FIBA World Cup Qualifiers aftermath: relief for giants, and battle of survival for Turkey & Croatia / News - Basketnews.com

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During uncertain times, the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers captured Europe basketball fans' attention throughout the weekend. With only 2 matches to go for the majority of the teams, let's take a look at the current situation in the Qualifiers groups.

Lithuania / Schedule

Bosnia and Herzegovina Lithuania77-78 Lithuania Bosnia and Herzegovina77-56

Before going over the second Qualifiers window's results, let's remember the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers format.

In the first round, 32 teams are divided into 8 groups (A-H) of four. Each team faces the other three teams in their group over the first three windows. The top three teams from each group advance to the second round of the Qualifiers.

This group will join another three teams to form another group. All teams will carry over the results from the first round.

Now, let's take a look at each group one by one.

GROUP A

All three teams that will go through to the second round are pretty much known. Both Latvia (3-1) and Serbia (3-1) have amassed 3 wins in their first 4 games, and both have already qualified for the next step of the competition.

The only unknown in Group A is whether Belgium (2-2) or Slovakia (0-4) will be the third team to make it out of the bunch. However, in order for Slovakia to qualify, they'll have to climb a high mountain.

The Slovakian national team will play the two remaining games against Belgium and Latvia while trailing two wins against Belgium.

Having lost the first game against Belgium by 26 points, all of that means that Slovakia will not only need to win both matches and hope that Belgium loses against Serbia, but they will also need to win their match against Belgium by more than 26 points.

Mission impossible? It seems, but we've seen crazy things happen before, and Slovakia will set out to prove all of us wrong.

Pos Team GM W L HW HL PPG PPG A Diff STR L5 1 Serbia 4 3 1 2 0 79.0 74.8 4.3 +2 ++-+ 2 Latvia 4 3 1 2 0 79.0 75.8 3.3 +3 +++- 3 Belgium 4 2 2 1 1 71.0 65.0 6 -2 --++ 4 Slovakia 4 0 4 0 2 64.3 77.8 -13.5 -4 ----

GROUP B

Group B is full of unknowns. After beating Turkey (1-3) twice during the last window, only Greece (3-1) can be safe from elimination for the Qualifiers as of now. All three remaining teams - Turkey, Belarus, and Great Britain - currently do possess the possibility of obtaining the ticket to the second round.

3-pointers this season

36%8,5Points made:8,5Accuracy:35,8%Place in standings:2Record max:11Record min:6Most made 3FGs:Osvaldas OlisevičiusTeamFIBA WC QStatisticsSchedule

That's where things get complicated. Great Britain (1-1) and Belarus (1-1) were supposed to play each other twice during the last week. However, the matches were postponed indefinitely. First, FIBA postponed the first game, which was set to take place in Minsk, due to a war in Ukraine.

The next day, UK's Home Secretary Priti Patel suspended all Belarussian visas, thus, not allowing the players to enter the country. As a result, the second match was postponed as well.

Sitting 2nd with only 1 win in 4 matches, Turkey would need to win both of their remaining games and hope that the Great Britain-Belarus situation goes in their favor.

Having stunningly lost their first encounter against Belarus, Turkey will most likely need to win against the Belarussian national team by more than 14 points in the second match.

If FIBA does not impose sanctions on the Belarussian teams, the games between Belarus and Great Britain will initially be played, meaning Turkey is not in control of their fate. Now, they can only patiently wait for the situation to unfold.

Pos Team GM W L HW HL PPG PPG A Diff STR L5 1 Greece 4 3 1 2 0 73.5 70.8 2.8 +3 +++- 2 Belarus 2 1 1 1 0 75.5 73.5 2 -1 -+ 3 Turkey 4 1 3 1 1 73.0 74.8 -1.8 -2 --+- 4 Great Britain 2 1 1 1 0 72.5 76.5 -4 -1 -+

GROUP C

Anyone can get in - this is the current situation in Group C. All four teams have realistic chances of going through to the second round, and neither of them needs crazy scenarios to achieve such a feat.

Interestingly, Finland (3-1) is the team on top of the group with 3 wins out of a possible 4. The presumed favorites of the bunch, Slovenia (2-2) and Croatia (1-3), have only 2 wins and 1 win, respectively.

Both teams meet each other during the next Qualifiers window in a match that will determine Croatia national team's fate in the tournament.

If Croatia loses against Slovenia, they will have to hope that Sweden (2-2) loses their match versus Finland. Otherwise, the last game of the Qualifiers will bear no impact on the national team's situation.

If both Croatia and Sweden have the same amount of wins after all 6 matches, Croatia will go through to the next round due to a better head-to-head result. What's the result, you'd ask? Croatia lost their first match against Sweden by 6 and won the second game between them by 7, claiming the head-to-head advantage by a mere point.

1 point. A single point may determine which national team goes to the second round of FIBA World Cup Qualifiers out of Group C. A single point that was scored by a putback dunk in double-OT.

Pos Team GM W L HW HL PPG PPG A Diff STR L5 1 Finland 4 3 1 2 0 77.0 74.5 2.5 +3 +++- 2 Slovenia 4 2 2 1 1 81.3 83.0 -1.8 -2 --++ 3 Sweden 4 2 2 1 1 82.3 81.3 1 -1 -+-+ 4 Croatia 4 1 3 0 2 78.5 80.3 -1.8 +1 +---

GROUP D

If you look at Group D, you might think that you've seen this somewhere else before. The group looks eerily similar to Group C, but with slight differences.

