ULEB cup - 19.02.2008

Eliminatory A: Dynamo Moscow vs. Asco Slask Wroclaw

The 2006 ULEB Cup champions from Dynamo Moscow left no doubt about their power by winning Group F. Its ambition is also out of question - to become the first team to win two ULEB Cup titles. ASCO Slask ASCO, one of the fourth-place qualifiers from the regular season, takes its second shot at the ULEB Cup elimination rounds. Dynamo will have to be wary of a Wroclaw team that is convinced its best games are still ahead.

Eliminatory B: Ventspils vs. Lukoil

One of the best home teams in ULEB Cup history, BK Ventspils is back in the elimination rounds again with lots of experience as the only team to advance out of the regular season in each of the last five seasons. But Ventspils must first face another ULEB Cup signature team, Bulgarian League perennial champion Lukoil Academic, which has only missed the elimination rounds once in five seasons and is celebrating a special 50th anniversary season with a high-scoring, entertaining style.

Eliminatory C: BC Kyiv vs. Telindus Oostende

Two former ULEB Cup champion coaches meet in this unique seires. BC Kyiv of Ukraine is not your average newcomer to the elimination rounds. With plenty of players with experience in the competition, it is one of the few undefeated teams in its domestic league, and getting used to winning. Telindus Oostende once again has the responsibility to represent Belgian basketball in the elimination rounds but has overcome a very tough regular season group toughened and ready to battle for more.

Eliminatory D: PGE Turow Zgorzelec vs. CEZ Nymburk

Two of the most pleasant surprises of the competition will battle for survival in the Last 32. Turow won a tough Group H handily despite the presence of teams with much more ULEB Cup experience. Oddly enough, Turow plays its home games over the German border in the Czech Republic, so its seeding advantage might have been lost considering that Nymburk is the Czech Republic champion and can bring some fansn to the table there. What's more, Nymburk's season is already a success, so it has nothing to lose.

Eliminatory E: Akasvayu Girona vs. Elan Chalon

Akasvayu is the only one of the four top-seeded Spanish teams that is a newcomer in the competition. It won Group C by going undefeated at home, and now must put that to good work against a team with more experience in the competition. Elan Chalon snuck into the Last 32 at the last possible second, surviving as one of the best fourth-place teams. Now with a clean slate, Chalon has nothing to lose and everything to gain by leaping into the next games feet first.

Eliminatory F: Buducnost vs. Hemofarm

A veteran ULEB Cup representing Montenegro for the first time, Buducnost is both a fountain of youthful talent and a club with a deep background in how to advance through even the toughest competitions. As competitors domestically in the Adriatic League, however, Buducnost and Hemofarm know enough about each other to perhaps negate any homecourt advantage. Hemofarm has been deep into the ULEB Cup elimination rounds recently and wants more this time.

Eliminatory G: Turk Telekom vs. Unics

Expect a major battle between a Turk Telekom, which boasted the regular season's third-best record, and Unics, which finished low after a bad start. There is no need to say that Turk Telekom will be a tough opponent and a bonafide Final Eight challenger. But there is no need to say the same about Unics, which completed an incredible climb from the bottom of its group to advance in the very last game and now wants to gain back its status as a title challenger.

Eliminatory H: Triumph Lyubertsy vs. Artland Dragons

It came as no surprise that Triumph Lyubertsy was not the average ULEB Cup newcomer. Triumph was the Group E champion and is unbeaten at home, showing that its stock of well-travelled talents know how to take on the best, even if the club lacked that experience. Now, Triumph will go against another newcomer, Artland Dragons of Germany, the final team to qualify for the elimination rounds, and the classic team with nothing to lose against a favored opponent. .

Eliminatory I: DKV Joventut vs. Allianz Swans Gmunden

A former ULEB Cup semifinalist and one-time Euroleague champion, DKV Joventut is back to the elimination rounds boasting some of the top young talents in the world as it is considered a solid contender to lift the ULEB Cup trophy. Few people believed that Allianz Swans Gmunden would reach the elimination rounds as the first Austrian team ever to go so far. Now that the Swans are there, expect them to enjoy the opportunity to try to surprise people all over again.

Eliminatory J: BC Khimki vs. Koln 99ers

Khimki survived difficult Group D with an 8-2 recod and registered four road wins in the process. The team is also tied for first place in the powerful Russian League midway through the season. Ready, willing and able already describes this team as it readies to face Koln, whose four home wins allowed it to take third place in its group. With one of the youngest rosters in the competition, Koln has played with poise beyond its years en route to securing a Last 32 berth that is already a success.

Eliminatory K: Zadar vs. Azovmash Mariupol

A perfect finish with three straight wins allowed KK Zadar to advance to the Last 32 as the second-placed team from its group. A 13-game winning streak in the Adriatic League also says a lot about this team's aspirations.With an entire city backing them, Zadar is ready for more, and will get tested by Azovmash, a group of talented and smart veterans whose third-place finish is deceptive coming from such a tough group. Azovmash won five of its last six games and is ready for more.

Eliminatory L: Pamesa Valencia vs. Panionios

The first-ever ULEB Cup champion, a semifinalist in its only other appearance in the competition, Pamesa Valencia was unbeaten at home in the regular season. Desipte injuries, a core of seasoned stars and young talent make this a volatile team that might only need momentum to go far. Panionios returns to theelimination rounds for a second time in as many seasons in the competition having based its third-place group finish on four wins in a row, showing that it, too, can ride a wave.

Eliminatory M: Besiktas JK Cola Turka vs. Hapoel Jerusalem

Besiktas certainly showed itself a title contender in the regular season, when it posted the first unbeaten record in competition history. Now, it must face the pressure of avoiding even one off night in the point-counting rounds. Experience on the bench and on the court should help, but its opponent in the Last 32 has some of that, too. Hapoel, the 2004 ULEB Cup champion, had to advance as one of the best fourth-placed teams after a great start, but will count on a fresh start and its devoted fans to challenge for another title.

Eliminatory N: Benetton Tamoil vs. Red Star

Benetton, a signature club in European basketball is looking for success in its ULEB Cup debut. Having won its group despite a rocky start, Benetton is now the only Italian team left in the competition. With the Final Eight in Turin, no team will be more motivated now. But if there is one thing Red Star can boast, it's more experience in two-way series at this level. Young, talented and heady, Red Star already registered four road wins in the competition - and won't be shy about going for more.

Eliminatory O: Galatasaray Cafe Crown vs. Asvel Basket

Another ULEB Cup newcomer, Galatasaray Cafe Crown is backed by a great crowd that is just as ambitious as the club they follow. A second-place finish in a tough group no doubt helped Galatasaray in the long run, and now it has the chance to enjoy the advantage of playing the second Last 32 game at home. It might need that advantage going against Asvel, which also finished second in its group and is a team the boasts plenty of experience in just this kind of competitive format.

Eliminatory P: Kalise Gran Canaria vs. KK Bosna

With plenty of elimination-rounds experience to fall back on, Kalise Gran Canaria has been rock-solid at home again while winning its regular season group. With a five-game win streak at its back, Kalise will make sure that a trip to the Canary Islands is no vacation for opponents, in this case a KK Bosna team that battled all season - overcame a four-overtime loss, in fact - to squeeze into the elimination rounds among the last qualifiers, ready to relax now and play without pressure to see how far it can go.

Thanks to euroleague.net/ulebcup