4 days and 36 games down in the FIBA World Cup, so it’s time
for a news update!
Spain, hosts of this year’s tournament, have already booked
their place in the round of 16 after 3 dominant wins. They beat minnows Iran
90-60 before crushing Egypt 91-54 in back to back games. They then put on a
clinic against Brazil, out shooting and out rebounding the dark horses, in an
82-63 victory. This loss was a blip in the Brazilian campaign, having performed
well in their two other games, beating France by two points before breezing
past Iran. They’re joined in second place in group A by France and Serbia, who
both still have to play group leaders Spain. As expected, Egypt and Iran prop
up the table, without a victory between them.
Joining Spain in the round of 16 will be Greece, who have
also won 3 games in a row. A 87-64 rout of Senegal started off their campaign,
and it was quickly followed up by a 82-70 win over the Philippines. Another
comfortable victory over Puerto Rico secured their berth in the knock-out
rounds. With their remaining fixtures being against tougher opponents in Croatia
and Argentina, many predict they won’t hold on to the top spot. Both Croatia
and Argentina are in joint second place with Senegal in group B, each team
picking up 2 wins. These three teams don’t have much of a challenge getting
through the group stages with neither Puerto Rico nor the Philippines managing
to get a win so far. Argentina and Senegal’s game to finish their respective
campaigns is likely to decide who will finish third, behind Croatia who have
the easiest run in.
 |
| From top left to bottom right : Serge Ibaka (Spain), Nikos Zisis (Greece) , Anthony Davis (USA) and Goran Dragic (Slovenia) |
No points for guessing who is top of group C. The USA
started as they intend to go on with a 114-55 win over Finland in their opening
game. Their performance in the first half against Turkey left many wondering if
the team was working, but they clicked later in the game and blew by their
opponents 98-77. Another unsurprising victory against a spirited New Zealand
side put the USA top with relative ease. The Ukraine have surprised many people
this year by beating Turkey and the Dominican Republic on their way to second
place in the group. The Dominican Republic join them in second, after beating
New Zealand by a comfortable margin before squeezing by Finland in a tense
game. Turkey and Finland are in joint third, with a match between them still
having to be played. This game could decide who is on a flight back home at the
end of the group stages.
Slovenia look like they could be a dark horse in this
tournament, having eased by Australia, Mexico and Korea already in their group.
Goran Dragic and his teammates can now look forward to playing in Slovenia’s 3rd
straight knockout rounds appearance. It looks like Australia and Lithuania will
be joining them from group D, with Angola and Mexico battling for the fourth,
and final, spot. The Boomers beat Lithuania today by 7 points, which added to
their crushing 89-55 win over Korea. Only a loss to Slovenia blots their
record. Lithuania have done enough to get through, but fans will be hoping that
they can step it up in the next round after some lacklustre performances. Both
Angola and Mexico need to outdo each other in the final couple of games to seal
their place in the knockouts, with Angola having the tougher run-in, having to
face Slovenia and Australia. Mexico also have to play Australia, but an easy
game against scapegoats Korea may give them the win needed to progress.
No comments:
Post a Comment