Two teams aiming for a Last 16 berth clash in the Group A finale on Tuesday in Istanbul when Galatasaray Café Crown hosts BancaTercas Teramo. The two teams are tied with Azovmash for second place in Group A with 2-3 records, but only one of them can join Alba Berlin in the Last 16. For Galatasaray the task is simple. Win and play in the Last 16. Lose and go home. Teramo needs to win and get some help from Berlin. Only if Teramo wins and Azovmash loses or if Azovmash wins but its margin of victory is at least 10 points fewer than Teramo’s will Teramo book a Last 16 berth. Teramo bested Galatasaray 95-87 when they met last month as Bobby Jones scored 21 and the team dished 22 total assists. Both teams rely on a few key players for much of their production, For Teramo, guard Drake Diener and small forward Jones team up with big men Valerio Amoroso and Virgil Stanescu. Gala is the only team with two players averaging more than 20 points per game – Rado Rancik and Darius Washington. Sharp shooter Simas Jasaitis and power forward Mike Wilkinson are its other two big names. Teramo can send playmakers Giuseppe Poeta and Ryan Hoover to guard Washington, while Gala will send Evren Buker to challenge Diener. Jasaitis and Jones will tangle in a crucial duel. The Galatasaray attack is No. 1 in the Eurocup in scoring (87.6 ppg.) and second in two-point shooting (61.0%). And it’s averaging 94.5 points at home and 63.0% two-point shooting in home games. Those numbers may make Galatasaray the favorite at home, especially against a Teramo side that is winless in the Eurocup on the road. However, Teramo promises to come out focused and eager to make history with its first road win and a Last 16 berth in what could be a historic moment for that club.
REFEREES: Sreten Radovic, Roman Kolar, Omer Esteron