Aris BSA 2003 hosts Le Mans on Tuesday in a crucial Group I contest in which both teams are targeting their first wins of the Last 16. Aris fell 74-72 last week at DKV Joventut, while Le Mans lost at home 63-68 against Alba Berlin. Those losses significantly up the ante on this week’s contest since the loser will drop to 0-2 and have a large mountain to climb to get back in the quarterfinals hunt, while the winner will be tied for second place. Aris fell behind early and rallied late in Spain in its first Eurocup game under new head coach David Blatt, but now at home will have a significant advantage. Aris is deep all around, with playmaker Aaron Miles, three-point ace Keydren Clark, super scorer Jeremy Richardson and combo guard Ivan Paunic its main backcourt references. Le Mans counters with point guard Zach Wright, the high-scoring Dee Spencer and rising star Antoine Diot off the bench, while small forward Maleye Ndoye awaits Richardson. At power forward, Le Mans sends former Euroleague scoring champ Marc Salyers against veteran Michalis Kakiouzis. In the paint, Andy Betts and Nikos Barlos represent Aris against J.P. Batista and Thierry Rupert. Le Mans is the No. 1 rebounding team in the Eurocup, something Aris must be prepared for to maximize its chances. Both teams are well balanced with good perimeter shooters that open up the floor for teammates. After a poor three-point shooting game last week, Aris must bounce back to get its offense on track. If its shots are falling, Aris is the clear favorite at home. But just as it proved in the regular season finale, Le Mans is quite dangerous when painted into a corner.
REFEREES: Ilija Belosevic, Ademir Zurapovic, Rustu Nuran