Maccabi will meet Union Olimpija Ljubljana, Regal FC Barcelona and Lottomatica Roma in Group F of the Top 16.
By Amy Samin
Maccabi will meet Union Olimpija Ljubljana, Regal FC Barcelona and Lottomatica Roma in Group F of the Top 16.
| Group E | Group F | Group G | Group H |
| Panathinaikos Athens | Maccabi Electra T.A. | Montepaschi Siena | Olympiacos |
| Caja Laboral | Ljubljana | Real Madrid | Fenerbahce Ulker |
| Unicaja | Barcelona | Efes Pilsen | Zalgiris Kaunas |
| Lietuvos Rytas | Lottomatica Roma | Partizan | Valencia |
“Barcelona is the favorite to take the championship, and some people have an interest in seeing them in the Final because they are the hosts, and that makes it even tougher to compete against them,” said Maccabi head coach David Blatt after the lottery.
“Their talent is limitless.
To get them of all of the third seeds isn’t the best thing, but on the other hand we won’t have to meet them at the next level.
It’s a competitive group with objectives that are relatively easy to reach.”
Maccabi’s coach also shared his thoughts about Ljubljana.
“Every year there are teams like Partizan or Ljubljana who go above and beyond expectations, who succeed and surprise you.
Last year, no one would have believed that Partizan would be in the Final Four, and with Ljubljana it’s exactly the same story.
They’ve got a new arena, and fans who spur them on.
They beat Panathinaikos this year.
At this level, all of the games are difficult.”
“We have an identity as a team, and we have strong points and also some weak points,” said Blatt.
“Now that we know which teams we’ll be playing against, we can devise some suitable plans and tactics in our practices.
By the time we begin the round, we’ll know what to do in order to come to the games with the appropriate defenses.”
“It’s not going to be easy, but we got a fair draw,” said Doron Perkins.
“It will be tough, and a challenge for us.
We’re going to take the good things from the last round.
I learned a lot last season, and every bit helps in the Top 16.”
The Top 16 round of the Euroleague competition will get underway on 19 January after a three-week break, and will continue through 3 March 2011.
The quarterfinal games (best of 5 series) will take place from 22 March to 6 April, and the Final Four will begin on 6 May in Barcelona.
