Return of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers: All you need to know about Group F

AMMAN (Jordan) - The conclusion of Group F play in the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers will be taking place in Amman. Considering what is at stake and the quality of the teams in contention, there will be a string of highly competitive and intense games that will go down to the wire.

The two direct qualification spots are still up for grabs between Jordan, Palestine, and Kazakhstan. With 3 upcoming games left to settle the score, fans better make sure to not miss a single second of the action.

Previously On…

Kazakhstan have been impressive so far in their games, which makes it no surprise that they are sitting atop of the standings with a 4-1 record. Their only loss so far has been a narrow defeat at the hands of Jordan and that should spell confidence for the Steppen Wolves. They also lead the entire Asia Cup Qualifiers in assists per game, making them the team to beat so far in this group.

Palestine started their Asia Cup Qualifiers campaign with a tough loss to those Steppen Wolves, losing by only three-points on the road. Though they were able to notch two wins against Sri Lanka since, a crushing defeat to Kazakhstan in the rematch means that they will be at a slight disadvantage heading into these final games.

This leaves Jordan who remain undefeated and will be playing at home in this bubble. They showed their composure in the aforementioned win against Kazakhstan, but the pressure will be piled on in this upcoming final stretch.

		GAMES				GAME POINTS					POINTS
#	Team	P	W	L	%	For	Agt	+/-	FA	AA
1	Kazakhstan	5	4	1	80.0	458	292	166	91.6	58.4	9
2	Palestine	4	2	2	50.0	363	306	57	90.8	76.5	6
3	Sri Lanka	5	0	5	0	268	549	-281	53.6	109.8	5
4	Jordan	2	2	0	100	171	113	58	85.5	56.5	4

By The Numbers

Here are the leaders in each statistical category so far:

Points per Game: Kazakhstan (91.6)
Field Goal Shooting: Kazakhstan (48.7 percent)
Three-point Shooting: Palestine (33.9 percent)
Rebounds per Game: Palestine (53.0, leads Asia Cup Qualifiers)
Blocks per Game: Kazakhstan (3.2)
Assists per Game: Kazakhstan (25.4, leads Asia Cup Qualifiers)
Steals per Game: Palestine (8.8)

Coming Soon…

It cannot be stressed enough how intense these upcoming games are about to be. Jordan and Palestine have a friendly neighboring rivalry going on and will be tipping off the action in the group on June 12 at the Prince Hamza Arena. Palestine are in need of a signature victory and Jordan surely want to maintain their unblemished record.

Moreover, the two teams will be facing each other for a second time again on June 14.

Sandwiched in between those two games on June 13 is a heavyweight clash between Jordan and Kazakhstan. In the first matchup between these two teams, the game was decided on the last few plays and fans shouldn’t be expecting anything less in the rematch.

End Game

For Kazakhstan, their task is simple. If they can beat Jordan, they should have no problem clinching that Asia Cup 2021 ticket. Jordan are also in a good position to finish at the top 2 spots in the standings, but the pressure of playing three games in a row even at home will not be easy to overcome.

Palestine, as mentioned, are on the outside of the direct qualification bubble looking in with their two losses, but they have shown the potential to have the talent to beat any team in Asia Cup play - even if it is a strong program like Jordan.

FIBA