MIES (Switzerland) - The Basketball Champions League celebrates the 10-year anniversary as Season X tips off on October 7, with the usual format.
Eight teams will gain access to the Round of 16 by winning their respective group, while the fourth-placed teams will be out of contention after the first six games of the campaign.
The second and third-placed teams from adjacent groups (C2 vs. D3, C2 vs. D3) will face each other in the Play-Ins, in best-of-three series, with the winners of these eight series making their way to complete the Sweet 16.
With this kind of a competition system, it's important to know what's going on in the other group, which is why we are previewing the Regular Season two groups at a time.
Following Groups A and B, it's time to focus on Group C and Group D, where two Spanish teams (and their respective leaders) are ready to make statements.
The favorites
Group C: Over the course of their glorious history, Joventut Badalona had never participated in the Basketball Champions League. They tried their chances in the 2017-18 Qualification Rounds, but they were eliminated by Kataja Basket.
Finally, Season X will feature La Penya as well.
And since we are talking about memorable moments, what's more memorable than seeing Ricky Rubio back with that black-and-green striped jersey?
One of the most gifted playmakers in European basketball history has decided to come back where it all began, and will mark his debut in the competition.
The 34-year-old point guard isn't the sole reason why Joventut will start Season X as the favorite in Group C.
Indeed, they will rely on other experienced guys like Sam Dekker, Adam Hanga and Ante Tomic, while also counting on the Swedish connection Birgander-Hakanson, and Cameron Hunt, a pure certainty in the competition.
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Group D: Filou Oostende, AEK BC, and La Laguna Tenerife: stop the count. Those are the only three teams that have participated in every single BCL Regular Season since 2016.
But the Spanish side can boast six appearances in the BCL Final Four as well, lifting the trophy in 2016-17 and 2021-22.
If we talk about continuity, there's no such team as the black-and-gold side from the Canary Islands, which will have once again Txus Vidorreta coaching on the bench and Marcelinho Huertas displaying magic on the court.
One could also add Giorgi Shermadini, Bruno Fitipaldo, Tim Abromaitis, and Aaron Doornekamp to the mix.
The Atlantic waves have brought to the beach not only seashells, but new faces too. Among them, Rokas Giedraitis promises to be one of the best all-arounders in the whole competition; after his BCL debut campaign with Aliaga Petkimspor, Wesley Van Beck will follow the steps of sharpshooters like David Kramer and Sasu Salin.
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Play-In series material
Group C: Hapoel Netanel Holon know how to be a dangerous side in this competition, as they have even clinched a Final Four spot in 2022. This season, they will have Jordan McRae and Xavier Munford as a potential deadly duo.
It's not easy to predict whether Cholet Basket or Bursaspor Basketbol will step make their way to the Play-Ins. However, Nenad Markovic's team certainly have the tools to extend their stay in the competition.
Group D: It could be a three-team battle to avoid an early elimination and contend for the Play-Ins. Unlike Trapani Shark, both Bnei Penlink Herzliya and Tofas Bursa bring over previous participations in the league.
The Turkish side have bet on another brilliant season by Hugo Besson and on Joe Thomasson, while Bnei Herzliya added athleticism in Jordon Varnado and ideally rim dominance with Chinanu Onuaku.
Potential Cinderella stories
Group C: Bursaspor made their way to Season X through the BCL Qualifiers, but looking at names on the roster, Cholet Basket appear to be one step behind at the beginning of the Regular Season.
Sure, they have an experienced leader in T.J. Campbell and an upcoming guard like Nathan De Sousa, but it will take more than that to reserve a spot in the Sweet 16. Gerald Ayayi might surprise most viewers.
Group D: Sicily has never been the most prominent of lands in Italian basketball. Another team from the region (Orlandina Basket) played in the BCL in the 2017-18 season, and now Trapani are ready for their debut.
Coached by an absolute expert of the game like Jasmin Repesa, they added former Filou Oostende player Timmy Allen and Ryan Arcidiacono from the United States.
It's a talented roster on paper, but will it be enough?
Players to watch
Group C: While this group is full of interesting players on Badalona, Holon, and Cholet, there wouldn't be Bursaspor competing at this stage without Brandon Childress.
The 28-year-old guard had never played in the BCL before, but he stepped up in the Qualification Round Tournament with 15.0 points, 3.7 assists, and 3.0 rebounds per game. Don't forget his name.
Group D: For the third straight season, J.D. Notae will play for Trapani. He joined the Sicilian club in the Italian second division after a first overseas year in Aris, and has become one of the team's leaders.
In the 2024-25 season, he promised 12.5 points, 3.6 assists, and 2.2 rebounds per game, being named LBA Sixth Man of the Year as he was mostly coming off the bench.
His leadership will be a decisive factor for them.
Youngsters to follow
Group C: If Bursaspor Basketbol made it back to the BCL through the Qualification Rounds in Samokov, it's also thanks to the 2005-born guard Berk Akin, ready to make a splash in his first European journey.
One of Türkiye's next generation talents was as fierce as a crocodile in Bulgaria, playing meaningful minutes and averaging 12.3 points per game over 50.0 percent from deep. He had 22 points in the Semi-Finals against PAOK.
Group D: From one 20-year-old Turkish guard to another. Berk Akin is Bursaspor's future insurance, while Ozgur Cengiz has been Tofas Bursa's biggest hope for quite some years now.
Playing at home, he led the whole Youth BCL 2023 in scoring (20.3 points), while also averaging 7.8 assists and 7.2 rebounds per game. It's pretty safe to assume he will get significant playing time this season.
Must-watch games
Group C: The 2023-24 BCL Regular Season had one of the most interesting and unexpected scenarios, with a four-team tie in Group F, which eventually saw Bursaspor get eliminated from contention.
The Turkish side finished at the bottom due to a -34 in points differential, which was mainly created by their 19-point loss to Hapoel Holon. They will meet each other again on October 8 at 17:00 CET to start the season.
Group D: Two veterans of the game clash from the sidelines to begin the campaign, the potential Cinderella story of Group D going up against the two-time competition winners.
Hosting Tenerife by the sea in PalaShark, Trapani dream of a historic night on October 8 at 20:30 CET. The outcome of it might be crucial for the remaining schedule of the two teams.