MIES (Switzerland) - Season Seven of the Basketball Champions League is starting next week. Lenovo Tenerife are the defending champions, meaning they have the biggest target on their backs ahead of the Regular Season start.

Time for us to introduce all the 32 teams, group by group, concluding with Group H, which sees the defending champions Lenovo Tenerife in a tough group with Lithuanian champions, Israeli finalists and a rising power in Greece.

		GAMES				STREAK	GAME POINTS					POINTS
#	Team	P	W	L	%	Last 5	For	Agt	+/-	FA	AA
1	Lenovo Tenerife LNTF	0	0	0	0		0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Rytas Vilnius VILN	0	0	0	0		0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Peristeri bwin PERI	0	0	0	0		0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Bnei Ofek Dist Herzliya HERZ	0	0	0	0		0	0	0	0	0	0

Lenovo Tenerife

Who are they?

The defending champions, who also won the first season of BCL back in 2016-17. They are now a certified force in Europe and in Spain, and their 2-0 start to Liga Endesa makes it look like they want even more success this time around.

Coached by Txus Vidorreta, the winningest coach in BCL history, Lenovo Tenerife made minimal changes this summer, losing Kyle Wiltjer, Dejan Todorovic and Emir Sulejmanovic, but adding Tim Abromaitis, Elgin Cook, Moussa Diagne, Ivan Cruz and most importantly Jaime Fernandez, new FIBA EuroBasket champ with Spain. Just a loaded team, strong favorites to go back-to-back.

Their biggest BCL success?

Won the title twice. Hereda San Pablo Burgos are the only other team with two BCL titles, won back-to-back in 2020 and 2021.

Why should I watch them?

Because they play the most efficient team basketball you could imagine, powered by Marcelinho Huertas and Giorgi Shermadini. Their offense makes the opponent dizzy, you never know what's coming, and this current lineup seems like the strongest Tenerife to date.

Rytas Vilnius

Who are they?

Champions of Lithuania, claiming their sixth title, first one since 2010. They also won the EuroCup twice, and were successful in various regional competitions, such as the North European Basketball League, which they won in 2002, and the Baltic Basketball League, which they won three times from 2006 to 2009.

Coached by Giedrius Zibenas, they brought in a whole new backcourt with Benedek Varadi and Marcus Foster, both familiar with BCL surroundings, and they got two Lithuanian players back home, signing deals with Martynas Echodas and Gytis Masiulis.

Their biggest BCL success?

They reached the Round of 16 last season, but could not advance with in a group with Lenovo Tenerife. SIG Strasbourg finished ahead of Rytas in second spot, Falco Szombathely were bottom of the group.

Why should I watch them?

Because they are a team with a big European name, a team with incredible support in their arena, and a team that's high on confidence after winning the championship last season and ending the 12-year-long drought. Also, Marcus Foster could be in MVP talks if he's close to his 2019-20 level when he was in Holon.

Peristeri bwin

Who are they?

The team that's on the rise in Greece, looking to take the "best of the rest" reputation in the country behind Panathinaikos and Olympiacos. Peristeri have been up and down in their history, with the golden years in the late 1990s and early 2000s, led by the legendary scorer Alphonso Ford.

Coached by Vassilis Spanoulis, another legend of European basketball starting his coaching career, Peristeri put together an impressive roster over the summer, getting Sylvain Francisco, Miro Bilan and Marcus Denmon among others, giving them some much needed international experience.

Their biggest BCL success?

They reached the Round of 16 in 2019-20, losing in two games to Turk Telekom. They played against Rytas Vilnius a season later, with Steven Gray setting BCL records with 10 three-pointers and efficiency rating of 47, done in Lithuania.

Why should I watch them?

Because everybody wants to know how good of a coach Spanoulis could be. Because Denmon, Francisco and Bilan have the talent and knowledge to pour in 30+ points on any given night. Because Aleksa Radanov could grab a triple-double if he has everything going right for him, like he had it in Igokea.

Bnei Ofek Dist Herzliya

Who are they?

The Cinderella story of last season in Israel, winning the Israeli State Cup and reaching the Finals after eliminating Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Semi-Finals. They are a young club, officially founded in 1985, but reaching its final form in 2012, under the current name.

Coached by Oren Aharoni, they are embarking on their third continental adventure. The previous two times, they played the FIBA Europe Cup, reaching the Second Group Stage Round in 2016-17 and the Regular Season in 2017-18.

Their biggest BCL success?

This will be their first BCL season.

Why should I watch them?

Because they kept a lot of their guys from the historic 2021-22 campaign. Chris Babb, Quinton Hooker, Maurice Kemp, Sandy Cohen, Andy Van Vliet, Yair Kravits and Dori Sahar are returning for another run, while additions of Oded Brandwein, Robert Carter and Biram Faye seem to be steps in the right direction to keep the energy going.