# 1996–97 FIBA EuroCup

The 1996–97 FIBA EuroCup was the thirty-first edition of FIBA's 2nd-tier level European-wide professional club basketball competition. it occurred between September 17, 1996, and April 15, 1997. The competition was won by Real Madrid Teka, who beat Mash Jeans Verona, by a score of 78–64 in the final.

## 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 1996–1997 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 1993–94 to 1995–96.
| Rank | Country | Points | Teams | Notes |
| 1 | Spain | 321.667 | 2 | |
| 2 | Greece | 299.667 | 2 | |
| 3 | Italy | 216.667 | 2 | |
| 4 | France | 123.238 | 2 | |
| 5 | Turkey | 93.333 | 2 | |
| 6 | Russia | 66 | 2 | |
| 7 | Croatia | 63 | 2 | |
| 8 | Germany | 61.389 | 2 | |
| 9 | Israel | 50.905 | 2 | |
| 10 | Slovenia | 41.333 | 2 | |
| 11 | Belgium | 29 | 2 | |
| 12 | Yugoslavia | 26 | 2 | |
| 13 | Portugal | 24.5 | 2 | |
| 14 | Lithuania | 19 | 2 | -1, Atletas withdrew |
| 15 | Ukraine | 15.389 | 2 | |
| 16 | Poland | 12.111 | 2 | |
| 17 | Macedonia | 11.778 | 1 | +1, MZT got wild card |
| 18 | Hungary | 10.5 | 1 | |
| 19 | Slovakia | 8.889 | 1 | |
| Rank | Country | Points | Teams | Notes |
| 20 | Czech Republic | 8.389 | 1 | |
| 21 | Austria | 6.556 | 1 | |
| 22 | Switzerland | 6.056 | 1 | -1, Monthey withdrew |
| 23 | England | 5.389 | 1 | |
| 24 | Cyprus | 5 | 1 | +1, Achilleas got wild card |
| 25 | Sweden | 4.722 | 1 | |
| 26 | Bulgaria | 4 | 1 | |
| 27 | Latvia | 3.667 | 1 | |
| 28 | Romania | 2.778 | 1 | |
| 29 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2.5 | 1 | |
| 30 | Luxembourg | 2.167 | 1 | -1, Hiefenech withdrew |
| 31 | Netherlands | 1.944 | 1 | |
| 32 | Georgia | 1.833 | 1 | |
| 33 | Finland | 1.667 | 0 | +1, Torpan Pojat got wild card |
| 34 | Estonia | 1.5 | 0 | |
| 35 | Albania | 1.444 | 0 | |
| 36 | Iceland | 0.889 | 0 | |
| 37 | Belarus | 0.278 | 0 | |
| 38 | Denmark | 0.167 | 0 | |

## 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 Regular season or eventual Playoffs
* CW: Cup winners
* WC: Wild card
Regular season :
| TDK Manresa (CW) | Zagreb (5th) | Porto (1st) | UKJ SÜBA Sankt Pölten (1st) |
| Real Madrid Teka (5th) | Zadar (9th) | Benfica (CW) | London Towers (CW) |
| Dexim Apollon Patras (8th) | Ratiopharm Ulm (CW) | Budivelnyk (1st) | APOEL (1st) |
| Iraklis (9th) | SSV Brandt Hagen (6th) | Shakhtar Donetsk (2nd) | Achilleas Kaimakli (WC) |
| Scavolini Pesaro (7th) | Hapoel Jerusalem (CW) | Śląsk Wrocław (1st) | New Wave Sharks (1st) |
| Mash Jeans Verona (10th) | Hapoel Galil Elyon (3rd) | WTK Nobiles Włocławek (CW) | Plama Pleven (1st) |
| Olympique Antibes (4th) | Kovinotehna Savinjska Polzela (CW) | Rabotnički (1st) | Rīgas ASK (1st) |
| PSG Racing Basket (5th) | Bavaria Wolltex Maribor (7th) | MZT Skopje (WC) | Universitatea Cluj (1st) |
| Fenerbahçe (3rd) | Sunair Oostende (2nd) | Žalgiris (1st) | Sloboda Dita (CW) |
| Türk Telekom PTT (8th) | AST Gent | Marc-Körmend (1st) | Libertel EBBC (1st) |
| Avtodor Saratov (3rd) | BFC Beočin (2nd) | AŠK Inter Slovnaft (1st) | Vita Tbilisi (1st) |
| Akvarius Volgograd (4th) | Budućnost (CW) | Stavex Brno (1st) | Torpan Pojat (WC) |

