2022/23 EuroCup Predictions Favor Spanish Teams to Fight for the Trophy

Virtus Bologna in ’22 – Image source:  Nick.mon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The 2022/23 EuroCup season starts this week with the first round of the regular season. 20 teams will compete in the competition including top Spanish, Turkish and Italian teams. The 2022/23 EuroCup predictions expect former winners Joventut and a former runner-up, Gran Canaria to fight for the title. But last season’s finalists, Bursaspor and Italian top club Venezia can also perform well. 

The regular season of the second tier of the European men’s club basketball competition, the EuroCup will start this week. It is the 21st season of the competition and the 15th edition under the new name. 20 teams take part in the tournament, divided into two groups of 10 teams. The top eight teams from each group will advance to the playoffs. While the last two teams from both groups will be eliminated. Italian Virtus Segafredo Bologna won the title last season and earned a place in this year’s EuroLeague. In the 2022/23 season, Spanish teams are the top favorites to win this competition. They can continue the tradition of the most successful team, Valencia Basket which won the title four times so far. 

Joventut and Gran Canaria Are Head-to-head in the 2022/23 EuroCup Predictions 

Joventut finished third in the previous Liga ACB season behind Real Madrid and Barcelona. So the Badalona club earned their place again in the EuroCup which they won once so far, in the 2007/08 season. Online sportsbooks in Spain mention them as the top favorite and offer the odds of 4.50 for their victory. Carles Duran’s team has a very strong roster with players like Ante Tomic, Pau Ribas, and Albert Ventura. Plus new arrivals, Kyle Guy and Henry Ellenson who are both former NBA players. Joventut is the only team in this year’s competition that has already won the cup. And this experience makes them a top favorite. 

One of their biggest rivals can be another Spanish club, Gran Canaria who were the runners-up in the 2014/15 EuroCup season. The team only finished in 8th place in the domestic league. But they will aim for a much better result now both in Spain and in the EuroCup. Led by the new head coach, Jaka Lakovic, and with new signings Ferran Bassas and Vitor Benite, they can certainly be a top contender. Especially as they also have last year’s Rising Star Award winner, 20-year-old Khalifa Diop in the squad. Along with French Andrew Albicy, and Polish AJ Slaughter, who have lots of EuroCup experience. Grand Canaria’s odds to win the title this season are 5.00 in the 2022/23 EuroCup predictions. 

Turkish and Italian teams are also among the favorites

Last season’s runners-up, Frutti Extra Bursaspor will try to repeat its previous experience and reach the final again. Head coach Dusan Alimpijevic won the Coach of the Year Award in 2022 and he is still leading the club. Along with some key players like 23-year-old Onuralp Bitim, David Dudzinski, and All-EuroCup First Team player Derek Needham. The Turkish team also signed Anthony Clemmons from Turk Telekom Ankara, Zach Auguste from Olimpija Ljubljana, and Ahmet Duverioglu from Fenerbahce. 

The club’s odds to win its first title are 10.00. Online gambling sites in Spain offer similar chances for the victory of Venezia. The 2017/18 winner of the rival tournament, the FIBA Europe Cup will make its fifth appearance in this competition. Their best result has been a quarter-final finish in 2020. Now they can go much further based on their roster. Head coach Walter De Raffaele can rely on several experienced players but new signing Yankuba Sima can also play a key part. 

Slovenian Cedevita Olimpija has the same odds, 12.00 to win the club’s first international trophy. They have one of the most experienced players in Alen Omic who has made 114 appearances in this tournament so far. While Turk Telekom Ankara will aim for a good result with the assistance of new coach Erdem Can. The 41-year-old worked as an assistant coach at Fenerbahce and Utah Jazz, so he can bring lots of new knowledge to the club.  Just like the six new signings. Including French Axel Bouteille who arrives from the Spanish team Unicaja. Telekom’s odds to win the trophy this season are 15.00 on bet365. 

See all the EUCup Odds at the bet365 Sportsbook