1965–66 FIBA European Champions Cup

1965–66 FIBA European Champions Cup
1965–66 FIBA European Champions Cup
League	FIBA European Champions Cup
Sport	Basketball
Final Four
Champions	Simmenthal Milano
Runners-up	Slavia VŠ Praha
FIBA European Champions Cup seasons
	← 1964–65 1966–67 →

The 1965–66 FIBA European Champions Cup was the ninth season of the European top-tier level professional basketball club competition FIBA European Champions Cup (now called EuroLeague). It was won by Simmenthal Milano, for the first time in its history, the first of the club's three EuroLeague championships.

Simmenthal defeated Slavia VŠ Praha, by a score of 77–72, in the final of the first ever Champions Cup Final Four held in the EuroLeague competition, with two venues used: a venue in Milan, and the Palazzo dello sport arena in Bologna, Italy.^[1] The Italian team, featuring future the Basketball Hall of Fame member Bill Bradley, defeated the favorites and former champs, CSKA Moscow, in the semifinal, by a score of 57–68.

Competition system

26 teams. European national domestic league champions, plus the then current FIBA European Champions Cup title holders only, playing in a tournament system. The competition culminated in a Final Four.

First round

Team 1	Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg	3rd leg
Fenerbahçe	143–146	Dinamo București	85–71	58–75
Wiener	139–161	Vorwärts Leipzig	75–82	64–79
Gladsaxe Efterslægten	96–171	Slavia VŠ Praha	57–84	39–87
Gießen 46ers	150–191	Simmenthal Milano	77–88	73–103
Etzella	98–162	CSKA Cherveno zname	51–72	47–90
Collegians	84–152	Denain Voltaire	51–78	33–74
KR	109–149	Alvik	48–60	61–89
AEK	153–150	Wisła Kraków	72–71	81–79
Wydad AC	193–191*	Benfica	53–54	77–76	63-61
Aldershot Warriors	144–213	Racing Mechelen	83–113	61–100

*Series decided over a third game after having tied aggregate score after the two home-away games.

Second round

Team 1	Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg	3rd leg
Racing Mechelen	210–150	Helsingin Kisa-Toverit	116–79	99–74
Honvéd	143–182	Slavia VŠ Praha	62–100	81–82
Vorwärts Leipzig	123–175	CSKA Moscow	66–87	57–88
Wydad AC	172–238	AEK	96–113	76–125
Alvik	149–201	Real Madrid	88–113	61–91
Denain Voltaire	126–139	CSKA Cherveno zname	61–53	65–86
Hapoel Tel Aviv	118–187	Simmenthal Milano	65–80	53–87
Dinamo București	207–213*	Zadar	92–78	56–70	59-65

*Series decided over a third game after having tied aggregate score after the two home-away games.

Quarterfinals group stage

For the first time in the competition history, the quarterfinals were played with a round-robin system, in which every Two Game series (TGS) constituted as one game for the record. A third decisive game was played if the aggregate score of the first two games was tied.

Key to colors for group standings
	Top two places in each group advance to Semifinals

Group A

Games

Team 1	Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
Slavia VŠ Praha	146-151	Real Madrid	83-71	63-80
Racing Mechelen	170-189	Simmenthal Milano	104-94	66-95
Racing Mechelen	203-196	Real Madrid	104-95	99-101
Simmenthal Milano	155-159	Slavia VŠ Praha	96-77	59-82
Real Madrid	147-159	Simmenthal Milano	71-66	76-93
Racing Mechelen	180-185	Slavia VŠ Praha	104-91	76-94

Standings

	Team	Pld	Pts	W	L	PF	PA	PD
1.	Slavia VŠ Praha	3	5	2	1	490	486	+4
2.	Simmenthal Milano	3	5	2	1	503	476	+27
3.	Racing Mechelen	3	4	1	2	553	570	-17
4.	Real Madrid	3	4	1	2	494	508	-14

Group B

Games

Team 1	Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg	3rd leg
CSKA Moscow	140-142	CSKA Cherveno zname	77-64	63-78
Zadar	140-147	AEK	69-71	71-76
Zadar	210-217	CSKA Cherveno zname	79-53	58-84	73-80
AEK	122-147	CSKA Moscow	74-66	48-81
CSKA Cherveno zname	139-144	AEK	94-69	45-75
CSKA Moscow	166-133	Zadar	79-49	87-84