Serie B Basket

{{Short description|Basketball league in Italy}} {{Infobox Sports league | title = Serie B Basket | current_season = | logo = | pixels = | caption = | sport = Basketball | founded = | inaugural = 1937–38 | formerly = '''Serie B Basket''' 1937–38 to 1954–55 (2nd tier) '''Serie B Basket''' 1955–56 to 1964–65 (3rd tier) '''Serie B Basket''' 1965–66 to 1973–74 (2nd tier) '''Serie B Basket''' 1974–75 to 1985–86 (3rd tier) '''Serie B2 Basket''' 1986–87 to 2007–08 (4th tier) '''Serie B Amateurs Basket''' 2008–09 to 2010–11 (4th tier) '''National B Division Basket''' 2011–12 to 2013–14 (4th tier) '''Serie B Basket''' 2014–15 to present (3rd tier) | ceo = | teams = 64 | promotion = Serie A2 Basket | relegation = Serie C Gold Basket | levels = 3rd tier | pyramid = Italian basketball league system | domestic_cup = Italian LNP Cup | country = {{ITA}} | champion = | most_champs = | TV = | website = [http://www.legapallacanestro.com/ legapallacanestro.com] {{in lang|it}} }}

'''Serie B Basket''' is the third-tier men's basketball league in Italy.

==Format== Teams are divided into four groups by geographical contiguity. Promoted teams gain access to the second-tier Serie A2 Basket, while relegated teams get demoted to play in the Serie C Gold Basket.

==History== Serie B Basket first began in the 1937–38 season as the second level of the Italian basketball league system, and it remained the 2nd-tier level of the Italian basketball pyramid until the 1954–55 season. Serie B Basket was downgraded to being the third-tier level on the Italian basketball pyramid from the 1955–56 season, until the 1964–65 season. From the 1965–66 season, through the 1973–74 season, it was once again the second-tier level on the Italian basketball pyramid, being one tier below the Serie A Basket.

Serie B Basket was then once again downgraded to being the third-tier level league on the Italian basketball pyramid from the 1974–75 season, through the 1985–86 season. With the creation of the Serie B Excellence (Italian: Serie B d'Eccellenza), Serie B2 was downgraded to being the fourth-tier level on the Italian basketball pyramid, and was renamed to Serie B2 Basket.

From 2008 to 2011, the league was known as Serie B Amateurs Basket (Italian: Serie B Dilettanti Basket). From 2011 to 2014, the league was known as the National B Division Basket (Italian: Divisione Nazionale B Basket). Since 2014, the league has once again been known as the Serie B Basket, and has once again been the third-tier level on the Italian basketball pyramid.

== 2016–17 season== {{Col-begin}} {{Col-break}} {|class="wikitable" width="250px" align="center" font-size="100%" |- |style="background-color:#007FFF" |'''Group A''' |- |Virtus Siena |- |Robur et Fides Varese |- |Basket Cecina |- |Sangiorgese Basket |- |Omegna |- |Montecatini Basket |- |PMS Moncalieri |- |Oleggio |- |Domobasket Domodossola |- |US Empolese |- |Fiorentina Basket |- |Basket Golfo Piombino |- |San Miniato |- |Dragons BasketFirenze |- |Valsesia Pallacanestro |- |Basket Bottegone |} {{Col-break}} {|class="wikitable" width="250px" align="center" font-size="100%" |- |style="background-color:#007FFF" |'''Group B''' |- |Basket Iseo |- |Aurora Desio |- |Basket Piacenza |- |Virtus Padova |- |Basket Alto Sebino |- |Bergamo Basket 2014 |- |Pallacanestro Crema |- |Orzibasket Orzinuovi |- |Urania Milano |- |Pallacanestro Vicenza 2012 |- |Basket 2000 Reggio Emilia |- |Pallacanestro Faenza |- |Accademia Su Stentu Sestu |- |Basket Lecco |- |Rucker Sanve Sanvendemiano |- |Benedetto XIV Cento |} {{col-end}} {{Col-begin}} {{Col-break}} {|class="wikitable" width="250px" align="center" font-size="100%" |- |style="background-color:#007FFF" |'''Group C''' |- |Luiss Roma |- |Ass. Basket Palestrina |- |Sport e Cultura Patti |- |Basket Maddalaoni |- |Basket Barcellona |- |Teramo Basket 1960 |- |Basket Scauri |- |Stella Azzurra Roma |- |Virtus Cassino |- |Scuola Basket Viterbo |- |Virtus Valmontone |- |Vis Nova Roma |- |Tigers Forlì |- |Cuore Napoli Basket |- |Basket Cefalù |- |Planet Basket Catanzaro |} {{Col-break}} {|class="wikitable" width="250px" align="center" font-size="100%" |- |style="background-color:#007FFF" |'''Group D''' |- |Basket Dynamic Venafro |- |Olimpia Matera |- |Cestistica San Severo |- |Pallacanestro Giulianova |- |Pallacanestro Senigallia |- |Valdiceppo Perugia |- |Monteroni Basket |- |Basket SantElpidio |- |Amatori Pescara |- |Basket Isernia |- |Campli Basket |- |Basket Ortona |- |Poderosa P. Montegranaro |- |Crabs Rimini |- |Basket Biscerlie |- |Basket Taranto |} {{col-end}}

==See also== *Italian LNP Cup

==External links== *{{in lang|it}} [http://www.legapallacanestro.com/ Official Site]

Category:Third-level basketball leagues in Europe 4 Italy