Group K Preview: Slovenia set to take on heavyweights Germany, Australia

OKINAWA (Japan) - Okinawa's hottest teams will be the center of attention in Group K as the Second Round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 rolls on Friday.

The Favorite: Germany

With the ghost of 2019 exorcised, Germany are heading into the next stage of the Group Phase unblemished. They beat Japan, Australia, and Finland to finish as the top team of Group E (3-0).

Those victories were showcases of their ability to win games, no matter the situation. After a decisive opening day win over the home team, they showed elite composure in downing the Boomers. Then, they obliterated the Finns to complete the sweep.

Dennis Schroder has been their best player with averages of 19.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game but guys like Moe Wagner, Isaac Bonga, Daniel Theis, and Maodo Lo have been providing significantly as well, and having that deep of a lineup should bode well for their hopes to top the group.

If you want more proof of their depth, consider the fact that they've done all of this in the supposed World Cup's "Group of Death" without Franz Wagner in the latter two games.

The Underdog: Georgia

Georgia are one of the four debuting nations in this World Cup but they have hardly shown any jitters. They finished no. 2 in Group E after winning twice in three games.

However, the Georgians will have a daunting task ahead if they are to continue their dream run all the way to the Final Phase. The European side will have to beat either - or most preferably, both - powerhouses Germany and Australia.

They certainly have the potential to do it considering the way that Tornike Shengelia has been shouldering the offense and Goga Bitadze has been anchoring the defense. But they will need an extra boost of firepower. Who will step up?

The Pivotal Game: Germany versus Slovenia

Germany and Slovenia are viewed as favorites to reach Manila via Okinawa for the Final Phase, but will be interesting to see if either will clinch no. 1 seed of Group K when they meet on Sunday at 16:10 local time.

The group's best team will be bracketed to face the second-best team from Group L, which is composed of Canada, Spain, Brazil, and another debutant in Latvia. There are no favorable matchups from that group, but it would be best to at least avoid the team that comes out on top of that pile.

 

 

Germany have flown a bit under the radar as legit World Cup contenders even after topping Group E and if they can take down Slovenia in this game, people should notice. Likewise, Slovenia haven't generated as much buzz as a team in whole, but that will be inevitable if they take down Germany.

 

It wasn't even that long ago when these two teams played against each other in the Group Phase of EuroBasket 2022. There are a few differences in the roster, but the majority of the key names are there - obviously Doncic (36 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists) and Schroder (19 points, 5 assists).

Slovenia won that game, but Germany eventually made it to the Semi-Final. The former dropped out of the Quarter-Finals.

The Open Question: Will Slovenia's supporting stars be enough?

Slovenia showed against Cape Verde that they can still win even with main man Luka Doncic far from the usual. On a night he scored 19 on 17 shots, veteran Klemen Prepelic plus Bine Prepelic and Aleksej Nikolic joined hands to lead the team to the 92-77 victory - and the pool sweep.

 

Even then, it did take a while for Slovenia to break away which allowed Cape Verde to enjoy keeping the game close for a moment.

It's only one game, but how vulnerable are Slovenia when their superstar player can't get into his rhythm?

Doncic is averaging 30.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 7.0 assists. Outside of him, only Klemen (17.0) and Mike Tobey (12.7) are the ones averaging in double figures in the team. That's certainly not bad, but will it be enough?

The Second Round will definitely be a test for one of the favorites as they go up against Australia and Germany, teams that possess length, physicality and versatility - all the while boast deep rotations as well.

The Poll

 

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