## Preliminary group stage

Key to colors :
* Qualified to Round of 32
* Eliminated
| Group A TeamPldPtsWLPFPAPD 1. Fenerbahçe 101882883792+91 2. Rīgas ASK 101664943896+47 3. Nobiles Włocławek 101664853864−11 4. Kovinotehna Savinjska Polzela 101555835851−16 5. Scavolini Pesaro 101446831847−16 6. Rabotnički 101119776871−95 | Group B TeamPldPtsWLPFPAPD 1. Žalgiris 101773733627+106 2. Zagreb 101773755709+46 3. Olympique Antibes 101664724709+15 4. Bavaria Wolltex 1015557647640 5. SÜBA Sankt Pölten 101446738741−3 6. Sloboda Dita 101119679843−64 |
| Group C TeamPldPtsWLPFPAPD 1. Real Madrid Teka 101773815715+100 2. Ratiopharm Ulm 101555875844+31 3. Benfica 101555799790+9 4. MZT Skopje 101555778814−36 5. Hapoel Galil Elyon 101446823840−17 6. Plama Pleven 101446892979−87 | Group D TeamPldPtsWLPFPAPD 1. Porto 1020100866721+145 2. PSG Racing Basket 101773872697+175 3. Hapoel Jerusalem 101773851806+45 4. Brandt Hagen 101446768794−26 5. New Wave Sharks 101119731865−134 6. APOEL 101119626831−205 |
| Group E TeamPldPtsWLPFPAPD 1. Iraklis 101882914775+139 2. Śląsk Wrocław 101773853811+42 3. AST Gent 101664803770+33 4. Zadar 101664817810+7 5. Libertel EBBC 101337847895−48 6. Achilleas Kaimakli 1010010760933−173 | Group F TeamPldPtsWLPFPAPD 1. Dexim Apollon Patras 101882924761+163 2. Budivelnyk 101882849718+131 3. Sunair Oostende 101773825701+124 4. Stavex Brno 101446822815+7 5. Akvarius Volgograd 101337760878−118 6. Universitatea Cluj 10100107021009−307 |
| Group G TeamPldPtsWLPFPAPD 1. Avtodor Saratov 101991871810+61 2. TDK Manresa 101664853766+87 3. Torpan Pojat 101664858808+50 4. BFC Beočin 101664809738+71 5. Shakhtar Donetsk 101228788922−134 6. Inter Slovnaft 101119755890−135 | Group H TeamPldPtsWLPFPAPD 1. Mash Jeans Verona 101882816700+116 2. Türk Telekom PTT 101773750711+39 3. Marc-Körmend 101664828825+3 4. London Towers 101446713731−18 5. Budućnost 101337803809−6 6. Vita Tbilisi 101228729863−134 |

## Round of 32

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Bavaria Wolltex | 143–155 | Fenerbahçe | 67–69 | 76–86 |
| Olympique Antibes | 155–161 | Rīgas ASK | 75–75 | 80–86 |
| Nobiles Włocławek | 167–164 | Zagreb | 84–79 | 83–85 |
| Kovinotehna Savinjska Polzela | 147–149 | Žalgiris | 71–76 | 76–73 |
| Brandt Hagen | 151–184 | Real Madrid Teka | 71–98 | 80–86 |
| Hapoel Jerusalem | 186–177 | Ratiopharm Ulm | 99–97 | 87–80 |
| Benfica | 149–161 | PSG Racing Basket | 63–81 | 86–80 |
| MZT Skopje | 147–149 | Porto | 73–69 | 74–80 |
| Stavex Brno | 147–154 | Iraklis | 86–78 | 61–76 |
| Sunair Oostende | 134–150 | Śląsk Wrocław | 66–62 | 68–88 |
| AST Gent | 124–171 | Budivelnyk | 65–70 | 59–101 |
| Zadar | 120–157 | Dexim Apollon Patras | 56–75 | 64–82 |
| London Towers | 138–143 | Avtodor Saratov | 70–75 | 68–68 |
| Marc-Körmend | 162–166 | TDK Manresa | 83–77 | 79–89 |
| Torpan Pojat | 171–180 | Türk Telekom PTT | 82–84 | 89–96 |
| BFC Beočin | 161–168 | Mash Jeans Verona | 73–74 | 88–94 |

## Round of 16

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Hapoel Jerusalem | 148–147 | Fenerbahçe | 91–78 | 57–69 |
| PSG Racing Basket | 137–134 | Žalgiris | 60–58 | 77–76 |
| Rīgas ASK | 171–182 | Real Madrid Teka | 83–98 | 88–84 |
| Nobiles Włocławek | 156–176 | Porto | 91–81 | 65–95 |
| TDK Manresa | 132–140 | Iraklis | 74–79 | 58–61 |
| Türk Telekom PTT | 155–140 | Dexim Apollon Patras | 89–73 | 66–67 |
| Śląsk Wrocław | 194–189 | Avtodor Saratov | 90–94 | 104–95 |
| Budivelnyk | 153–180 | Mash Jeans Verona | 80–90 | 73–90 |

## Quarterfinals

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Hapoel Jerusalem | 126–133 | Iraklis | 68–63 | 58–70 |
| Türk Telekom PTT | 122–184 | PSG Racing Basket | 72–92 | 50–92 |
| Real Madrid Teka | 205–157 | Śląsk Wrocław | 112–66 | 93–91 |
| Mash Jeans Verona | 168–138 | Porto | 96–78 | 72–60 |

## Semifinals

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Mash Jeans Verona | 152–138 | Iraklis | 96–62 | 56–76 |
| Real Madrid Teka | 120–113 | PSG Racing Basket | 62–57 | 58–56 |

## Final

April 15, Eleftheria Indoor Hall, Nicosia
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| Mash Jeans Verona | 64–78 | Real Madrid Teka |
* 1996–97 FIBA EuroCup Champions
* Real Madrid Teka 4th title

## Awards
### FIBA Saporta Cup Finals MVP

* Alberto Herreros ( Real Madrid Teka)