BCL Enters Decisive Matchday with Four Key Games in Groups K and L

The Basketball Champions League faces the final stretch of the Round of 16 this Tuesday with matchups in Groups K and L. Unicaja and Joventut headline a Spanish showdown featuring high-powered offenses, while Tenerife seeks to maintain dominance in Italy against Trieste. Gran Canaria and Nymburk will clash in a defensive battle, with Wurzburg and Elan Chalon completing the day in a Group K encounter.

Group K featured two Spanish contenders who quickly secured their passage to the Basketball Champions League quarterfinals, powered by Ameresco SUNEL.

In Group L, however, things remain undecided: who will join La Laguna Tenerife as one of the eight best teams in Season X? We'll find out Tuesday night. In the meantime, check out our 24 must-know facts.

Fitness First Wurzburg Baskets vs. Elan Chalon

Group K, 20:00 CET

Fitness First Wurzburg Baskets have won just one of their last nine games in the BCL Round of 16, but that came in their most recent home game, 80-71 against Unicaja. All five of their home games in that phase ended with a margin under ten points.

Elan Chalon has lost both of their away games in this Round of 16 after winning all four of their previous away games in the BCL this season. Historically, French teams have always lost in their three visits to Germany in the Round of 16.

Chalon has recorded 25 or more assists in four BCL games this season, including two of their last three away games; only ALBA Berlin (5) has done so in more games. Meanwhile, Wurzburg is one of four teams among the remaining 16 that still haven't reached 25 assists in a single game this season.

Marcus Carr (Wurzburg) posted 15+ points and 5+ assists in nine BCL games in 2025-26, including 22 points and 5 assists in the first matchup against Chalon: only two players have achieved this in more games in a single season (Jordan Theodore, 13 in 2016-17 and Joe Ragland, 11 in 2023-24).

Jeremiah Hill (Chalon) has scored 20 or more points in each of his last two BCL games, as many times as in his first 11 appearances. He was Chalon's leading scorer in each of his last three games and in two of their three matchups against German opponents in the BCL this season.

Marcus Carr posted 26 points and 8 assists, but couldn't prevent Wurzburg's 87-81 home loss to Telekom Baskets Bonn; Chalon earned a dominant 109-56 victory over Limoges, powered by Nate Darling's 24 points on 4-of-5 from three.

Unicaja vs. Asisa Joventut

Group K, 20:00 CET

Unicaja has won their last 19 home games in the BCL, but has lost two of the three previous times they hosted another Spanish team. They've scored 90 or more points in each of their last 11 home games in the competition (averaging 100.9 per game).

Asisa Joventut has won 10 of their 11 BCL games, but their only loss came in their last away game, 77-85 in Chalon. They've won the first quarter in each of their 11 games in the competition.

Unicaja (21.1) and Joventut (20.9) average the most assists per 100 possessions among all BCL teams this season. They also have the best assist-to-turnover ratio (Unicaja 1.93; Joventut 1.91).

Nihad Dedovic (Unicaja) has scored 15 or more points in three of his five Round of 16 games this season, after never reaching that mark in any of his first 41 BCL games. However, he didn't score in the first matchup against Joventut, the only time he failed to score in a BCL game while playing 10 or more minutes.

Ante Tomic (Joventut) posted 19 points in his last BCL game against Wurzburg, his first game with 15 or more points in 11 appearances in the competition; he became the fourth player aged 39 or older to score more than 15 points in a BCL game, after Tremmell Darden, Marcelinho Huertas, and Aaron Doornekamp.

Led by Kendrick Perry's 22 points and 6 assists, Unicaja defeated Zaragoza 112-89; Ricky Rubio and Cameron Hunt each scored 17 points to lead Joventut to an 84-72 victory over Barcelona.

Pallacanestro Trieste vs. La Laguna Tenerife

Group L, 20:30 CET

Pallacanestro Trieste has lost their last four BCL games, their worst streak in the competition. They've lost five of their six home games, suffering their largest BCL defeat in their most recent, a 70-94 loss to a Spanish team (Dreamland Gran Canaria).

La Laguna Tenerife has won 10 of their last 11 games in the BCL Round of 16, but three of their last four games in that phase ended with a one-possession margin. They've won seven of their eight visits to Italy in the BCL.

Tenerife (39.6%) and Trieste (36.7%) have the highest proportion of their total points coming from three-pointers in the BCL this season. Trieste made 15 three-pointers in the first matchup, their second-best mark in a BCL game.

Mady Sissoko (Trieste) has recorded four double-doubles in the BCL this season, the second-best total behind Brady Skeens (5). He's averaged 15.5 points and 10.2 rebounds in his last six BCL games as a starter.

Marcelinho Huertas (Tenerife) posted 28 points and 5 assists last week against Gran Canaria, his tenth BCL game with 20+ points and 5+ assists, the most shared with David Holston. Three of the last four times he's achieved this came against Italian teams. Additionally, Tim Abromaitis needs just one point to become the fifth player with 1,000 points in the BCL.

Trieste responded strongly in the Italian league, defeating Trento 84-78 at home; Tenerife also won in Spain with a dominant 89-71 victory over Valencia.

Dreamland Gran Canaria vs. ERA Nymburk

Group L, 20:30 CET

Gran Canaria lost their last game (76-79 against Tenerife), but hasn't strung together consecutive losses in the BCL; three of their last four games ended with a one-possession margin.

ERA Nymburk has won four of their six away games in Spain in the BCL, but their two losses in that span came in the Round of 16 (71-90 against Zaragoza in April 2021 and 80-104 against Tenerife this year). Three of their five games in this Round of 16 have seen the team that trailed at halftime win.

Gran Canaria is allowing just 1.02 points per possession in the BCL this season, the best defensive rating among all teams, while Nymburk has the lowest points-per-possession ratio among the 16 remaining teams (1.06).

Nicolas Brussino (Gran Canaria) posted 13 points and 10 rebounds last week against Tenerife, his second double-double of points and rebounds in the BCL; the first came against Nymburk in April 2021 when he played for Zaragoza, a game where he came close to a triple-double (12 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists).

Marcus Santos Silva (Nymburk) averages 8.8 rebounds per game in the BCL this season, the best average among players on the 16 remaining teams; last week he became the fifth player to record 10+ rebounds and 0 points in a BCL game (0 points, 10 rebounds against Trieste), and he also added 3 blocks, all in just 9 minutes of play.

Both Gran Canaria and Nymburk failed to secure away wins over the weekend, losing 87-76 to UCAM Murcia and 105-89 to BK Opava, respectively.