Almost half of the participants fall in the first round of the knockout

Of the 11,529 participants who started the KO game, only 5,936 remain in contention after the first round. A total of 48.51% have been eliminated mercilessly, confirming that in this competitive format, there is no margin for error. The numbers are striking: 5,593 participants have seen their teams fail to meet expectations, while the rest managed to stay in the contest with victories that prolong their stay in the tournament.

The debacle of MoraBanc Andorra

MoraBanc Andorra has become the executioner of the day. It was the second most selected option, with 1,852 participants placing their trust in the Andorran team. None of them activated their saving wildcard, leading to a collective elimination of all those who backed the Andorran team. The team's defeat in its debut caused the largest drop in participants, leaving a trail of 1,852 players out of competition.

The victims were not limited to anonymous participants. Gerard Solé, Sergio2colegas, Outconsumer, Quino Colom, and Mr.Chip, all experts and content creators in Spanish basketball, chose MoraBanc Andorra and fell in the first round. The gurus' wall, which tracks who remains standing and who has fallen each round, already records its first significant casualties.

Valencia Basket, ASISA Joventut, and La Laguna Tenerife complete the disaster

After MoraBanc Andorra, three other teams completed the catalog of losses that marked the day. Valencia Basket came in as the third most chosen option with 1,426 participants, but their defeat left them all out. ASISA Joventut had 887 supporters, while La Laguna Tenerife was selected by 823 players. None of the three teams managed to win, collectively accumulating over 3,100 participants who saw their picks fall on debut.

Lucas Sáez, another expert in the basketball landscape, was also eliminated after trusting Valencia Basket. The gesture of the wildcards, that ace up the sleeve that allows salvation in case of defeat, was not activated en masse among these teams, although there were exceptions that allowed some players to continue in the competition despite the adverse results.

FC Barcelona and Surne Bilbao as lifelines

If MoraBanc Andorra was the executioner, FC Barcelona acted as a lifeline. One in four participants chose Barça, representing mass confidence in the blue and burgundy team. Their victory in the first round keeps 2,826 people in the game who placed their hopes on the Catalan capital's team. This figure underscores the importance of choosing teams with competitive capacity, as victories translate directly into staying in the tournament.

Surne Bilbao was the third most chosen option and also met expectations. Their victory keeps 1,753 participants alive in the competition, solidifying their status as another significant lifeline of the day. These two teams, along with iLERNA Lleida, were the big winners in terms of participants able to advance.

iLERNA Lleida, the surprise with the least support

On the opposite end of the spectrum is iLERNA Lleida, chosen by only 9 participants, the team with the least support of the entire day. However, their victory allowed the 9 players who trusted them to continue in the game, demonstrating that sometimes the least popular bet can prove successful.

The wildcards: last-minute salvation

In total, 114 users had the quick thinking to activate their wildcards before the round closed. Of these, 74 managed to save themselves thanks to this lifeline, while the rest ultimately did not need to use it because their team won. The wildcards proved to be a crucial element for some players who saw their stay in the tournament jeopardized.

ASISA Joventut accounted for more than half of these rescues, with 42 wildcards activated. This data suggests that many participants who chose the Badalona team were aware of the risk and had the foresight to save their wildcard for a possible emergency. The strategy worked partially: the team lost, but at least it allowed almost half of its participants to continue in the contest thanks to this last-minute salvation.

The gurus' wall and its first casualties

The gurus' wall, where journalists, content creators, and known faces of Spanish basketball take a stand week by week with their predictions, already records its first casualties. Beyond the five experts who fell with MoraBanc Andorra and Lucas Sáez with Valencia Basket, the duel between Olga Lorente and Noelia Gómez ended in victory for the journalist from Zaragoza.

Olga acertó with Río Breogán, maintaining her presence in the game. Noelia, on the other hand, had chosen ASISA Joventut but had the foresight to activate her wildcard in time, allowing her to continue in the competition despite her chosen team's defeat. This detail highlights the strategic importance of wildcards in a format where error is synonymous with immediate elimination.

The first round of the KO game has made clear the harshness of the format. With almost half of the participants out of competition and six experts already eliminated, the tournament shapes up as a battle where precision in predictions will be crucial to reach the final rounds. The numbers speak for themselves: 5,593 eliminated against 5,936 survivors establish a precarious balance that will tip as the rounds progress.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Casi la mitad de participantes cae en el primer asalto del KO