MIES (Switzerland) - And we have arrived here, finally. Two Game 3s of the Quarter-Finals in the Basketball Champions League, powered by Ameresco SUNEL, will give us the final two participants in the BCL Final Four.
The stage is set in Athens, where AEK BC will go up against Asisa Joventut on April 15 at 18:30 CET, and in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, where La Laguna Tenerife will face Galatasaray MCT Technic on the same day at 21:00 CET.
Before spending your Wednesday night waiting for the decisive outcome ahead of the final party in Badalona, take a look at 12 must-know facts about the two final Quarter-Final clashes of Season X.
AEK BC (1) vs. Asisa Joventut (1) - April 15 at 18:30 CET
This will be AEK BC’s third time playing a tie-breaker in a BCL Quarter-Finals, and no other team has done it more than twice, with the Greek side progressing in 2025 and being eliminated in 2023; AEK are undefeated when playing at home in the Quarter-Finals (W7).
Asisa Joventut have lost their most recent three road games in the BCL, after winning the previous four; they will try to become only the third team in league history to win Game 3 of a BCL Quarter-Finals series on the road (Ludwigsburg in 2022 & Peristeri in 2024).
Joventut have scored 40+ points in the paint in eight BCL games this season, more than any other team, and only three teams have scored more per game than them this season (38.1 pts in the paint per game); however, AEK have allowed 40+ points in the paint in only two of their last 18 home games.
Frank Bartley (AEK) has scored 20+ points in five of his last six home games in the BCL, including in each of the most recent three. He has also made 3+ shots from behind the arc in each of those last six home games.
Ricky Rubio (Joventut) has averaged 14.7 points and 6.7 assists per game when playing away from home in the BCL, both better averages than when he played at home (11.9 points and 5.1 assists).
AEK didn't play during the weekend, while Joventut weren't successful in Spain as they lost 87-77 against BAXI Manresa despite Michael Ruzic's 18 points and 7 rebounds.
La Laguna Tenerife (1) vs. Galatasaray MCT Technic (1) - April 15 at 21:00 CET
La Laguna Tenerife have won 35 of their 36 non-Regular Season home games in the BCL, including the last 31 in a row, as their only such defeat was against UCAM Murcia in the Round of 16 2017-18 (72-83); they have won their nine home games in the BCL Quarter-Finals but the most recent two ended with margins of fewer than five points.
Galatasaray MCT Technic have lost their previous four trips to Spain in the BCL, but the last three ended with margins of six points or fewer; they will try to become only the third team in league history to win Game 3 of a BCL Quarter-Final series on the road (Ludwigsburg in 2022 & Peristeri in 2024).
Tenerife and Galatasaray (both 10.1) are two of the six teams averaging 10+ three-pointers made per game in the BCL this season; 37.1 percent of Tenerife’s total points this season have come from behind the arc, the second-highest ratio behind Karditsa (37.7%).
Marcelinho Huertas (Tenerife) has had 18 games with 10+ assists in the BCL, a joint-high in league history (also Joe Ragland); the last three times he made 10+ assists in a BCL game were all during Quarter-Final ties, including once in a Game 3 (10 vs. Tofas in 2024).
John Meeks (Galatasaray) has scored more than 15 points in each of his two Quarter-Finals games in the BCL, as often as in his previous 12 appearances. He has made 3+ three-pointers in five of his last seven BCL games.
Marcelinho Huertas had another brilliant weekend, leading Tenerife to the 97-94 victory against Basquet Girona with 21 points and 7 assists; Galatasaray, on the other hand, didn't play during the weekend.