1972–73 FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup
# 1972–73 FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup

The 1972–73 FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup was the seventh edition of FIBA's 2nd-tier level European-wide professional club basketball competition, contested between national domestic cup champions, running from 18 October 1972, to 21 March 1973. It was contested by 26 teams, five more than in the previous edition.

1971 runner-up Spartak Leningrad, defeated Jugoplastika in the final, to become the first Soviet League team to win the competition, ending a 3-year period of Italian League dominance. It was the second straight final lost by a Yugoslav League team.

## Participants

| Country | Teams | Clubs |
| - | - | - |
| Albania | 1 | Vllaznia |
| Austria | 1 | Mounier Wels |
| Belgium | 1 | Racing Antwerpen |
| Bulgaria | 1 | Levski-Spartak |
| Czechoslovakia | 1 | Spartak ZJŠ Brno |
| England | 1 | Sutton & Crystal Palace |
| Finland | 1 | NMKY Helsinki |
| France | 1 | Olympique Antibes |
| Greece | 1 | Olympiacos |
| Hungary | 1 | Csepel |
| Iceland | 1 | KR |
| Israel | 1 | Maccabi Ramat Gan |
| Italy | 1 | Mobilquattro Milano |
| Luxembourg | 1 | Sparta Bertrange |
| Morocco | 1 | WAC |
| Netherlands | 1 | Raak Punch |
| Poland | 1 | Śląsk Wrocław |
| Portugal | 1 | Benfica |
| Romania | 1 | Steaua București |
| Soviet Union | 1 | Spartak Leningrad |
| Spain | 1 | Juventud Schweppes |
| Sweden | 1 | Solna |
| Switzerland | 1 | Union Neuchâtel |
| Turkey | 1 | Galatasaray |
| West Germany | 1 | Gießen 46ers |
| Yugoslavia | 1 | Jugoplastika |

## First round

| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Vllaznia | 111–124 | Galatasaray | 57–64 | 54–60 |
| WAC | 124–206 | Mounier Wels | 66–99 | 58–107 |
| Sutton & Crystal Palace | 147–154 | Benfica | 76–77 | 71–77 |

## Second round

| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Galatasaray | 121–152 | Śląsk Wrocław | 55–73 | 66–79 |
| Mobilquattro Milano | 193–114 | Union Neuchâtel | 100–62 | 84–52 |
| Raak Punch | 165–175 | Olympiacos | 88–68 | 77–107 |
| Spartak ZJŠ Brno | 189–156 | Mounier Wels | 107–73 | 82–83 |
| Solna | 188–150 | NMKY Helsinki | 93–61 | 95–89 |
| Csepel | 116–165 | Olympique Antibes | 55–81 | 61–84 |
| Sparta Bertrange | 121–187 | Juventud Schweppes | 63–92 | 58–95 |
| KR | 107–229 | Gießen 46ers | 56–127 | 51–102 |
| Levski-Spartak | 141–144 | Jugoplastika | 70–65 | 71–79 |
| Benfica | 166–203 | Racing Antwerpen | 86–83 | 80–120 |
| Maccabi Ramat Gan | 150–153 | Steaua București | 83–72 | 67–81 |

### Automatically qualified to the eighth finals

* Spartak Leningrad

## Top 12

| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Śląsk Wrocław | 139–145 | Mobilquattro Milano | 69–60 | 70–85 |
| Olympiacos | 161–170 | Spartak ZJŠ Brno | 87–94 | 74–76 |
| Solna | 131–219 | Spartak Leningrad | 67–115 | 64–104 |
| Olympique Antibes | 139–149 | Juventud Schweppes | 67–71 | 72–78 |
| Gießen 46ers | 166–191 | Jugoplastika | 84–99 | 82–92 |
| Racing Antwerpen | 150–152 | Steaua București | 80–76 | 70–76 |

## Quarterfinals

The quarter finals were played with a round-robin system, in which every Two Game series (TGS) constituted as one game for the record.

Key to colors :

* Top two places in each group advance to semifinals

| Group A 1st leg 2nd leg Agg Mobilquattro Milano – Spartak ZJŠ Brno 109-83 75-79 184-162 Spartak Leningrad – Mobilquattro Milano 72-57 54-59 126-116 Spartak ZJŠ Brno – Spartak Leningrad 74-82 77-82 151-164 TeamPldPtsWLPFPAPD 1. Spartak Leningrad 2420290267+23 2. Mobilquattro Milano 2311300288+12 3. Spartak ZJŠ Brno 2202313348-35 | Group B 1st leg 2nd leg Agg Jugoplastika – Juventud Schweppes 90-71 62-76 152-147 Steaua București – Jugoplastika 87-80 61-82 148-162 Juventud Schweppes – Steaua București 77-81 72-65 149-146 TeamPldPtsWLPFPAPD 1. Jugoplastika 2420314295+19 2. Juventud Schweppes 2311296298-2 3. Steaua București 2202294311-17 |
| - | - |

## Semifinals

| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Spartak Leningrad | 152–118 | Juventud Schweppes | 95–64 | 57–54 |
| Jugoplastika | 178–161 | Mobilquattro Milano | 96–81 | 82–70 |

## Final

March 20, Alexandreio Melathron, Thessaloniki

| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| - | - | - |
| Spartak Leningrad | 77–62 | Jugoplastika |

* 1972–73 FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup Champions
* Spartak Leningrad 1st title
