EuroCup Scoring Over the Years: How Offence Has Evolved in the Second Tier
EuroCup has followed a similar arc to EuroLeague: league-wide points per game (ppg) fell in the late 2000s and early 2010s, then rose sharply in the 2020s. As the second-tier continental competition, it reflects the same era trends—slower, lower-scoring basketball in the middle period and a return to high-octane offence in recent years. The data makes that swing clear.
Early 2000s: High Scoring, Then a Slide
In the early 2000s, EuroCup league ppg sat in the high 76s to low 80s (2002–03 around 80.0, 2003–04 about 78.2). The competition’s format and team count varied (24–54 teams in a season), but the trend was consistent: scoring then dropped. By 2011–12, league ppg hit a low of about 73.3—one of the lowest values in the full dataset. That season aligns with a league-wide emphasis on defence and half-court play seen across European basketball.
Recovery and the 2020s Surge
From the mid-2010s onward, EuroCup ppg climbed back. 2015–16 (about 81.2 ppg) and 2016–17 (about 80.8) marked a clear rebound. The 20-team format era (from 2016–17) kept the competition stable in size, making year-to-year comparison cleaner. By 2021–22 (about 82.4) and 2022–23 (about 84.5), EuroCup was posting numbers that would have been unthinkable a decade earlier. 2025–26 (about 86.0 ppg) is the highest in the series—on par with or slightly above the top EuroLeague seasons, underlining how much second-tier offence has caught up in raw output.
What This Says About EuroCup Offence
Rising league ppg in EuroCup reflects the same broad forces as in EuroLeague: more spacing, more three-point shooting, faster pace in many games, and deeper talent. EuroCup teams often play a similar style to EuroLeague sides, with slightly less star power but comparable systems. The long dip and subsequent rise show that the second tier is not static—it has moved with the same tactical and stylistic waves. For followers of the competition, the takeaway is that EuroCup has become a high-scoring product again, with recent seasons among the most offensive in its history.
All-Time Best Scoring Teams in EuroCup
EuroCup has seen some eye-catching team totals. The highest single-season average in the data belongs to Paris Basketball (97.0 ppg in 2022–23), followed by U-BT Cluj-Napoca (96.4 in 2025–26), Valencia Basket (95.8 in 2024–25), and Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv (95.7 in 2022–23). The 2025–26 season alone placed several teams in the 90+ range—Hapoel Jerusalem (95.6), Besiktas JK Istanbul (94.0), and Neptunas Klaipeda (92.6)—showing how deep the high-scoring trend runs in the competition.
Among teams with at least 30 games in the dataset, the best all-time EuroCup scorers are Paris Basketball (91.8 ppg), Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv (90.4), U-BT Cluj-Napoca (88.9), and Prometey Slobozhanske (88.0). Historic high-fliers like Virtus Bologna, Khimki Moscow Region, Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari, and Neptunas Klaipeda also rank near the top. EuroCup’s best scorers are a mix of recent breakout sides and established names that have consistently played fast, aggressive offence—making the second tier a fertile ground for teams that push the scoreboard.
