We’ve reached the point in the 2024-25 EuroLeague Women season when the field gets trimmed down and the remaining teams in the competition get put into new groups. This second round of group play was part of a series of changes made to the competition system that FIBA promises will increase excitement and make the regular season more meaningful.
The following clubs did not advance to the second round of group play, and will instead be competing in the EuroCup Women playoffs, which begin on December 12:
- DVTK HUN-Therm Miskolc
- Olympiacos B.C.
- Villeneuve-d’Ascq LM
- UNI Győr
As for the remaining clubs in EuroLeague Women, they’ve been sorted into two new groups, officially referred to as Groups E and F. In the second round, each club will only play opponents they didn’t already face in the first round; so, for example, Tango Bourges Basket will face new Group E opponents Basket Landes, Beretta Famila Schio and Perfumerias Avenida, but will not play ÇBK Mersin or Žabiny Brno, since it had already faced those teams as Group A opponents in the first round.
This may sound confusing at first, but by rearranging the field in such a way, it’s ensured that the matchup possibilities stay fresh while the regular season itself gains momentum before the playoffs. Let’s assess the remaining EuroLeague Women teams and the strength of their resumes to date.
Group E
ÇBK Mersin (6-0)
After a disappointing end to 2024, Mersin reloaded for this season, and the results have been spectacular thus far. Natasha Howard and Iliana Rupert form one of the most skilled frontcourts in the competition, while the guard trio of Yvonne Anderson, Marine Marine Johannès and Marine Fauthoux averaged a combined 15.1 assists per game during the first round of group play. On paper, Mersin is the strongest club in Group E, and given good health, should continue rolling through the second round.
Basket Landes (4-2)
Not many expected Landes to be in this position at the start of the second round, and the young French club will be out to prove that it truly belongs among the competition’s elite. Though Landes is scoring just 60 points per game and actually has a negative point differential (-12), youngsters like Luisa Geiselsöder and Leïla Lacan are growing up quickly and could be the difference between their team succumbing to the law of averages and continuing an improbable but impressive run against stronger competition.
Beretta Famila Schio (4-2)
Schio got off to a slow start, but three consecutive wins put the Italian club firmly in the second round. Janelle Salaün (16.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game) may be the competition’s most impressive young player, and as a team Schio is leading EuroLeague Women in 3-point shooting at 39.8 percent. That number has been weighed down by poor 2-point shooting (47.4 percent), so we’ll see if Schio can continue draining outside shots while improving its efficiency from inside the arc in the second round.
Tango Bourges Basket (4-2)
There’s no doubt that Bourges can score. The French club is averaging a group-best 81.3 points per game and has been cashing in at the free throw line, leading EuroLeague Women in both attempts per game (18.2) and percentage (85.3 percent). If those numbers hold, Bourges will be a tough matchup for anyone in Group E, especially with Pauline Astier providing elite point guard play (11.2 points, 6.3 assists and 3.3 steals per game).
Perfumerias Avenida (3-3)
A .500 record and a perfectly even point differential of 0 represent just how mediocre Avenida was in the first round, though given the Spanish club’s prestige, it’s hard not to be more disappointed than optimistic. Aside from stellar free throw shooting (81.8 percent), there aren’t many statistical categories that Avenida has excelled in, and it’s the only second-round team to have an assist/turnover ratio below 1.0. Avenida will need imports Arella Guirantes and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan to step up their production here in the second round.
Žabiny Brno (2-4)
Brno wasn’t given much of a chance to begin the season, and although the Czech club made it out of Group B by virtue of sharing it with an Olympiacos team that was even worse, it will be quite the surprise if Brno makes it any further. Elissa Cunane has been one of the competition’s more efficient players (12.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game; 56.1 percent shooting), but Brno will need much more production from the talent around her if it’s going to pull off a couple of upsets.
Group F
Fenerbahçe Opet (6-0)
Did anyone really expect the defending champs not to be in this position? Despite almost completely overhauling its roster, Fenerbahçe remains the club to beat. Emma Meesseman is still one of the best players in the world, and she’s flanked by a versatile, talented cast including Gabby Williams, Tina Charles, Ariel Atkins and Julie Allemand. Only one of Fenerbahçe’s first-round results was close, though we’ll see just how well this iteration of the Turkish giant stacks up now that the stakes have been raised.
Valencia Basket Club (5-1)
It took a little while for Valencia to establish chemistry, but the Spanish club mostly lived up to the hype in the first round. Valencia has size with Kayla Alexander and Stephanie Mavunga and all-world playmaking courtesy of Alina Iagupova, and its roster is laden with EuroLeague Women veterans. It doesn’t hurt that the team is leading the competition in rebounding (41.2 per game), either.
ZVVZ USK Praha (4-2)
As always, Praha leans on defense and rebounding to get the job done, and with a frontcourt of Ezi Magbegor and Brionna Jones, it boasts considerable physicality on the interior. It may be that Praha goes as far as its guards take it, however; Maite Cazorla is having an excellent season shooting the basketball, while Maria Conde was named the competition’s MVP for the month of November after averaging 13 points, six rebounds and seven assists per game.
Casademont Zaragoza (4-2)
Despite having a tough time beyond the arc (28.2 percent 3-point shooting), Zaragoza has proven that its breakout campaign last season was not a fluke. The Spanish club excels at making games difficult for the opponents, averaging 10 steals and 10.4 offensive rebounds per game, and though it may be at a pure talent disadvantage on paper, the more skilled teams in Group F won’t be looking forward to taking the court against the hard-nosed Zaragoza roster.
Umana Reyer Venezia (3-3)
Venezia tapered off after a hot start to group play, but still advanced to the second round fairly easily. Though the Italian club doesn’t stand out statistically in many areas (besides, perhaps, 2-point scoring), its young core of Awak Kuier, Kamiah Smalls and Lorela Cubaj feels like one that is primed to break out; given the level of competition in Group F, though, how realistic is that possibility?
KGHM BC Polkowice (1-5)
Polkowice’s record isn’t completely reflective of its level of talent, but the Polish club must improve defensively (81.8 points allowed per game in the first round) if it’s going to make any noise in the second round. The play of Emma Cannon (21 points and 9.8 rebounds per game) and Anete Šteinberga (15.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game) has kept Polkowice afloat, though the team will need to make up for Alexis Peterson’s production in the backcourt (14 points, seven assists and 2.3 steals per game) as she nurses a leg injury, which will be easier said than done.
