LEICESTER RIDERS CONFIRMED IN BCL QUALIFIERS | MVP247.com
Leicester Riders are taking another shot at qualifying for the Basketball Champions League next season.
The draw for the qualifiers, which takes place on July 7, includes some big-time possible opponents for the BBL champions including Unicaja Malaga, Brose Bamberg, Strasbourg and their old chums Bakken Bears, who eliminated Riders in the first qualifying round in 2018. Leicester was demoted into the FIBA Europe Cup where they lost all six group stage games.
Qualification Round (alphabetically): Bakken Bears (DEN), Brose Bamberg (GER), Budivelnyk (UKR), CSO Voluntari (ROU), FMP Meridian (SRB), Fribourg Olympic (SUI), Golden Eagle Ylli (KOS), Heroes Den Bosch (NED), Hungarian runner-up (Egis Kormend or Falco Szombathely), Karhu Kauhajoki (FIN), Keravnos (CYP), Leicester Riders (GBR), bcChemnitz (GER), Norrkoping Dolphins (SWE), Opava (CZE), Parnu Sadam (EST), Patrioti Levice (SVK), Rio Breogan (ESP), Siauliai (LTU), SIG Strasbourg (FRA), SL Benfica (POR), Swans Gmunden (AUT), Tofas Bursa (TUR), Unicaja (ESP).
The 2022-23 Basketball Champions League will start with the Qualification Rounds on September 21, with 24 teams hoping to be among the last four standing. They will join the 28 teams already qualified for the Regular Season, as a result of their recent success in their national competitions.
The Regular Season starts on October 4, and the format remains unchanged – 32 teams in eight groups of four, group-winners moving straight to the Round of 16, while second- and third-placed teams face off in the Play-In Series in January 2023. The 8 best teams from the Round of 16 will play best-of-three Quarter-Finals series in April, with the season concluding in a Final Four tournament tipping off in May.
Already qualified for the regular Season are: AEK (GRE), Bahcesehir College (TUR), Manresa (ESP), Bnei Herzliya (ISR), Darussafaka (TUR), Dinamo Sassari (ITA), ERA Nymburk (CZE), Filou Oostende (BEL), Galatasaray Nef (TUR), Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem (ISR), Hapoel Holon (ISR), Hungarian champion (Egis Kormend or Falco Szombathely), Igokea (BIH), JDA Bourgogne (FRA), Legia Warszawa (POL), Tenerife (ESP), Limoges CSP (FRA), MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg (GER), PAOK mateco (GRE), Pau-Lacq-Orthez (FRA)*, Peristeri (GRE), Pinar Karsiyaka (TUR), Rytas Vilnius (LTU), Surne Bilbao (ESP), Bonn (GER), UCAM Murcia (ESP), Reggio Emilia (ITA), VEF Riga (LAT).
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