Copa del Rey Basketball 2022: schedule, teams, and everything else you need to know / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Borja B. Hojas/Getty Image Credit Borja B. Hojas/Getty Image

All around Europe, it's the time for a little break in the domestic leagues, which will be filled by the local cups, and Copa del Rey Basketball or simply the Spanish Basketball Cup is no exception.

UCAM Murcia / Schedule

Valencia Basket UCAM Murcia83-86 UCAM Murcia FC Barcelona103-90

In just a few days, teams will fight for the first domestic title of the season. The tension and the excitement that the domestic cups generate are something that can't usually be found during the regular season of the local leagues.

If you're missing some info or details about these competitions, there's no need to worry because we've got you covered.

In this article, we will focus on the Copa del Rey Basketball, where the tournament will be played in Granada from February 17 to February 20.

Located in Andalusia, it is one of the most historical cities in Spain. The Islamic period had a huge influence on its current streets and architecture, especially the Moorish one. The Alhambra is a must if you travel there.

Granada will host the Copa del Rey Basketball for the first time since 1995. In 1992, it also organized the first Copa del Rey Basketballwith the current format (8 teams). Estudiantes became the champion winning the final against Zaragoza. John Pinone was the MVP of that Cup.

Format & Teams

The Spanish Cup is like a Final 8 tournament with 8 teams distributed in a bracket, followed by a knock-out elimination: quarterfinals, semifinals and the final will be played in a single-game format. Each winner advances into the next round.

Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Joventut de Badalona, Valencia Basket, UCAM Murcia, BAXI Manresa, Rio Breogan and Lenovo Tenerife clinched an spot for the Spanish Cup. Breogan, a newcomer to the ACB League, did a great beginning of the season. UCAM Murcia reached the classification for the first time ever. Manresa and Joventut will join Barcelona as the three Catalan teams. Madrid wants to take back the title. Valencia and Tenerife still being two competitive teams both in the Spanish league and in Europe.

Teams

Real Madrid (no. 1 seed) FC Barcelona (no. 2) Valencia Basket (no. 3) Joventut de Badalona (no. 4) BAXI Manresa (no. 5) UCAM Murcia (no. 6) Rio Breogan (no. 7) Lenovo Tenerife (no. 8)

Schedule

Joventut de Badalona and Lenovo Tenerife will open the Cup on Thursday 17. Following them, Real Madrid will face Rio Breogan. On Friday, Valencia Basket will play against UCAM Murcia. Then, FC Barcelona and BAXI Manresa will close the quarterfinals. Semifinals will be played on Saturday at 6.30 pm CET and 9.30 pm CET respectively. The final is set to be played on Sunday at 6.30 pm CET.

Quarterfinals

February 17: Joventut de Badalona vs Lenovo Tenerife (62-64) February 17: Real Madrid vs Rio Breogan (73-67) February 18: Valencia Basket vs UCAM Murcia (83-86) February 18: FC Barcelona vs BAXI Manresa (107-70)

Semifinals

February 19: Real Madrid vs Lenovo Tenerife (94-74) February 19: UCAM Murcia vs FC Barcelona (90-103)

Final

February 20: 18:30 CET

Interesting facts

How FC Barcelona will face the tournament without Cory Higgins, the main factor in the last Cup (being named MVP) and in the Final Four. Mirotic's time? Dzanan Musa will make his debut in a big event being the key player. Would Real Madrid bounce back from its bump? The Blancos have lost 5 games in the last 19 days. BAXI Manresa defeated Barcelona twice this season. Will they do it for the third time? Joventut is seeking their first title since 2008. Pau Ribas was part of that unforgettable team. When Valencia won its only Spanish Cup back in 1998, Jaime Pradilla was not even born (he was born in 2001). They were runners-up in 2017. Credit David Grau-Joventut Badalona

Historical stats

There won't be a host team, as Granada's basketball club plays in the Spanish Second Division (last year they lost the final against Rio Breogan). Real Madrid and FC Barcelona have distributed the last 12 Cups. Bitci Baskonia was the last team apart from the two Spanish powerhouses to achieve it in 2009. BAXI Manresa will play the Spanish Cup for the first time since 2004. Bitci Baskonia will not play in the tournament. They missed two of the last three editions. Did you know... Nico Laprovittola has the best PIR record in Cup's history? He made 50 in 2019 with Joventut. Rudy Fernandez has been named 3 times MVP of the Spanish Cup (2004, 2008, and 2015). Pablo Laso is the most successful coach in the competition. 6 titles, one more than Aito Garcia Reneses.

Throwback to last year

In last year's final, Barcelona beat Real Madrid 88-73 as Cory Higgins was named the MVP of the tournament. Subscribe to BN+ and get access to exclusive content.