The 2023-24 EuroLeague Women season has one week remaining in group play, and three of the competition’s eight playoff spots are still up for grabs.
It’s the final week of group play in EuroLeague Women, and five clubs have clinched playoff seeds for next month: Fenerbahçe Alagöz Holding, DVTK HUN-Therm and Beretta Famila Schio in Group A and ZVVZ USK Praha and Çukurova Basketbol Mersin in Group B.
With one postseason berth remaining in Group A and two remaining in Group B, expect quite a bit of chaos this week as the remaining playoff-eligible clubs fight for the right to advance. In Group A, it’s pretty simple: If Casademont Zaragoza wins or Valencia Basket Club loses, Zaragoza is in, but if Zaragoza loses and Valencia wins, Valencia will advance.
In Group B, things are a bit tougher. Four clubs — Perfumerias Avenida, Virtus Segafredo Bologna, KGHM BC Polkowice and Villeneuve-d’Ascq LM — are in the running for two playoff seeds, meaning there are plenty of possibilities for different playoff scenarios. Polkowice and Villeneuve-d’Ascq will face off in a matchup that could very well determine who moves on and who goes home.
A head-to-head matchup for a spot in the Quarter-Finals on the last day of action
ESBVA or Polkowice: who will win?
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— EuroLeague Women (@EuroLeagueWomen) January 29, 2024
The numerous postseason qualification possibilities for Group B’s competitors, outlined by FIBA.com, are as follows:
- Villeneuve-d’Ascq LM: Will qualify for the playoffs with a win over Polkowice
- Perfumerias Avenida: Will qualify for the playoffs unless it loses, Villeneuve-d’Ascq defeats Polkowice and Bologna defeats Basket Landes
- Virtus Segafredo Bologna: Will qualify for the playoffs with a win over Basket Landes and if Serco UNI Győr defeats Avenida
- KGHM BC Polkowice: Will qualify for the playoffs with a win over Villeneuve-d’Ascq and if Serco UNI Győr defeats Avenida
There’s certainly a lot to consider here, and you can bet there will be some scoreboard watching among the clubs as they await their respective fates. You can follow all the action live and for free on FIBA’s EuroLeague Women YouTube channel.
Tuesday, January 30
DVTK HUN-Therm (9-4) vs. Fenerbahçe Alagöz Holding (11-2)
When: 11 a.m. ET
Where: Metro Energy Sports Hall in Istanbul, Turkey
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Notable players: Kaila Charles, Darcee Garbin, Réka Lelik, Nina Aho (DVTK HUN-Therm); Napheesa Collier, Kayla McBride, Emma Meesseman, Yvonne Anderson, Kitija Laksa (Fenerbahçe Alagöz Holding)
Matchup details: It only makes sense that a day full of playoff positioning would begin with two clubs that have already qualified, right? Fenerbahçe certainly needs no introduction, as the defending champs have been among the best in the competition all season long, especially with Collier back on board. DVTK, too, got off to a tremendous start to group play, and though the Hungarian club hasn’t won back-to-back games since November, it still leads all EuroLeague Women teams in rebounds per game (40.5). DVTK was clearly outgunned the last time it ran into Fenerbahçe; with Collier since replacing Natasha Howard on Fenerbahçe’s roster, that’s unlikely to have changed. Fenerbahçe still needs to keep the pace of the game moving swiftly to win, but the overall disparity in talent is probably greater than the records of these two clubs suggest.
ZVVZ USK Praha (11-2) vs. Çukurova Basketbol Mersin (9-4)
When: 11:30 a.m. ET
Where: Servet Tazegül Spor Salonu in Mersin, Turkey
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Notable players: Ezi Magbegor, Nyara Sabally, Maite Cazorla, Maria Conde, Valériane Ayayi (ZVVZ USK Praha); Marina Mabrey, Elizabeth Williams, Olivia Epoupa (Çukurova Basketbol Mersin)
Matchup details: In another game that has little bearing on the upcoming postseason, the top two clubs in Group B square off in what should be a high-scoring and competitive affair. Praha has gone relatively unchallenged in Group B all season long, and while Mersin gave it a good shot back in Week 7, Praha ultimately came storming back in the second half to win narrowly. Mersin has, to the Turkish club’s credit, overcome the adversity of losing both a head coach and a star player in recent weeks to win three-straight games and rise above the pack of clubs currently battling for the group’s remaining playoff seeds, so momentum is certainly on its side. There are few players in EuroLeague Women hotter than Mabrey, who leads the competition in scoring (20.2 points per game); it goes without saying that if Praha can contain her, the Czech club will have a much easier time keeping Mersin at bay.
Beretta Famila Schio (9-4) vs. Valencia Basket Club (7-6)
When: 1:45 p.m. ET
Where: Pabellón Municipal Fuente de San Luis in Valencia, Spain
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Notable players: Dorka Juhász, Arella Guirantes, Robyn Parks, Jasmine Keys (Beretta Famila Schio); Alina Iagupova, Marie Gülich, Alba Torrens, Leticia Romero, Raquel Carrera, Clauda Contell (Valencia Basket Club)
Matchup details: Schio has been incredible since the November break, winning six of eight games, and is currently in a position to finish as high as second in Group A. That’s if the Italian club can fend off Valencia, which has been fighting for its life for several weeks now, but has remained in the playoff race thanks to three-straight wins of its own and the play of its prized midseason transfer Iagupova. Even so, Valencia absolutely must win this game in order to make the playoffs, while Schio could treat it merely as a tune-up; we’ll see if Valencia’s veteran roster can rise to the occasion one more time or if Schio’s size up front will prove too much to handle.
