Window 4 of the African Qualifiers: Group E preview
Group E could easily be described as the "Group of Death", considering the number of historical rivalries, and that only two teams can qualify automatically to the World Cup.
ABIDJAN (Cote d'Ivoire) - Imagine three former African champions drawn in one group fighting for World Cup ticket. Now, consider that these very three teams sit in the Top-5 of the FIBA World Ranking (Africa), and that they have been podium-finishers in the last three editions of the FIBA AfroBasket. That's right. That's what Group E of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 African Qualifiers is all about.
When Group E gets underway in Abidjan, hosts Cote d'Ivoire, Angola and Nigeria will face each other one way or another, and will be joined by high-flying Cape Verde.
And to complete the six-team group, Guinea and Uganda are headed to Abidjan to make some noise and relaunch their hopes of reaching the World Cup for the first time.
To make things even clearer about Group E, note that Cote d'Ivoire, Angola and Nigeria competed in the last World Cup and are hoping to make a return. This time, however, to the Indonesia-Japan-Philippines World Cup showpiece next year.
All games will take place from Friday, August 26 through to Sunday, August 28 at Threichville Palais des Sports in Abidjan.
Here's what the standings look like in Group F heading into Window 4 of the African Qualifiers:
Group E
0/18 games played
All First Round results carry over to Second Round
| GAMES | STREAK | GAME POINTS | POINTS | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | P | W | L | % | Last 5 | For | Agt | +/- | FA | AA | |
| 1 |
|
4 | 4 | 0 | 100 | ..... | 277 | 254 | 23 | 69.2 | 63.5 | 8 |
| 2 |
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 75 | ..... | 319 | 296 | 23 | 79.8 | 74 | 7 |
| 3 |
|
4 | 2 | 2 | 50 | ..... | 289 | 256 | 33 | 72.2 | 64 | 6 |
| 4 |
|
4 | 4 | 2 | 50 | ..... | 327 | 299 | 28 | 81.8 | 74.8 | 6 |
| 5 |
|
4 | 1 | 3 | 25 | ..... | 296 | 347 | -51 | 74 | 86.8 | 5 |
| 6 |
|
4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ..... | 249 | 305 | -56 | 62.2 | 76.2 | 4 |
Friday, August 26
Guinea vs Cape Verde - 13:0 local time
Angola vs Uganda - 16:00 local time
Cote d'Ivoire vs Nigeria - 19:00 local time
Saturday, August 27
Cape Verde vs Angola - 13:00 local time
Nigeria vs Guinea - 16:00 local time
Uganda vs Cote d'Ivoire - 19:00 local time
Sunday, August 28
Angola vs Nigeria - 13:00 local time
Guinea vs Uganda - 16:00 local time
Cote d'Ivoire vs Cape Verde - 19:00 local time
Abidjan is the first stage where these six teams - Angola, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Nigeria and Uganda - need to prove they belong.
Group E could easily be described as the "Group of Death", considering the number of former African champions in it, the historical rivalries, and that only two teams can qualify automatically to the 2023 World Cup.
As the only undefeated team in the group, and playing in front of their home fans for the second straight qualifying window, Cote d'Ivoire are favourite to extend their unbeaten home winning streak , but they are also the team to beat.
However, with a change at the helm of the team - Coach Natxo Lezkano is unavailable for window 4 and was replaced by Serbian Dejan Prokic - and the absence of rising star Assemian Moulare and Matt Costello, it remains to be known whether or not the Elephants can adjust to the new reality, especially as they take on ambitious Nigeria, Cape Verde and Uganda.
The good news for Cote d'Ivoire is the return of Souleyman Diabate, an experienced point guard, who has carried his team for most of the past decade.
To end Cote d'Ivoire's home 6-0 unbeaten run, which dates back to February 2019, D'Tigers of Nigeria, Blue Sharks of Cape Verde and Silverbacks of Ugandan need to be more than just ambitious. They will need to give their all against a team that is just three wins away from next year's World Cup.
Then, there is Cape Verde, a team that sit second in the group, and shows no sign of slowing down despite suffering two warm-up games defeats to Senegal last week in Dakar.
Remember the last time, Angola and Nigeria faced off? We have to go back to August 2015, when Nigeria upset Angola in the Final of the AfroBasket in Tunisia to lift their first-ever African title.
Both Angola and Nigeria are tied in their group with a 2-2 mark each although the former hold a slightly higher point-differential.
The last time, Cape Verde and Angola faced each other at AfroBasket last year, the islanders shocked the eleven-time African champions Angola in the Group Phase. This week's will be their first meeting in the last twelve months.
And, back in February 2019, Nigeria suffered a humiliating 72-46 defeat to Cote d'Ivoire in Abidjan. Can D'Tigers pay it back?
Star to watch
Souleyman Diabate - Cote d'Ivoire
Point Guard
Height: 185cm / 6'1"
June/July stats: Didn't play
Diabate sat out the last qualifying window in his hometown of Abidjan, but he is back this time around. Arguably the most experienced player within the Elephants squad, Diabate may not be as aggressive offensively as he was a decade ago, but his basketball IQ remains a tremendous asset for the Ivorians.
Top prospect
Jilson Bango - Angola
Center
DOB: June 6, 1999
Height: 208cm / 6'10"
June/July stats: 10.6 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 14 EFF
Bango is everything Angola's former stars were not when they dominated the continent for almost two decades. He is tall, something the Angolans lacked for decades despite their success; his margin of progression remains unparalleled, and he tends to finish his shots with tremendous ferocity. Bango seems to be the right fit for Bruno Fernando, the first Angolan to play in the NBA, who is set to play for his country for the first time in six years.
Here's where Group E teams are ranked in the FIBA World Rankings, as well as in Africa:
FIBA