MIAMI (United States) – The other series starting on Saturday features defending champions Quimsa going up against SESI Franca, the previous monarch (2022-23). It will be a duel between powerhouses but these days, the Brazilians look like clear favorites after blazing through Group D in undefeated fashion (6-0), while Quimsa advanced with a negative record (2-4) out of Group C. The series will start at Estadio Ciudad in Santiago del Estero, Argentina before shifting to Ginásio Pedrocão in Franca on March 12-13, if necessary (see the calendar here).
Players to watch
Georginho De Paula was arguably the best player of the Group Stage due to his consistency and ability to produce across the board. The wing led the team in rebounds (8.2 per game), assists (6.7) and blocks (1.2) and was the second leading scorer with 12.5 points per contest. Lucas Dias, already recovered from injury, led the squad with 15.3 points. Franca has the more experienced and productive rotation, with guys like Didi Louzada (12.2 points), David Jackson (10.8), Charles Hinkle (10.7) and Wesley Ferreira (10.5). On the other hand, Quimsa struggled to generate offense. Only Agustín Pérez (14.7 points per game) and Nicolás Romero (11.5) scored in double digits. To improve their odds, they’ll need Juan Brussino (5.5), Arnold Louis (6.8) and Tavario Miller (9.0 and 7.8 rebounds) to up their production. They’ll also require a lot from Brandon Robinson, the MVP of the last Final 4, who’s coming off an uneven stint at the Uruguayan domestic league. Robinson will replace Prince Ali on the roster.
Stats don’t lie
Franca is the heavy favorite in the matchup because their offense is vastly superior to Quimsa’s. The Brazilians were second in points in the Group Stage (85.8 per game), while Quimsa were 7th at 72.8. Franca also led in field goal percentage (52.3) while Quimsa was second to last (38.0). On three-pointers, Franca was 4th (38.3 percent) and Quimsa was last (24.6). The Argentinian outfit was better on the boards (41.8 vs. 34.5). If they’re able to win the rebounding battle and Robinson juices their offense, we could see a more evenly matched showdown. Key stat: Georginho De Paula has the record for most defensive rebounds in a BCL Americas game with 14. He set it in Season 4 against UdeC.
Previous matchups
Quimsa leads the all-time BCL Americas head-to-head 2-1. The wins came in the Group Stage in Seasons 1 and 2. Franca’s lone win was in the Season 4 Semifinals.
They said
"We must have a consistent defense, so the team knows where to exploit the adversary. We need to manage key areas like rebounds and limiting turnovers. From there, if we limit risk we can go for the win.” – Helinho Garcia, SESI Franca head coach.
"Franca is a team with great talent and that scores a lot of points. We’re going to have to be focused on defense and deny them a dynamic game. They’re very good one-on-one and in transition. They key for us is to be solid on defense and from there go on transition, where we feel the most comfortable.” – Emiliano Basabe, Quimsa forward.
FIBA