With 50 days to #FIBAAsiaCup2017, meet the participating teams

BEIRUT (FIBA Asia Cup 2017) - The countdown has begun! Only 50 days remain until the FIBA Asia Cup 2017 commences in Beirut, Lebanon, and here are some snippets to help you get to know each team a little better.

China: The Chinese have been the most dominant team in the history of this tournament. Ever since they started participating in 1975, China have won the top prize 16 times, including regaining the crown in 2015 two years after they finished outside of the top 4 in the FIBA Asia Championship 2013 in Manila. They won't be sending all their top players, though, as the CBA has divided their relatively large national pool into two teams with seemingly equal depth. Expected to lead them in Beirut are Zhou Qi and Zhao Jiwei.

Philippines: After more than a decade of mediocrity at the continental level, the Philippines turned things when they debuted their Gilas Pilipinas program in 2011. Since then, the Filipinos have added two podium finishes to their total, making them the second most successful team in the history of this competition. For a country as passionate about hoops as the Philippines, though, nothing but the championship will quench their thirst, and with Andray Blatche possibly in tow, they look to have a strong chance to fight for the gold this year.

Iran: Team Melli are always dangerous. Long considered a middling basketball country, Iran made waves in 2007 when they won their first ever FIBA Asia crown. They repeated in 2009 and then annexed their third title in 2013 before finishing at 3rd place in Changsha-Hunan two years ago. They remain the second-highest Asian team in the FIBA World Rankings for Men and continue to be title contenders despite the exit of seasoned veterans like Mahdi Kamrani and Samad Nikkhah Bahrami. Behemoth Hamed Haddadi is once again expected to be this team's main weapon.

Japan: After a disappointing 9th place finish in 2013, the Akatsuki Five bounced back big time in 2015, finishing among the top 4 for the first time since 1997. That magical run, along with the inception of the new B. League, has renewed a lot of interest in basketball back home, and the national team hope they can have another memorable campaign in Beirut to sustain their gains. As of now, however, there are several uncertainties, like whether or not Ira Brown will be renewed as their naturalized player or whether or not veterans like Yuta Tabuse and Takuya Kawamura will be tapped again.

Korea: The Koreans had one of their worst finishes in 2015, falling out of the top 5 for only the second time in tournament history. They rebounded well last year in the FIBA Asia Challenge, where they placed 2nd overall, but everyone knows the FIBA Asia Cup is the big kahuna. A number of the players from their successful 2016 roster should be called up once again, while veterans like Oh SeKeun and Cho SungMin remain as strong choices to play key roles.

Qatar: Al Annabi have seen better days, and they will be among the most hard-pressed sides to do well and go far in this tournament. They have not finished among the top 5 teams since 2005, and though there are some promising talents from their youth ranks like Saad Abdulrahman and Yehia Abdelhaleem, it's clear that Qatar are no longer as deep as they once were. Still, if they can get an explosive naturalized player to fill in their gaps, they may yet spring a few surprises.

India: This team were set for another step in the right direction up until yesterday when star guard Vishesh Bhirguvanshi went down hard with a knee injury in the inaugural BRICS Games against China. Without him, India will have to rely heavily on twin towers Amritpal Singh and Amjyot Singh while also hoping that NBA draftee Satnam Singh can show marked improvement from his previous stint with the national side four years ago. India were probably not going to make it past the Quarter-Finals if they were complete, but with one of their stars possibly missing the FIBA Asia Cup, the outlook just got a lot bleaker.

Jordan: Like a number of the teams on this list, Jordan's best days are behind them. Al Nashama seized everyone's imagination when they finished 3rd overall in 2009 and then did even better in 2011 by making it all the way to the Final, but the chances of that happening again are next to none. With so much mystery and uncertainty surrounding player availability and local support , Jordan have not started their preparations on the right foot.

Kazakhstan: The Kazakhs were once thought to be the team of the future, but they have not been able to duplicate the success of their top 4 finish in 2007. Players like Anton Ponomarev and Rustam Yargaliev continue to play important roles, but for the Snow Leopards to be successful, their up-and-comers will need to have big games. If we're being completely frank, however, Kazakhstan, even at their best, won't be among the competition's title favorites

Hong Kong: They were hoping to maybe pull the rug from under one of their rivals at the EABA Championship 2017, but Hong Kong were just found wanting compared to the likes of Japan and Chinese Taipei. They will be grouped with both countries again in Beirut in addition to Olympic silver medalists Australia. Needless to say, even if Duncan Reid averages a double-double, Hong Kong are looking at a very small window to advance past the first group stage.

Chinese Taipei: They made history this year when they bagged their first ever title in the history of the EABA Championship. That augurs well for a team whose "golden generation" were not able to finish any better than 4th place in this competition, but with Quincy Davis looking fit and their rising stars locked in, anything is possible. We should see this team make it out of Group D and post a serious challenge for one of the eight Quarter-Finals spots.

Iraq: Iraq have a new coach, and they will also reportedly have a new naturalized player in tow. That means this will be a different squad from the one that impressed both in the FIBA Asia Challenge 2016 and WABA Championship 2017. They were draw in a very tough group, however, and will have to play near flawless basketball to get past China, the Philippines and Qatar.

Syria: Their entry to the FIBA Asia Cup has opened people's eyes to just how good this team can be. With legendary scorer Micheal Madanly back in the roster, Syria should be playing with renewed vigor and with much improved shooting. Still, after tumbling to 9th place in 2011, the Syrians are surely raring to bounce back and show that they, too, got game.

Australia: The Aussies won't be having any NBA players this year on their national team, but that doesn't dilute the fact that, mano-a-mano, this is perhaps the deepest and strongest basketball around. Even without their NBA stars, however, the Boomers have assembled a lot of world class talent, led by Olympians David Andersen and Chris Goulding.

New Zealand: The Kiwis didn't do too shabbily in the OQT 2016 in Manila, and for sure they are raring for even bigger wins and successes moving forward. With Australia's talent pool a little on the thin side, the onus is on New Zealand to take advantage and finally be a favorite on their s own merits. They suffered a personnel setback, though, as both Webster brothers may not be able to join the team's preparations, but that means others like Isaac Fotu and Tom Abercrombie will be this side's 1-2 punch.

Lebanon: For the first time ever, the FIBA Asia Cup will be hosted in West Asia, and that alone is something noteworthy. The Cedars, though, want more - much much more - and a breakout performance this year should enable them to reclaim their spot among Asia's elite teams. Lebanon have some of the most passionate fans in the world, and that kind of support will definitely buoy the squad as they try to strike FIBA Asia Cup gold for the first time ever. For that to happen, living legend Fadi El Khatib has to turn back the clock, while key players Wael Arakji and Julian Khazzouh have to be solid as well.

FIBA