2016 Final rematch and 4 other games to watch at U18 Asian Championship

TEHRAN (Iran) - The FIBA U18 Asian Championship is almost back into action with the first games set to be played on August 21.

There’s plenty to be excited about for the tournament in the upcoming days and if you need some more convincing to get hyped up, we’ve got you covered here with 5 games to look forward to in the Group Phase!

Iran vs Lebanon - 21 August - 18:00 GMT +4.5

The hosts will be looking to start their campaign with a statement game as they are scheduled to face Lebanon right off the bat. It will be a bit of a weird encounter as Iran recently beat Lebanon at the U16 Asian Championship in the Group Phase, but it was Lebanon that were able to make it all the way through to the Semi-Finals and earn a U17 World Cup spot.

Some of the players from those U16 squads from both teams are rostered here for the U18 clash, so there might be some competitive fire to light here as the two West Asian rivals clash once again.

India vs Korea - 22 August - 11:15 GMT +4.5

We’re going back to the recent U16 Asian Championship once again to hype this game and for a good reason.

These two teams faced each other on the last day of the competition, playing for fifth place place. The results was historic. India ended up defeating Korea making it their first time in U16 Asian Championship history being able to do so while also securing their highest finish ever at the U16 Asian Championship. Meanwhile, Korea ended up with their worst finish ever in their history playing in the competition, too.

India are expected to bring most of their historic U16 squad headed by Kushal Singh and Lokendra Singh to Tehran. Meanwhle, Korea have featured big man Ku MinGyo coming up from the U16 team.

India have never beaten Korea at the U18 Asian Championship as well, with their most recent encounter in the 2018 edition that ended up in a 134-95 loss. But they’ve made history once this summer already. Can India do it again?

Chinese Taipei vs Philippines - 23 August - 13:30 GMT +4.5

Both of these teams are regularly very, very good and can make deep tournament runs, but have always had trouble getting onto the podium when it’s all said and done. Over the past 20 years, both teams have only one medal between themselves with Chinese Taipei’s third place finish in 2010. The Philippines were close in 2018, eventually losing out to China in their last game.

They could have a good chance to get to the podium here in 2022, but first, their paths must cross in a crucial game on the last day of the Group Phase in Group C. Each game in the Group Phase is crucial as it effects the draw for the Quarter-Finals pairing, so look forward to seeing Chinese Taipei and the Philippines put in their best efforts for this important win.

Korea vs China - 23 August - 15:45 GMT +4.5

Korea and China are two of the most storied national teams in Asia, not only at the senior level but at the youth level as well. Since 2010, both teams have 4 podium finishes though China have the edge of being back-to-back-to-back champions from 2010 to 2014.

These two teams played against each other as recently as the 2018 edition of the competition in the Quarter-Finals, which resulted in a win for China on their way to third place. This is one of the biggest matchups of the U18 Asian Championship this year, so make sure to tune in to watch this game before the Group Phase comes to a close.

Japan vs Iran - August 23 - 18:00 GMT +4.5

Of course, the marquee matchup of the Group Phase has to be the very last game before we all proceed to the Final Phase between Iran and Japan.

The two teams have a budding rivalry at the senior level with many clashes against each other in the recent years and it’s not that different at the youth level either. As a matter of fact, Japan and Iran have played against each other in all of the past three U18 Asian Championship for a total of 5 games with two games in each of the 2018 and 2016 editions.

The most recent game was in the fifth place game in 2018 where Japan were able to avenge a Group Phase loss to come out with the higher position in the Final standing.

The monumental match up of this brewing rivalry, however, is without a doubt in 2016 where they faced off in an exciting Final game. Iran had lost to Japan earlier in the Group Phase by four points, but in the rematch for the championship, they were able to reverse the results and come away with a 6-point win.

The U18 Asian Championship that year was also played in Iran at the very same Azadi Hall where the two teams will face each other once again. Now that they’re playing against each other in the Group Phase for a third straight U18 Asian Championship, could that mean there’s a high stakes clash in the Final Round ahead as well?

FIBA