Polski Cukier AZS UMCS Lublin (2-11) vs. Casademont Zaragoza (8-5)
When: 1:45 p.m. ET
Where: Pabellón Príncipe Felipe in Zaragoza, Spain
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Notable players: Veronica Burton, Kylee Shook, Elin Gustavsson (Polski Cukier AZS UMCS Lublin); Tanaya Atkinson, Leonie Fiebich, Mikayla Pivec, Aleksa Gulbe (Casademont Zaragoza)
Matchup details: All Zaragoza has to do is win to make the playoffs, and on the surface, that seems like a simple enough task. Lublin has struggled to score the ball for the vast majority of the season, with no better example than the last time the two clubs met in Week 7, when Lublin managed just 42 points. That was, however, Zaragoza’s last convincing win; since then, the Spanish club has squeaked past Sepsi-SIC and DVTK while losing handily to Schio and Valencia—the former of which has overtaken Valencia in the standings. Statistically, this matchup greatly favors Zaragoza, with a stout defense taking on a scuffling offense, and Lublin doesn’t have much to play for in terms of playoff positioning.
ACS Sepsi-SIC (2-11) vs. LDLC ASVEL Féminin (4-9)
When: 2 p.m. ET
Where: Astroballe in Villeurbanne, France
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Notable players: Borislava Hristova, Morgan Green, Courtney Range, Ellen Nystrom (ACS Sepsi-SIC); Gabby Williams, Marine Johannès, Stefanie Dolson, Julie Allemand, Sandrine Gruda, Marine Fauthoux (LDLC ASVEL Féminin)
Matchup details: There’s not much going on here. Both Sepsi-SIC and ASVEL were eliminated from playoff contention weeks ago, and this is the only game of the week that has absolutely no playoff implications at all. Sepsi-SIC did defeat ASVEL in a high-scoring thriller back in Week 7, which was one of the several lowlights in what has been a disappointing season for the French club. ASVEL would surely love to get its revenge, and given the talent on its roster, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see that happen, particularly if it can take advantage of Sepsi-SIC’s porous defense (78.1 points allowed per game).
Serco UNI Győr (2-11) vs. Perfumerias Avenida (7-6)
When: 2:30 p.m. ET
Where: Pabellón Municipal Würzburg in Salamanca, Spain
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Notable players: Bridget Carleton, Kristine Anigwe, Cyesha Goree, Destiny Slocum (Serco UNI Győr); Sika Koné, Alexis Prince, Bernadett Határ, Arica Carter, Silvia Dominguez (Perfumerias Avenida)
Matchup details: Avenida is coming off two-straight wins, the previous a huge one over Group B rival Polkowice. Of the group’s clubs competing for a playoff spot, Avenida has one of the easier routes. Győr has struggled to defend for much of the season, allowing 81.1 points per game (the most in EuroLeague Women), which Avenida just about hit on the head back in Week 7. Anigwe’s presence may make things more difficult on Koné and company, and the Hungarian club’s defense has been marginally better since she returned from a concussion three weeks ago. Regardless, the talented and balanced Avenida roster is just forty minutes away from clinching a spot in the EuroLeague Women playoffs, and it should be favored to do just that.
Basket Landes (4-9) vs. Virtus Segafredo Bologna (6-7)
When: 2:30 p.m. ET
Where: PalaDozza in Bologna, Italy
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Notable players: Alexis Peterson, Cierra Burdick, Sam Fuehring, Luisa Geiselsöder (Basket Landes); Lauren Cox, Iliana Rupert, Cecilia Zandalasini, Ivana Dojkić, Haley Peters (Virtus Segafredo Bologna)
Matchup details: It may seem odd to talk about a club currently below .500 as one that can make the playoffs, but that’s a very real possibility for Bologna. The Italian club will, of course, need to take care of business here against Landes before relying on outside help, something it was unable to do back in Week 7 when Landes eked out a 70-68 win. For most of the season, it’s been feast-or-famine for Bologna’s 3-point shooting roster, and while the clubs is definitely capable of spreading out its opponent’s defense and knocking down long shots from everywhere on the court, it’s gone cold just as often; Bologna is the better team in this matchup, but with Avenida also needing to lose to Győr in order for Bologna to back into the postseason, the odds seem unlikely.
KGHM BC Polkowice (6-7) vs. Villeneuve-d’Ascq LM (7-6)
When: 2:30 p.m. ET
Where: Palacium in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Notable players: Brittney Sykes, Stephanie Mavunga, Brianna Fraser (KGHM BC Polkowice); Kennedy Burke, Kamiah Smalls, Shavonte Zellous, Bethy Mununga, Kariata Diaby (Villeneuve-d’Ascq LM)
Matchup details: This is without a doubt the game to watch in Group B, with Villeneuve-d’Ascq in the best position of the group’s remaining playoff-eligible teams and Polkowice needing a win to stay alive. Polkowice defeated Villeneuve-d’Ascq by a surprisingly decisive margin back in Week 7, but it would be a surprise if the French club’s offense was held down again, especially in a game with such high stakes. Just like last time, the individual matchup between Burke and Sykes will be one to keep an eye on, but don’t forget about Mavunga (season-high 20 points last week) as she continues to get healthy.
