1997–98 FIBA EuroCup

The 1997–98 FIBA EuroCup was the thirty-second edition of FIBA's 2nd-tier level European-wide professional club basketball competition. it occurred between September 16, 1997, and April 14, 1998. The final was held at Pionir Hall, Belgrade, Yugoslavia. In the final, Žalgiris defeated Stefanel Milano, in front of 5,000 spectators.

1997–98 FIBA EuroCup
League	FIBA EuroCup
Sport	Basketball
Final
Champions	Žalgiris
Runners-up	Stefanel Milano
Finals MVP	Saulius Štombergas
FIBA EuroCup seasons
← 1996–97 1998–99 →

Competition system

• 48 teams (national domestic cup champions, plus the best qualified teams from the most important European national domestic leagues), entered a preliminary group stage, divided into eight groups of six teams each, and played a round-robin. The final standings were based on individual wins and defeats. In the case of a tie between two or more teams, after the group stage, the following criteria were used to decide the final classification: 1) number of wins in one-to-one games between the teams; 2) basket average between the teams; 3) general basket average within the group.
• The top four teams from each group qualified for a 1/16 Final Playoff (X-pairings, home and away games), where the winners advanced further to 1/8 Finals, 1/4 Finals, and 1/2 Final.
• The Final was played at a predetermined venue.

Country ranking

For the 1997–1998 FIBA EuroCup, the countries are allocated places according to their place on the FIBA country rankings, which takes into account their performance in European competitions from 1994–95 to 1996–97.^[1]

Country ranking for 1997–1998 FIBA EuroCup

Rank Country Points Teams Notes 1   Spain 279.667 2 2   Greece 275.000 3   Italy 190.833 4   France 117.500 5   Turkey 96.667 6   Russia 70.542 7   Germany 55.389 8   Croatia 50.833 9   Israel 43.048 10   Slovenia 38.833 11   FR Yugoslavia 25.000 12   Portugal 23.071 13   Belgium 22.500 14   Poland 21.206 15   Lithuania 19.416 16   Ukraine 15.762 17   Hungary 9.667 1 +1, Marc-Kormend got wild card 18   Czech Republic 7.139 +1, USK Erpet Praha got wild card 19   Slovakia 6.555

Rank Country Points Teams Notes 20   Macedonia 6.111 1 +1, MZT got wild card 21   Austria 5.445 22   Sweden 5.333 23   Cyprus 4.333 24   England 4.167 25   Latvia 3.722 26   Switzerland 3.083 -1, Fribourg Olympic withdrew 27   Bulgaria 2.694 -1, Slavia Sofia withdrew 28   Romania 2.389 -1, Dinamo București withdrew 29   Finland 1.861 30   Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.778 31   Estonia 1.500 32   Netherlands 1.500 33   Georgia 1.500 0 34   Luxembourg 1.444 35   Albania 1.361 36   Denmark 0.167 37   Moldova 0.111 38   Belarus 0.056

Team allocation

The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round:

• 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc.: League position after eventual Playoffs
• CW: Cup winners
• WC: Wild card

Regular season
Festina Joventut (4th)	Bayer 04 Leverkusen (3rd)	Spirou (1st)	Rabotnički (1st)
Cáceres (10th)	Tatami Rhöndorf (5th)	Sunair Oostende (CW)	MZT Aerodrom (WC)
Panathinaikos (5th)	Zagreb (3rd)	Mazowzanka (1st)	Slovakofarma Pezinok (1st)
Apollon Achaia Clauss (7th)	Zrinjevac (5th)	Śląsk Wrocław (CW)	SÜBA Sankt Pölten (1st)
Stefanel Milano (5th)	Maccabi Ironi Ra`anana (3rd)	Žalgiris (1st)	Plannja (1st)
Polti Cantù (8th)	Hapoel Eilat (4th)	Žemaitijos Lokiai (2nd)	Keravnos (1st)
ASVEL (CW)	Kovinotehna Savinjska Polzela (2nd)	Budivelnyk (1st)	London Towers (1st)
Le Mans (5th)	Pivovarna Laško (4th)	BIPA-Moda Odessa (2nd)	ASK Brocēni (1st)
Tofaş (4th)	FMP Železnik (CW)	Danone-Honvéd (1st)	Torpan Pojat (1st)
Fenerbahçe (5th)	Beobanka (3rd)	Marc-Körmend (WC)	Sloboda Dita (1st)
Avtodor Saratov (2nd)	Oliveirense (2nd)	ICEC Opava (1st)	Kalev (2nd)
Samara (3rd)	Portugal Telecom (3rd)	USK Erpet Praha (WC)	Libertel Dolphins EBBC (1st)

Preliminary group stage

Key to colors

	Qualified to Round of 32
	Eliminated

Group A Team Pld Pts W L PF PA PD 1.   Festina Joventut 10 19 9 1 884 782 +102 2.   Tofaş 10 17 7 3 793 698 +95 3.   BIPA-Moda Odessa 10 17 7 3 731 644 +87 4.   Torpan Pojat 10 15 5 5 738 735 +3 5.   Žemaitijos Lokiai 10 12 2 8 734 854 −120 6.   Rabotnički 10 10 0 10 653 820 −167

Group B Team Pld Pts W L PF PA PD 1.   Le Mans 10 17 7 3 794 792 +2 2.   Śląsk Wrocław 10 16 6 4 760 751 +9 3.   Pivovarna Laško 10 16 6 4 800 783 +17 4.   Fenerbahçe 10 15 5 5 783 763 +20 5.   ASK Brocēni 10 15 5 5 879 832 +47 6.   ICEC Opava 10 11 1 9 745 840 −95

