Now basketball fans around the world can begin marking their calendars with the dates that their favorite teams will leap into action. The 22 teams that have already secured their berths in the Euroleague Regular Season were divided into four groups of six teams, with two more team still to be added from the Qualifying Rounds. The Qualifying Rounds will take place from September 29 through October 2 with 16 teams battling for two last tickets to the Regular Season at separate eight-team tournaments. Among the top seeds headlining the Regular Season groups are defending Turkish Airlines Euroleague champion Panathinaikos, 2010 champion Regal FC Barcelona and the winningest team in Euroleague history, Real Madrid. The Regular Season is set to tip-off with the Greens hosting the traditional Opening Game at the Athens Indoor Olympic Hall on Monday, October 17 and then will continue with games played every Wednesday and Thursday for 10 consecutive weeks through December 22. The competition returns with the Top 16 from January 18 to March 1, with a one-week break between the fourth and fifth games. The quarterfinal playoffs are scheduled from March 21 to April 5, the winners of which will meet at the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four from May 11 to 13 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Euroleague 2011-12, Qualifying Rounds, analysis
Alba Berlin
For the third consecutive season, Alba Berlin will try to access to the Turkish Airlines Euroleague through the Qualifying Round. Alba signed Gordon Herbert as its new head coach and he brought German League MVP DaShaun Wood with him from Frankfurt. Playmaker Heiko Schaffartzik, power forward Derrick Allen or sharp shooter Lucca Staiger are under contract, but Alba will add more quality players to fight for a Euroleague berth.


BC Donetsk
In just five years, Donetsk has gone from the Ukrainian third division to have the chance to qualify to the Turkish Airlines Euroleague. Ambitious as it can be, Donetsk played a major role early in the off-season to land players like scoring machine Ramel Curry, versatile forward Maksym Pustozvonov or playmaker Vule Avdalovic. Head coach Sasa Obradovic hopes to help Donetsk to become the first Ukrainian team ever to play the Euroleague regular season.


BCM Gravelines
BCM Gravelines faces the chance to reach the Turkish Airlines Euroleague for the first time in club history. Gravelines comes off an outstanding season, in which the team won the Semaine des As title and reached the French League semifinals. Head coach Christian Monschau is back and relies on lightning quick playmaker Andrew Albicy, big man Ludovic Vaty and point guard Yannick Bokolo to play a major role in an exciting, promising 2011-12 season.


Banvit BK
Banvit BK returns to the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Qualifying Round hoping to go all the way to the regular season. Orhun Ene stays as head coach and Banvit has managed to keep star forward Keith Simmons. The club has added more scoring power with the additions of veteran bomber Serkan Erdogan and swingman Erkan Veyseloglu. Banvit is fully established as one of the teams to beat in Turkey and wants to make the most out of the chance to go to the Euroleague.

Perennial Czech League champion CEZ Basketball Nymburk has been competing in the Eurocup for the last four seasons and now hopes to earn a Turkish Airlines Euroleague spot through the Qualifying Rounds. Ronen Ginzburg stays as head coach and Nymburk managed to keep scoring reference Tre Simmons and already added Eugene Lawrence, Lukas Palyza and Martin Miklosik. It has the chance to become the first Czech team to reach the Euroleague regular season since 1981-82.


Galatasaray
Galatasaray has the chance to play the Turkish Airlines Euroleague if it survives the Qualifying Rounds. Galatasaray has not had the chance to reach Europe's top competition since 1990. The club inked scoring guard Jaka Lakovic as its new main reference, as well as Cehver Ozer, Jamon Gordon and youngster Furkan Aldemir. Head coach Oktay Mahmuti will try to get his new lineup ready for a critical challenge so early in the season.


Spirou Basket
Belgian League champion Belgacom Spirou Basket know what it takes to survive the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Qualifying Rounds — and is hoping to do it all over again. Spirou managed to keep signature point guard and Belgian League MVP Demond Mallet and added experienced swingman Jiri Welsch as its main roster moves so far. Getting to play the 2010-11 Euroleague will have Spirou more motivated than ever to get back to the competition.