Germany (3-1) is currently on top with 3 wins and only 1 loss. However, just like in groups B and C, they are not yet guaranteed to go through to the next round. As it is for Greece and Finland, one win does the job.

For Israel (2-2), Estonia (2-2), and Poland (1-3), the situation is much more nuanced. For Poland, just winning their two remaining games is not enough. They'd need to win their matchup against Israel by 8 or more points and hope that Israel loses their last match against Estonia if they want full security.

If they want to avoid three-headed calculations, Estonia needs Poland to lose at least one of the remaining two matches to get through. If Poland wins out, Estonia's key to going to the next round lies in the match versus Israel. If they win by more than 10 points, they are comfortably in.

Pos Team GM W L HW HL PPG PPG A Diff STR L5 1 Germany 4 3 1 1 1 73.3 71.3 2 +3 +++- 2 Israel 4 2 2 1 1 73.8 71.3 2.5 -2 --++ 3 Estonia 4 2 2 1 1 70.3 71.5 -1.3 -1 -+-+ 4 Poland 4 1 3 1 1 67.8 71.0 -3.3 +1 +---

GROUP E

Let's finally go to the easier stuff. Here in Group E, France (4-0) is a unanimous leader with all 4 wins in 4 matches, and they are already through to the second round of the Qualifiers.

Standing second and third, are two teams with 2 wins and 2 losses each - Montenegro (2-2) and Hungary (2-2). One of the remaining matches for both teams is against the last team of the group, Portugal (0-4).

If either Montenegro or Hungary wins either of those two matches, both national teams are going through to the next round, leaving Portugal in the last place.

Pos Team GM W L HW HL PPG PPG A Diff STR L5 1 France 4 4 0 2 0 78.5 58.3 20.3 +4 ++++ 2 Montenegro 4 2 2 1 1 79.3 74.3 5 -1 -++- 3 Hungary 4 2 2 0 2 72.5 80.0 -7.5 +1 +--+ 4 Portugal 4 0 4 0 2 64.0 81.8 -17.8 -4 ----

GROUP F

Lithuanian dominance. The Baltic country leads the group with 4 wins and no losses in their account. Lithuania (4-0) is already through to the next round. With the other teams, it's a bit more complicated.

Bosnia and Herzegovina (2-2) are the only team in the group with 2 wins and 2 losses. All they need to go through to the next round is to win at least one of their two remaining matches against either Bulgaria (1-3) or the Czech Republic (1-3).

Both Bulgaria and the Czech Republic play against the group's favorites in Lithuania and Bosnia and Herzegovina in their two remaining matches. In order to feel safe about going to the second round of Qualifiers, either Bulgaria or the Czech Republic will have to make an upset.

The lone win for both Bulgaria and the Czech Republic comes from the matches where they played each other. Is an upset unlikely? Yes. Impossible? Clearly not.

Pos Team GM W L HW HL PPG PPG A Diff STR L5 1 Lithuania 4 4 0 2 0 79.5 67.0 12.5 +4 ++++ 2 Bosnia and Herzegovina 4 2 2 1 1 78.8 80.0 -1.3 -2 --++ 3 Bulgaria 4 1 3 1 1 75.8 81.8 -6 -1 -+-- 4 Czech Republic 4 1 3 1 1 77.3 82.5 -5.3 +1 +---

GROUP G

One of the clearest groups in the Qualifiers. Both Georgia (3-1) and Spain (3-0) are already through to the second round. Ukraine (1-3) only has 1 win, while North Macedonia (0-4) doesn't possess one so far.

Due to a Russian invasion of Ukraine, both matches of the Ukrainian national team were postponed during the last Qualifiers window. North Macedonia has to face Ukraine in their fight for survival during the third and last Qualifiers window in July.

Knowing the situation in their homeland, it remains to be seen whether Ukraine's national team can fully continue its participation in the tournament.

If the match against North Macedonia goes through, North Macedonia would need to win by more than 17 points in order to go through to the second round.

Pos Team GM W L HW HL PPG PPG A Diff STR L5 1 Spain 3 3 0 2 0 90.3 66.7 23.7 +3 +++ 2 Georgia 4 3 1 2 0 79.8 76.8 3 +2 ++-+ 3 Ukraine 3 1 2 1 0 78.3 79.0 -0.7 -1 -+- 4 North Macedonia 4 0 4 0 2 65.3 85.5 -20.3 -4 ----

GROUP H

Probably the most complicated group out of them all, and for various reasons. Russia is currently at the top of the bunch. Still, everything can be changed by the awaiting FIBA decision regarding sanctions on both Russian national teams and their clubs following the war in Ukraine.

Italy (2-2) and Iceland (2-2) are currently 2nd and 3rd in the group, with both national teams having to play against Russia in the third Qualifiers window this July. If FIBA follows the lead of IOC, FIFA, and IIHF and bans the Russian national team from participation, both teams, Italy and Iceland, will go through to the next round.

In a case of a Russian national team ban, even the Netherlands, who haven't won a single game so far in their three matches, would go through to the next round.

We'll have all the cards when FIBA releases their statement regarding Russia. Up until then, Group H is nothing but a big unknown.

Pos Team GM W L HW HL PPG PPG A Diff STR L5 1 Russia 3 3 0 3 0 87.0 70.7 16.3 +3 +++ 2 Italy 4 2 2 2 0 88.3 89.8 -1.5 +1 +-+- 3 Iceland 4 2 2 1 0 84.5 91.5 -7 -1 -+-+ 4 Netherlands 3 0 3 0 1 73.0 78.0 -5 -3 --- Support BasketNews so we could make even better content.