Group C Team Pld Pts W L PF PA PD 1.   Žalgiris 10 17 7 3 777 672 +105 2.   ASVEL 10 17 7 3 677 642 +35 3.   Mazowzanka 10 16 6 4 827 790 +37 4.   Zagreb 10 16 6 4 776 704 +72 5.   Kalev 10 14 4 6 690 737 −47 6.   MZT Aerodrom 10 10 0 10 634 836 −202

Group D Team Pld Pts W L PF PA PD 1.   Cáceres 10 16 6 4 836 767 +69 2.   Samara 10 16 6 4 801 774 +27 3.   FMP Železnik 10 16 6 4 793 719 +74 4.   Keravnos 10 15 5 5 681 743 −62 5.   Oliveirense 10 14 4 6 713 787 −74 6.   Plannja 10 13 3 7 819 853 −34

Group E Team Pld Pts W L PF PA PD 1.   Stefanel Milano 10 18 8 2 840 729 +111 2.   Beobanka 10 17 7 3 784 716 +68 3.   Hapoel Eilat 10 17 7 3 805 787 +18 4.   Tatami Rhöndorf 10 15 5 5 765 814 −49 5.   Danone-Honvéd 10 12 2 8 721 779 −58 6.   London Towers 10 11 1 9 692 782 −90

Group F Team Pld Pts W L PF PA PD 1.   Spirou 10 18 8 2 855 710 +145 2.   Apollon Patras 10 17 7 3 910 795 +115 3.   Zrinjevac 10 16 6 4 836 822 +14 4.   Kovinotehna Savinjska Polzela 10 15 5 5 859 842 +17 5.   Libertel Dolphins EBBC 10 13 3 7 761 889 −128 6.   USK Erpet Praha 10 11 1 9 730 893 −163

Group G Team Pld Pts W L PF PA PD 1.   Polti Cantù 10 19 9 1 916 762 +154 2.   Sunair Oostende 10 17 7 3 860 820 +40 3.   Marc-Körmend 10 16 6 4 822 807 +15 4.   Bayer 04 Leverkusen 10 15 5 5 820 884 −64 5.   Portugal Telecom 10 13 3 7 863 873 −10 6.   Sloboda Dita 10 10 0 10 735 870 −135

Group H Team Pld Pts W L PF PA PD 1.   Panathinaikos 10 19 9 1 865 645 +220 2.   Avtodor Saratov 10 18 8 2 879 834 +45 3.   Maccabi Ironi Ra`anana 10 15 5 5 778 784 −6 4.   Slovakofarma Pezinok 10 14 4 6 756 856 −100 5.   SÜBA Sankt Pölten 10 12 2 8 707 802 −95 6.   Budivelnyk 10 12 2 8 695 759 −64

Round of 32

Team 1	Agg.	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
Fenerbahçe	150–162	Festina Joventut	78–75	72–87
Pivovarna Laško	157–170	Tofaş	79–85	78–85
BIPA-Moda Odessa	143–171	Śląsk Wrocław	74–84	69–87
Torpan Pojat	144–131	Le Mans	77–69	67–62
Keravnos	101–130	Žalgiris	61–57	40–73
FMP Železnik	136–145	ASVEL	71–66	65–79
Mazowzanka	150–164	Samara	78–94	72–70
Zagreb	151–146	Cáceres	98–63	53–83
Kovinotehna Savinjska Polzela	111–168	Stefanel Milano	56–98	55–70
Zrinjevac	114–119	Beobanka	59–59	55–60
Hapoel Eilat	180–173	Apollon Patras	101–84	79–89
Tatami Rhöndorf	177–159	Spirou	83–77	94–82
Slovakofarma Pezinok	154–166	Polti Cantù	95–87	59–79
Maccabi Ironi Ra`anana	155–156	Sunair Oostende	86–82	69–74
Marc-Körmend	159–184	Avtodor Saratov	83–85	76–99
Bayer 04 Leverkusen	135–169	Panathinaikos	64–86	71–83

Round of 16

Team 1	Agg.	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
ASVEL	164–152	Festina Joventut	82–74	82–78
Samara	127–125	Torpan Pojat	77–74	50–51
Tofaş	131–133	Žalgiris	66–62	65–71
Śląsk Wrocław	142–131	Zagreb	76–60	66–71
Sunair Oostende	140–162	Stefanel Milano	68–80	72–82
Avtodor Saratov	160–126	Tatami Rhöndorf	71–50	89–76
Beobanka	163–136	Polti Cantù	88–58	75–78
Hapoel Eilat	148–164	Panathinaikos	80–78	68–86

Quarterfinals

Team 1	Agg.	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
ASVEL	128–129	Stefanel Milano	58–67	70–62
Avtodor Saratov	181–175	Samara	92–65	89–110
Žalgiris	137–119	Beobanka	78–65	59–54
Panathinaikos	143–119	Śląsk Wrocław	82–58	61–61

Semifinals

Team 1	Agg.	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
Panathinaikos	138–144	Stefanel Milano	77–58	61–86
Žalgiris	159–151	Avtodor Saratov	96–74	63–77

Final

April 14, Hala Pionir, Belgrade

Team 1	Score	Team 2
Žalgiris	82–67	Stefanel Milano

1997–98 FIBA EuroCup Champions
Žalgiris 1st title

Awards

FIBA Saporta Cup Finals MVP

•   Saulius Štombergas (  Žalgiris)

References

1. "Linguasport – FIBA Country Ranking (B)". www.linguasport.com. Retrieved 2020-05-31.

External links

• 1997–98 FIBA EuroCup @ FIBA Europe.com
• 1997–98 FIBA EuroCup @ linguasport.com