September 1 preview: Slovenia want revenge on Australia. Are USA and Canada in danger?

MANILA (Philippines) - Second Round is finally here! As every FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 game becomes increasingly more important, we start to see old friends meeting on the court.

Friday marks the first Second Round games, with all of the teams in the Top 16 competing for a spot in the Quarter-Finals.

 

 

Australia and Slovenia meet again

Oh, do we have a goody in store for you in Group K. The Boomers have the most pleasant memories about finally getting that long-awaited Olympic Bronze against Slovenia in Tokyo.

Yet the following thought probably is not that comforting. Unless they want to root for one exact outcome in every remaining Group K game, they again need to beat Luka Doncic and gang in order to advance.

Venezuela and Cape Verde did their best to irritate Slovenia a bit in fourth quarters, however, the Slovenians still haven't faced a quite stressful situation late in the game.

The Aussies might provide them with the proper challenge before the games become even more crucial. Furthermore, it would probably feel good for Slovenia to get in the last word after Tokyo two summers ago.

 

Will Canada and USA face a real threat of losing?

Latvia were hanging in against Canada as late as midway through the third quarter. Greece and New Zealand let go of the rope a bit earlier in second halves against USA.

The Second Round will surely present a set of more tense games for the two North American squads that have been able to fast break their opponents until they crumble.

The 600,000 inhabitants of Montenegro must feel like they are going up against the whole world when facing USA's stars. They do have some strengths, however, leaders like Nikola Vucevic will have a target on their back in the first-ever clash between the two teams.

Brazil and Canada are much more familiar with each other. The majority of Brazil's team was there for a Semi-Final victory over Canada in the FIBA AmeriCup 2022. That being said, the same doesn't apply to the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander-led Canada squad, which is playing on a completely different level this year.

 

Are Serbia indeed ready to be so dominant?

All of this talk about the Americans and Canadians has somewhat kept the public's eyes off of Serbia. They also have three blowout wins in their bag and barely trail the two main favorites in point difference.

Puerto Rico were helluva feisty in their other two games, but trailed by 30 after one half with Serbia. First-timers South Sudan have proven they belong here, however, gave up 115 when facing the Serbs. Our approximate data says that Nikola Jovic didn't miss a single shot when warming up either.

Let's not even mention the game against China...

Serbia's next test against Italy might be a tad more difficult. It definitely brings back painful memories as the Azzurri were the ones to book a ticket to Tokyo in the Olympic Qualifiers at Belgrade.

 

Other storylines for September 1

• Lithuania and Greece meet in a European matchup that features two teams with certain similarities. Serious effort on defense, a tendency to take one's time when looking for the best shot and that often being an attempt closer to the basket. 

• Does Georgia's defense stand the test of Germany? Georgians have given up the second least points in the World Cup (69.0 points per game) and head coach Ilias Zouros certainly is a defensive specialist. However, they've also benefited from some bad opponent three-point shooting and now will face all the challenges that Die Mannschaft provide.

• Can Latvia take down another FIBA EuroBasket 2022 finalist in Spain? Their 75-101 defeat against Canada means that this pretty much is a must-win situation for them. Even if they haven't beaten Spain since 1935, the year they last were the EuroBasket champions.

• Do the Dominican Republic capitalize on their pole position when facing Puerto Rico? They're 3-0 and have all the momentum they need to reach their first-ever Quarter-Finals. Puerto Rico don't give up anything easy, though, as one of the feistiest rebounding teams in this World Cup.

FIBA