PGE Turow
Polish League finalis PGE Turow Zgorzelec has the chance to make its Turkish Airlines Euroleague debut if it goes past the Qualifying Rounds. Turow reached the ULEB Cup Final Eight in 2008 but reaching the Euroleague would be an even bigger achievement for the team. Konrad Wysocki and Robert Tomaszek are under contract and even when there is a lot of work left to do, Turow will be ready to become a tough opponent by late September.


VEF Riga
Latvian League champion VEF Riga comes off its best season in decades and hopes to keep it going. VEF also reached the Baltic League finals last season and Ramunas Butautas, the coach that made it happen, is back to lead the team. Its first addition has been Janis Kaufmanis but VEF is set to be loyal to its own philosophy — try to sign the best Latvian players, efficient foreigners and complete the team with promising youngsters — that worked so well this far.


Asvel Basket
French powerhouse Asvel Basket is a team with a commitment to excellence. Asvel is hard at work building a strong team that will challenge in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Qualifying Rounds. In addition to promising talents like Kim Tillie, Bangaly Fofana and Edwin Jackson, who all played important roles last season, rookie Jamie Skeen and newcomer Hilton Armstrong are also impact players that could lead the way this year.


Khimki
After looking good in its Turkish Airlines Euroleague debut last season, BC Khimki Moscow Region aims to get back via the Qualifying Rounds and it has the talent and experience to do so with trusted names like Keith Langford, Travis Hansen, Raul Lopez, Sergey Monya and Zoran Planinic leading the way. An infusion of young talent has also bolstered the Khimki roster ahead of what could be a pivotal season.


Cibona
No team in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Qualifying Rounds has the experience to match Cibona, which looks to extend a two-decade long run of playing in the Euroleague this year. After relying almost exclusively on local talent last season, Cibona will hope to reap the rewards of the growth of players like Leon Radosevic and Tomislav Zubcic to make a run back to Europe’s premier basketball competition.


Cholet Basket
Cholet Basket’s return to the Euroleague last season was an exciting one as the team came within a tiebreaker of reaching the Top 16. This season the French League runner-up will have to work a little hard by going through the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Qualifying Rounds, but by keeping several players from last season and adding scorer Robert Hite among others, Cholet may have the recipe to shine bright again.


Buducnost
Perennial Montenegrin League champion Buducnost takes aim at the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Qualifying Rounds for the second season in a row. Only two baskets separated Buducnost from advancing past the first series last season and that experience could come in handy as the storied club looks to score a Euroleague berth for the first time since the 2002-03 season.


Lietuvos Rytas
Lithuanian powerhouse Lietuvos Rytas narrowly missed the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Playoffs last season and now enters the Qualifying Rounds with a strong roster and the experience that will help boost the club back. Many of the stars from last season, including teenage center Jonas Valanciunas, are back and Renaldas Seibutis has already arrived among the talented newcomers to help guide Rytas back to glory.


PAOK BC
PAOK Thessaloniki has not tasted the Turkish Airlines Euroleague in over a decade and now the famed Greek club has a chance to get back via the Qualifying Rounds. With experienced head coach Anastasios Markopoulos remaining to guide the club, PAOK has the leadership needed to quickly build a team that can rally early in the season and start PAOK back on the road to European greatness.

Euroleague 2011-12, Qualifying Rounds, Quotes
BC Khimki Moscow Region head coach Rimas Kurtinaitis:
"I think there are no weak teams in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Qualifying Round. It is a new season with new coaches and players and right now it is difficult to say which teams will be good or bad. It is not the worst situation to play against PGE Turow — it would be much worse to play against a team like, for instance, Galatasaray. It is difficult to analyze Turow so early, but I think we are a good chance to get to the Euroleague. Things may be easier for us if the played two-game rounds, because of the home court advantage and know what to do in Game 2 to qualify, but the system is the same for everyone."

