth place in last summer's FIBA Basketball World Cup, in China.

"We basically just transferred the team from China back to Nymburk and added a few new pieces," Hruban said.

"We came back with so many new experiences and a lot of confidence. It was a long tournament, but in the end it gave us much more than it took away. Winning makes it so much easier to recover and to forget about fatigue.

"We saw a big surge in interest back home. The two major sports, soccer and ice hockey, have been struggling a bit in the last couple of years, so we were in the spotlight for 14 days.

"It was very nice because everybody in the Czech Republic was talking about basketball while we were playing in China.

"So with Nymburk playing so well we have sort of built on this, we are filling the void and keeping people interested in basketball until next summer, when hopefully the national team will be in the spotlight again."