To use a football analogy, the Eurocup is a little like the Europa League in that it is the secondary competition for European basketball, playing second fiddle in some regards to the Champions League of the sport, the Euroleague. That is not to disparage it, just a statement of fact, and just as millions of fans enjoy betting on and watching the Europa League, so too do they take great pleasure from the Eurocup.
Founded recently, in 2002, the Eurocup was known as the ULEB Cup until 2002 and is now sometimes referred to as the ULEB Eurocup. As with its big brother, the Euroleague, it is organised and administered by the Euroleague Basketball Company and for European basketball fans it is a great option, offering some genuinely high quality basketball, an opportunity to glimpse some younger players who may yet become stars in the future and, of course, more great basketball on which to bet.
Moreover, as it receives less interest and less coverage than competitions such as the NBA, there is certainly an opportunity for European basketball experts to cash in and take some money off the bookies. If you know exactly what you want to bet on and are simply looking for the best available betting odds then our live odds comparison is perfect. We compare the odds from all the best basketball betting sites so you can very simply get the best odds on either individual Eurocup games or the overall outright Eurocup champion.
Betting on Valencia would have proved a profitable bet in recent years with the Spanish outfit having won the Eurocup a record three times in its short history. As in football, Valencia have to play second fiddle to giants Real Madrid and Barcelona, who are Euroleague regulars, but when it comes to basketball’s second continental championship they take some stopping.
Three titles may not sound like much but given the inaugural Eurocup was as recent as 2002 and the champions are automatically promoted to the Euroleague (and thus can’t win the Eurocup the following season), it’s an impressive feat.
The 2015 champions were Russia’s Khimki, who also won in 2012, with Valencia having won in 2014. The format of the competition has changed over the years but now features 44 teams who are whittled down to 32. Next comes a traditional elimination/knockout tournament of series which produces two semi finals and ultimately the final. The showpiece of the Eurocup is a three-game series with the higher ranked team from the earlier rounds granted home advantage first.
Spain and Russia, two powerhouses of European basketball lead the way when it comes to Eurocup titles, with five each and a further eight runner-up spots between them.
The Eurocup isn’t the NBA but it is certainly exciting and offers a great range of betting opportunities, with some real value available for those in the know, so why not check it out and see if you can cash in?