Euroleague 2009-10 Competition System
The Breakdown Of Europe's Top Basketball Club Tournament
Sep 30, 2009
Thirty teams start the 2009-10 Euroleague season with dreams of succeeding 2009 champs Panathinaikos as European basketball's top club. Here a breakdown of the competition system.
European basketball's top club competition Euroleague reformed its format for the 2009-10 season to include two qualifying rounds before the Regular Season. The Regular Season will be followed by the four-group Top 16, which will move onto the Quarterfinal Playoffs before the Final Four from May 7-9 2010 in Paris.
Here is a break down of the competition system.
Qualifying Rounds - Sept. 29-Oct. 9, 2009
First Qualifying Round (Sept. 29-Oct. 2, 2009)
The first qualifying round has eight teams playing in two-game, home and away series. The winners will move to the second qualifying round and the losers heading to the FIBA Europe Eurocup competition.
Entente Orleanaise Loiret (France) vs. Spirou Basket (Belgium)
Benetton Basket (Italy) vs. BK Ventspils (Latvia)
Alba Berlin (Germany) vs. Le Mans (France)
Maroussi BC (Greece) vs. Aris BSA 2003 (Greece)
Second Qualifying Round (Oct. 6 and 9, 2009)
The four winners from the first qualifying round will face off in the second qualifying round in two-game home and away series. Those winners advance to the 2009-10 Euroleague Regular Season. And the losers move to the FIBA Europe Eurocup competition.
Winner Entente Orleanaise Loiret - Spirou Basket
vs.
Winner Benetton Basket - BK Ventspils
(Team QR 2A)
Winner Alba Berlin - Le Mans
vs.
Winner Maroussi BC - Aris BSA 2003
(Team QR B)
Regular Season (Oct. 21, 2009-Jan. 14, 2010)
The 22 Regular Season teams and the two teams from the qualifying rounds will be broken down into four groups of six teams playing a round-robin system where each team plays each other in the group at home and away. The top four teams from each group will advance to the Top 16.
Group A
Regal FC Barcelona (Spain)
Montepaschi Siena (Italy)
Cibona Zagreb (Croatia)
Fenerbahce Ulker (Turkey)
Zalgiris Kaunas (Lithuania)
Asvel Lyon Villeurbanne (France)
Group B
Olympiacos (Greece)
Partizan Belgrade (Serbia)
Unicaja (Spain)
Efes Pilsen Istanbul (Turkey)
Lietuvos Rytas (Lithuania)
Team QR 2A
Group C
CSKA Moscow (Russia)
Caja Laboral (Spain)
Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv (Israel)
Virtus Roma (Italy)
Union Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia)
Team QR 2B
Group D
Panathinaikos Athens (Greece)
Real Madrid (Spain)
Armani Jeans Milano (Italy)
Asseco Prokom (Poland)
BC Khimki Moscow Region (Russia)
EWE Baskets Oldenburg (Germany)
Top 16 - Jan. 27-March 11, 2010
The 16 teams advancing from the Regular Season reach the Top 16 and are broken down into four groups of four teams playing a round-robin system where each team plays each other in the group at home and away. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Quarterfinal Playoffs.
Group E
Team 1
Team 2
Team 3
Team 4
Group F
Team 1
Team 2
Team 3
Team 4
Group G
Team 1
Team 2
Team 3
Team 4
Group H
Team 1
Team 2
Team 3
Team 4
Quarterfinal Playoffs - March 23-April 7, 2010
The eight teams advancing from the Top 16 reach the Quarterfinal Playoffs and will play best-of-five series. The four series winners reach the Final Four
Quarterfinal 1
First-place E vs. Second-placed F
Quarterfinal 2
First-place F vs. Second-placed E
Quarterfinal 3
First-place G vs. Second-placed H
Quarterfinal 4
First-place H vs. Second-placed G
Final Four - May 7-9, 2010
The four quarterfinals winners will face off in single game semi-finals in Paris. The semifinal losers will play one game for third place. The semifinal winners will play in the single game final with the winner being crowned the Euroleague champion.
Semifinal A
Winner Quarterfinal 1 vs. Winner Quarterfinal 3
Semifinal B
Winner Quarterfinal 2 vs. Winner Quarterfinal 4
Third Place Game
Semifinal losers
Final
Semifinal winners
