1998–99 FIBA Saporta Cup

1998–99 FIBA Saporta Cup
1998–99 FIBA Saporta Cup
League	FIBA Saporta Cup
Sport	Basketball
Final
Champions	Benetton Treviso
Runners-up	Pamesa Valencia
Finals MVP	Henry Williams
FIBA Saporta Cup seasons
	← 1997–98 1999–00 →

The 1998–99 FIBA Saporta Cup was the thirty-third edition of FIBA's 2nd-tier level European-wide professional club basketball competition. It occurred between September 15, 1998, and April 13, 1999. The final was held at Zaragoza, Spain.

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 1998–1999 FIBA Saporta Cup, the countries are allocated places according to their place on the FIBA country rankings, which takes into account their performance in European competitions from 1995–96 to 1997–98.^[1]

Country ranking for 1998–1999 FIBA Saporta Cup

Rank	Country	Points	Teams	Notes
1	Greece	237.000	2
2	Italy	222.833
3	Spain	194.500
4	Turkey	92.833
5	France	88.667
6	Russia	67.732
7	Yugoslavia	46.333
8	Germany	38.500
9	Croatia	35.542
10	Lithuania	34.667
11	Slovenia	33.714
12	Israel	31.902
13	Poland	21.524
14	Portugal	19.794
15	Belgium	15.929
16	Ukraine	8.905		-1, Budivelnyk withdrew
17	Macedonia	6.542	1
18	Hungary	6.429		+1, Atomerőmű got wild card
19	Austria	5.417		+1, Stahlbau Oberwart got wild card

Rank	Country	Points	Teams	Notes
20	Czech Republic	4.187	1
21	Cyprus	4.083
22	Slovakia	3.944
23	Sweden	3.667
24	England	3.611		-1, London Leopards withdrew
25	Bulgaria	3.361
26	Finland	2.361
27	Netherlands	1.889
28	Bosnia and Herzegovina	1.722		+1, Bosna got wild card
29	Latvia	1.445		+1, Ventspils got wild card
30	Estonia	1.333
31	Romania	1.056		-1,-Dinamo București withdrew
32	Luxembourg	0.889		-1, Racing Luxembourg withdrew
33	Albania	0.694	0
34	Georgia	0.416
35	Switzerland	0.278
36	Denmark	0.111
37	Belarus	0.056
38	Moldova	0.056

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 eventual Playoffs
CW: Cup winners
WC: Wild card

Regular season
AEK (4th)	Partizan Zepter (3rd)	Śląsk Wrocław (1st)	ASK Brocēni (1st)
Aris (CW)	Budućnost (CW)	Mazowszanka (CW)	Ventspils (WC)
Benetton Treviso (5th)	Ratiopharm Ulm (2nd)	Estrelas da Avenida (1st)	BIPA-Moda Odesa (1st)
Sony Milano (9th)	TVG Trier (CW)	Ovarense Aerosoles (2nd)	MZT Boss Skopje (2nd)
Pinturas Bruguer Badalona (6th)	Zagreb (3rd)	Spirou Charleroi (1st)	Mlékárna Kunín (2nd)
Pamesa Valencia (CW)	Split (4th)	Telindus Racing Antwerpen (2nd)	APOEL (1st)
Tofaş (4th)	Atletas (2nd)	Marc Körmend (CW)	Slovakofarma Pezinok (1st)
Türk Telekom (6th)	Lietuvos rytas (3rd)	Atomerőmű (WC)	Plannja Basket (2nd)
Limoges CSP (2nd)	Kovinotehna Savinjska Polzela (2nd)	UKJ SÜBA Sankt Pölten (1st)	Cherno More (1st)
Cholet (CW)	Pivovarna Laško (3rd)	UBC Stahlbau Oberwart (WC)	Torpan Pojat (1st)
Spartak Moscow (4th)	Hapoel Eilat (2nd)	Feal Široki (1st)	Den Helder (1st)
UNICS (5th)	Hapoel Jerusalem (4th)	Bosna (WC)	Kalev Tallinn (1st)

Preliminary group stage

Key to colors
	Qualified to Round of 32
	Eliminated

Group A

	Team	Pld	Pts	W	L	PF	PA	PD
1.	Sony Milano	10	17	7	3	751	693	+58
2.	Kalev	10	16	6	4	764	699	+65
3.	Kovinotehna Savinjska Polzela	10	16	6	4	705	709	−4
4.	Estrelas da Avenida	10	15	5	5	730	737	−7
5.	Cherno More	10	13	3	7	755	807	−52
6.	Atletas	10	13	3	7	709	769	−60

Group B

	Team	Pld	Pts	W	L	PF	PA	PD
1.	Cholet	10	18	8	2	815	675	+140
2.	Türk Telekom	10	17	7	3	768	722	+46
3.	Split	10	15	5	5	800	760	+40
4.	Slovakofarma Pezinok	10	15	5	5	759	771	−12
5.	MZT Boss Skopje	10	13	3	7	738	805	−67
6.	Mlékárna Kunín	10	12	2	8	755	902	−147

Group C

	Team	Pld	Pts	W	L	PF	PA	PD
1.	Pamesa Valencia	10	20	10	0	805	678	+117
2.	Budućnost	10	16	6	4	780	767	+13
3.	Śląsk Wrocław	10	15	5	5	729	706	+23
4.	ASK Brocēni	10	15	5	5	798	815	−17
5.	SÜBA Sankt Pölten	10	12	2	8	701	768	−67
6.	Hapoel Eilat	10	12	2	8	771	850	−79