VEF Riga general manager Emils Toms:
"We knew what to expect and I think that there are not weak teams in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Qualifying Round. We just have to play everyone one by one and see what happens. I don't wanna say that we are a weaker team but in a way, the final eight format favours them. Anything can happen in one game if you prepare well for it. VEF Riga has a lot of tradition but returned just some years ago. The goal is to play at the highest level in Europe against the best teams. We want to built an organization able to fight to get to the Euroleague in every season. We just want to make a strong, consistent team for many years."

Belgacom Spirou Basket sports director Jacques Stas:
"The Turkish Airlines Euroleaguiq Qualifying Round is never easy for anyone — even when he managed to go through last season. We will try to do it again but of course, it is going to be tough and Donetsk is a very good team. Still, I must admit I am happy not to play Galatasaray Cafe Crown in the first round. I am happy with the draw outcome. Lats year, right after the Qualifying Round, I proposed the Euroleague to use the Final Eight format in one spot instead of travelling everywhere for three weeks. It was our idea to do that and I am happy it went through. It is less expensive and both qualifying rounds will be great basketball events."

CEZ Basketball Nymburk general manager Ondrej Simenec:
"It is about simple — one game can decide everything and we cannot lose if we want to go to the Turkish Airlines Euroleague. We are getting ready and preparing for the Qualifying Round. Our goal is to get to the last game and win it. There are no easy games at this level, so I cannot give an opinion about Banvit. We know it will be a tough opponent we must beat and get to the next level. We know it is a good chance for us. When we started to play in the Eurocup, we started to build a strong organization with the goal to reach the Euroleague. It would be a great honor — the Euroleague is the cream of European basketball, the top level."

Alba Berlin sports director Mithat Demirel:
"VEF Riga is a very interesting team with a lot of talent. It will be very tough to qualify to the Turkish Airlines Euroleague due to the lack of preparation, but everyone will be in the same condition. We will try to be ready and qualify. German basketball improved a lot last season and we are in a good position to be one of the best leagues in Europe. I hope all German teams will compete really hard and do well in the Euroleague and the Eurocup."

BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque team manager Romuald Coustre:
"It is a bit strange. When you play a European competition for the first time like the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Qualifying Round, you expect to play a foreign team, but that won't be the case. We know Asvel very well and are expected to face team in pre-season, too. It is a great opportunity to make it to the next round, because we know we can beat them. It is a great excitement for us to be at this level and also a reward to the job we did in the last three years. We know that only two teams will advance, so all the others will play the Eurocup. It is a first step for us and we are building a 10,000-seat arena that will be ready in 2014, with the expectation to play in the Euroleague."

PAOK BC sports director Bane Prelevic:
"At this point of the season, by the end of September, every game is difficult no matter who you play against. None of the teams will be at their best level, but we will do our best to be as ready as we can to play against Galatasaray Cafe Crown. Our program as a club does not depend on one game or what happens in September. We have a four-year plan to develop a club that will be at the highest level in Europe, on and off the court. Even with that, we will fight hard in the Qualifying Round as we organize the team to be ready to play at the highest level."

Lietuvos Rytas sports director Martynas Purlys:
"Buducnost, as every team from the Adriatic region, is a very dangerous and difficult team. Last season, Buducnost made it to the Adriatic League final four and won the Montenegrin League and Cup titles. It is really tough to play a team like this but we will be ready to play. The final eight format is very interesting. We managed to win the Eurocup title under the same format three years ago. We are familiar with it and will be ready for that. Every game is a do-or-die one, which is exciting."

Galatasaray head coach Oktay Mahmuti:
"It is tough to make a prediction right now. The teams are not completed yet and we don't expect any easy opponent. Nobody gets to the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Qualifying Round being a weak team, of course. It takes place right at the beginning of the season so whoever is better prepared will have a good chance to go to the Euroleague. Everyone has to adjust and the one that does it better will have an advantage. It is a completely different approach this season with a final eight format. There is no room for mistakes, but it is a very exciting tournament to play so early in the season."

Asvel Basket basketball operations manager Laurent Foirest:

"It's a shame to face Gravelines in the first round. We would have preferred to draw a foreign team. Gravelines and ASVEL are two teams that know each other well and the series will be an open one. The level of this qualifying round will be already very high against difficult teams."