It's crunch time for two Uleb Cup Group D teams, on Tuesday, January 17th !

Eurosport 2 is returning to Le Mans, France, to the arena that staged the first game of the season, and the stakes could not be any higher:

The hosts, Le Mans Sarthe, only need to WIN to progress to the Knockout phase, the Last 16.

Lottomatica Roma, however, need to win by 14, as the French won the reverse fixture, 78-65, on December 6th, in Rome.

Currently, Le Mans have a record of 5 wins and 4 losses, and Roma are 4 and 5; an Italian victory would mean a tie for fourth position, and such a tie is decided by the aggregate score of the two games played between the tied teams .... so Roma must win by 14 or more ....... THAT IS ........ UNLESS ............. Red Star Belgrade lose, at home, against Jerusalem !!

The "equation" is complicated by the fact that there could be a THREE-WAY tie for 3rd position : Red Star will need to beat Jerusalem by a massive 27 points to force their way into second spot, but if Jerusalem win, even by a single point, and Roma win in Le Mans, there will be three teams tied for third place, and LE Mans would sink to FIFTH, even if they lose by just one point !!

LIVE coverage of he Le Mans v Roma game starts at 6pm (UK), and Eurosport 2 will be there as the drama unfolds !

Commentators Roy Birch and Micky Bett know the Antares Arena very well, and they're certain that a full house of 6003 French basketball fans will be backing their team, which includes former British League player Kenny Gregory. "But", says Birch "Roma have improved beyond recognition since the early part of the season, and have recruited Ekezie Obinna, a giant Nigerian, to bolster their rebounding, and he certainly impressed everyone last week, in his first game, when Roma beat Red Star !"

All 12 Uleb Cup games tip off at the same time, this Tuesday, so Eurosport2 will screen delayed coverage of the Charleroi (Belgium) v Sintra (Portugal) game immediately after the Le Mans Roma clash. (Charleroi will reach the Last 16 if they win !).