European basketball lives busy days but few like this Thursday, which began with the renewal of Kevin Punter by Partizan, with the corresponding slam of the door on Barça, and the signing of Kyle Kuric by Zenit Saint Petersburg. The Euroleague has also made moves, including a format change.
The highest continental competition has held its shareholders’ meeting, made up of the founding teams, a meeting from which quite a few novelties have emerged, such as the final list of participants for next season and the aforementioned change in format.
The decision was especially expected in Valencia, where they were not one hundred percent sure of keeping their place. But in La Fonteta they have breathed easy when it has been confirmed that the 18 teams that have played in the Euroleague this season will repeat the next one.
The teams that will fight for the scepter that Real Madrid now holds will be: Alba Berlin, Anadolu Efes, AS Monaco, Cazoo Baskonia, Red Star, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, Barça, Bayern Munich, Fenerbahce, Asvel Villeurbanne, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Olympiacos , Panathinaikos, Partizan Belgrade, Real Madrid, Valencia Basket, Virtus Bologna and Zalgiris Kaunas.
On the other hand, the Euroleague has decided to tweak its format to “promote excitement in the fight to enter the playoffs.” Thus, next season only the first six of the regular phase will qualify directly for the quarterfinals. The other two places will be determined with a play-in, as has been the case in the NBA for three years.
The teams classified between seventh and tenth place will opt for these two places. The seventh and the eighth
