Korea vs Indonesia: On the rebound against ambitious underdogs

CLARK CITY (Philippines) - Korea are quickly back on the court after a heartbreaking loss and will look to get back into form against Indonesia. The Asia Cup hosts will be playing their first game in the Philippines bubble and will be hunting for a signature win.

When: 2:30 PM (GMT +8) on June 17, 2021
Where: Angeles City Foundation Gym in Pampangas, Philippines

On the Rebound

Korea were off to an explosive start in their first game inside the Clark City bubble, taking control of the game in the first quarter against the Philippines. However, the home team rallied back into the game which was eventually decided on a banked buzzer-beating shot.

It was a tough loss for coach Cho SangHyun’s team who had played considerably well throughout the entire game.

They’ll be on the hunt and hungry to get back in the win column in this game which might spell a tough outing for Indonesia.

Time to Prove and Shine

Indonesia might have already qualified as hosts of the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers, but head coach Rajko Toroman won’t let that allow them to cruise through these last games of the Qualifiers. They are still a relatively young team and the experience they can get by pushing their best efforts against a high-level opponent like Korea will only benefit in the long run.

The last time these two played against each other ended up in an easy win for Korea in Jakarta, but Indonesia have shown signs of improvement since that previous bout.

Most exceptionally is the addition of Lester Prosper who has helped elevated the inside presence for the team. This was evident from his 19-point, 13-rebound double-double debut against Thailand earlier this year.

Indonesia have the perfect platform to prove how much they’ve improved here in the Philippines, especially going up against a team like Korea.

Double Double-Doubles

The matchup to watch here is the clash of the two double-double machines, Prosper and Ra GunA.

Prosper should continue to be the main muscle in the paint for Indonesia once again and it should be fun to see him go up against another player that has been racking up points and rebounds at a high rate as well in Ra.

Ra played all 40 minutes in the game against the Philippines, so he might be taking a breather every now and then. However, don’t expect him to sit on the bench for too long should Prosper punish the other frontcourt players for Korea.

Both can throw down thunderous dunks and like to knock down the midrange shot, which means it will be entertaining to see how they utilize their versatile offensive skill sets against each other.

End Game

Korea might be coming off a loss but they are still 2-1 so far in the Qualifiers which is not a bad situation to be in. Should they be able to beat Indonesia here, there will be less pressure on their shoulders to confirm a direct qualification ticket to Asia Cup 2021.

Indonesia have even less pressure having qualified as hosts of the event. Still, gaining a signature win over a team of Korea’s caliber would greatly improve the morale of the program moving forward. They’ve made great strides so far and a major upset could be a major milestone in their ascension.

Don't forget to download the FIBA Asia Cup application from the Apple App Store or Google Play to stay on top of all the action.

FIBA