This article is part of our EuroLeague Primer series.
PREGAME UPDATES
- Steven Enoch and Daulton Hommes will suit up Wednesday for Baskonia.
- Kevarrius Hayes will be in uniform Wednesday for Zalgiris.
- Panagiotis Kalaitzakis will be available Wednesday for Panathinaikos.
- Cassius Winston, Elias Harris and Niklas Wimberg will play Wednesday for Bayern, but Corey Walden, Paul Zipser and Jason George remain sidelined.
- ASVEL's Nando de Colo will suit up Wednesday.
- Virtus Bologna's Semi Ojeleye will be available for Round 9.
STATS AND INFO.
- EuroLeague Betting Odds
- EuroLeague Starting Lineups
- EuroLeague Injury Report
- EuroLeague Team Stats
- Opponent Averages
- Team Trends
- Twitter - @RotoWireEuro
THE SLATE
Virtus Segafredo Bologna at 
Panathinaikos Athens
Status Check: Tornike Shengelia (VIR), Semi Ojeleye (VIR), Awudu Abass (VIR), Leo Menalo (VIR), Marius Grigonis (PAO), Panagiotis Kalaitzakis (PAO), Alexandros Samontourov (PAO), Neoklis Avdalas (PAO)
The Breakdown: The first game on the docket features one team rising up the standings and another hoping to do the same. After getting off to a 1-3 start, Virtus found its footing and has climbed back to even. Panathinaikos, meanwhile, claimed its second victory of the season in Round 7 but was handled easily by first-place Fenerbahce its last time out. Despite the recent results, the Greek team is favored by 2.5 points Wednesday on its home court. If they hope to walk away with another win, they will need to find holes in a defense that allows the second fewest points in the league and is rated third best on that end of the court.
Best Bets for Success: Dwayne Bacon's output has steadily increased since his Round 7 debut, and we feel best about his chances to deliver in Round 9. Jordan Mickey shined last week with Shengelia sidelined, and he could again, as Panathinaikos ranks bottom-3 against forwards in points, rebounds and field goal attempts.
Fantasy Factors: No one on Wednesday's DraftKings slate is returning more average value than Nate Wolters, so he will look pretty good in lineups at $7,800. It's unclear of Ojeleye will be 100 percent, so Kyle Weems will be a potential bargain at $7,000.
FC Bayern Munich at 
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne
Status Check: Cassius Winston (BAY), Corey Walden (BAY), Paul Zipser (BAY), Elias Harris (BAY), Zan Mark Sisko (BAY), Niklas Wimberg (BAY), Jason George (BAY), Nando de Colo (ASV), Joffrey Lauvergne (ASV)
The Breakdown: Neither of these club has found much success early on, as they enter with a combined record of 5-11. However, one of them will take home a victory in Round 9, and the oddsmakers believe it will be the French squad, as they have been given a 2.5-point edge on the betting board. ASVEL is expected to be pretty close to full strength Wednesday, but it's anyone's guess what Bayern's roster will look like, as they have been coy about which players will suit up and which won't. Both teams are below average on the offensive end, so it should come as little surprise that the over/under on this game is four points lower than the game above and 14 lower than the last game on the slate.
Best Bets for Success: No one has really stood out on the ASVEL side in recent Rounds, and it's unclear who will be available for Bayern on Wednesday, so it's tough to find a slam dunk on either side. We're going to hold off on de Colo coming off the injury and go with Youssoupha Fall, who has slowed a bit but will face a team ceding the most points and FGA to opposing centers. In the two games in which Fall took at least eight shots he averaged 14.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 27.3 DraftKings points per contest. ASVEL has been as friendly to guards as Bayern has to centers, allowing players at those positions to record more points and FGA than anyone else. At the same time, they are also allowing frontcourt players to tally fewer points and attempts than anyone else. If Winston plays we will consider him Bayern's top option, even though he missed his club's last domestic contest. If Winston sits out, we will go with Nick Weiler-Babb, whose ability to contribute in numerous categories gives him a good deal of upside when he gets the minutes.
Fantasy Factors: With Bayern potentially short-handed, veterans Othello Hunter and Vladimir Lucic could lead the charge Wednesday. It's unclear if de Colo will handle his role, so this could be an opportunity for Parker Jackson-Cartwright to break out.
Zalgiris Kaunas at 
Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz
Status Check: Kevarrius Hayes (ZAL), Mantas Kalnietis (ZAL), Steven Enoch (BKN), Daulton Hommes (BKN)
The Breakdown: These squads enter Round 9 going in different directions, as Zalgiris went 5-1 over the last six Rounds and Baskonia went 1-4 over the last five. Despite that, the Spanish squad is favored by just over a handful of points in its own gym. No team plays at a quicker pace than Baskonia, which helps explain why the over/under on this game is markedly higher than it is in the other two. Both teams are just about even in the net rating department, so while this game features the biggest spread, it could be just as much a toss-up as the two games that get underway earlier in the evening.
Best Bets for Success: Keenan Evans did not lead his team in DraftKings points in Round 8, but he did hit the 25-point mark on that website for the fifth time in as many chances, so he remains the man for Zalgiris. Baskonia now seemingly has three guards that qualify for this section, but we will stick with Darius Thompson for another Round.
Fantasy Factors: Rolands Smits keeps rolling along and is returning some of the most average value on the slate. Pierria Henry and Rokas Giedraitis both look pretty good on DraftKings at $7,700 and $8,300, respectively.