Group D

	Team	Pld	Pts	W	L	PF	PA	PD
1.	Partizan Zepter	10	19	9	1	850	744	+106
2.	Pivovarna Laško	10	17	7	3	836	803	+33
3.	AEK	10	17	7	3	757	695	+62
4.	Atomerőmű	10	13	3	7	758	816	−58
5.	Zagreb	10	13	3	7	701	780	−79
6.	Torpan Pojat	10	11	1	9	727	791	−64

Group E

	Team	Pld	Pts	W	L	PF	PA	PD
1.	Tofaş	10	17	7	3	774	650	+124
2.	Hapoel Jerusalem	10	17	7	3	770	707	+63
3.	Spirou Charleroi	10	17	7	3	680	682	−2
4.	Lietuvos rytas	10	16	6	4	757	776	−19
5.	Marc Körmend	10	12	2	8	723	841	−118
6.	Bosna	10	11	1	9	672	720	−48

Group F

	Team	Pld	Pts	W	L	PF	PA	PD
1.	Aris	10	19	9	1	799	637	+162
2.	Limoges CSP	10	17	7	3	711	637	+74
3.	Telindus Racing Antwerpen	10	15	5	5	708	736	−28
4.	TVG Trier	10	14	4	6	741	781	−40
5.	Plannja	10	13	3	7	756	802	−46
6.	Feal Široki	10	12	2	8	653	775	−122

Group G

	Team	Pld	Pts	W	L	PF	PA	PD
1.	Pinturas Bruguer Badalona	10	19	9	1	855	703	+152
2.	Ratiopharm Ulm	10	17	7	3	775	759	+16
3.	Ventspils	10	15	5	5	860	813	+47
4.	Mazowszanka	10	14	4	6	751	783	−32
5.	APOEL	10	13	3	7	689	736	−47
6.	Spartak Moscow	10	12	2	8	770	906	−136

Group H

	Team	Pld	Pts	W	L	PF	PA	PD
1.	Benetton Treviso	10	20	10	0	822	644	+177
2.	UNICS	10	15	5	5	757	748	+9
3.	Ovarense Aerosoles	10	14	4	6	682	697	−15
4.	Stahlbau Oberwart	10	14	4	6	691	748	−57
5.	Den Helder	10	14	4	6	593	639	−46
6.	BIPA-Moda Odesa	10	12	3	7	655	724	−69

Round of 32

Team 1	Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
Slovakofarma Pezinok	161–152	Sony Milano	89–77	72–75
Split	152–139	Kalev	83–77	69–62
Kovinotehna Savinjska Polzela	123–141	Türk Telekom	70–64	53–77
Estrelas da Avenida	114–159	Cholet	59–75	55–84
Atomerőmű	133–153	Pamesa Valencia	70–71	63–82
AEK	129–135	Budućnost	66–61	63–74
Śląsk Wrocław	149–153	Pivovarna Laško	81–82	68–71
ASK Brocēni	173–184	Partizan Zepter	84–97	89–87
Trier	140–172	Tofaş	70–92	70–80
Telindus Racing Antwerpen	133–158	Hapoel Jerusalem	67–64	66–94
Spirou Charleroi	136–130	Limoges CSP	60–61	76–69
Lietuvos rytas	149–161	Aris	77–76	72–85
Stahlbau Oberwart	130–187	Pinturas Bruguer Badalona	66–92	64–95
Ovarense Aerosoles	129–141	Ratiopharm Ulm	66–62	63–79
Ventspils	167–147	UNICS	88–73	79–74
Mazowzanka	130–145	Benetton Treviso	70–62	60–83

Round of 16

Team 1	Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
Budućnost	171–149	Slovakofarma Pezinok	86–68	85–81
Pivovarna Laško	159–154	Cholet	77–68	82–86
Split	151–163	Pamesa Valencia	76–79	75–84
Türk Telekom	113–161	Partizan Zepter	70–85	43–76
Ratiopharm Ulm	135–153	Tofaş	65–74	70–79
Ventspils	137–144	Aris	73–65	64–79
Hapoel Jerusalem	155–166	Pinturas Bruguer Badalona	81–73	74–93
Spirou Charleroi	127–145	Benetton Treviso	66–70	61–75

Quarterfinals

Team 1	Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
Budućnost	149–129	Tofaş	67–65	82–64
Aris	158–144	Pivovarna Laško	95–72	63–72
Pamesa Valencia	123–119	Pinturas Bruguer Badalona	57–50	66–69
Benetton Treviso	163–150	Partizan Zepter	90–77	73–73

Semifinals

Team 1	Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
Benetton Treviso	96–60	Budućnost	76–60	20–0*
Pamesa Valencia	128–114	Aris	70–64	58–50

*The second leg which was scheduled to be played in Podgorica, was cancelled due to the war situation in Yugoslavia. Although FIBA accepted a neutral venue (Thessaloniki, Greece) to play this game, the Yugoslav players couldn't get out of their country because of the military conflict, and therefore FIBA definitely cancelled this match and awarded a forfeit (20–0) to Benetton Treviso.

Final

April 13, Pabellón Príncipe Felipe, Zaragoza

Team 1	Score	Team 2
Benetton Treviso	64–60	Pamesa Valencia

1998–99 FIBA Saporta Cup Champions
Benetton Treviso 2nd title

Awards

FIBA Saporta Cup Finals MVP

Henry Williams ( Benetton Treviso)

References

[1] "Linguasport – FIBA Country Ranking (B)". www.linguasport.com. Retrieved 2020-05-31.

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