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. +Country ranking for 1998–1999 FIBA Saporta CupRankCountryPointsTeamsNotes1237.00022222.8333194.500492.833588.667667.732746.333838.5009 35.5421034.6671133.7141231.9021321.5241419.7941515.929168.905-1, Budivelnyk withdrew176.5421186.429+1, Atomerőmű got wild card195.417+1, Stahlbau Oberwart got wild cardRankCountryPointsTeamsNotes204.1871214.083223.944233.667243.611-1, London Leopards withdrew 253.361262.361271.889281.722+1, Bosna got wild card291.445+1, Ventspils got wild card301.333311.056-1,-Dinamo București withdrew320.889-1, Racing Luxembourg withdrew330.6940340.416350.278360.111370.056380.056
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 −60Group 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 −79Group 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 −48Group 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 −136Group 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
Round of 16
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
*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
1998–99 FIBA Saporta Cup Champions Benetton Treviso 2nd title
Awards FIBA Saporta Cup Finals MVP Henry Williams ( Benetton Treviso)
See also
1998–99 FIBA Euroleague 1998–99 FIBA Korać Cup
References 1998–99 FIBA Saporta Cup @ FIBA Europe.com