Americas Qualifiers Second Round: Group E preview
MIAMI (United States) - Window 4 of the Second Round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Americas Qualifiers begins in about one week and every matchup from here on out is crucial in Group E.
MIAMI (United States) - Window 4 of the Second Round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Americas Qualifiers begins in about one week and every matchup from here on out is crucial in Group E.
Group E is made up of teams from Groups A and C from the First Round, and in the Second Round, each team will play home and away games against the three teams from the other group over three windows beginning with the upcoming Window 4. There will be two games per team played in each window of the Second Round.
Here's what the standings look like in Group E heading into Window 4 of the Americas 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 | Canada | 6 | 6 | 0 | 100 | 615 | 417 | 198 | 102.5 | 69.5 | 12 | |
| 2 | Venezuela | 6 | 5 | 1 | 83.3 | 469 | 343 | 126 | 78.2 | 57.2 | 11 | |
| 3 | Argentina | 6 | 5 | 1 | 83.3 | 455 | 382 | 73 | 75.8 | 63.7 | 11 | |
| 4 | Dominican Republic | 6 | 4 | 2 | 66.7 | 519 | 446 | 73 | 86.5 | 74.3 | 10 | |
| 5 | Panama | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33.3 | 406 | 414 | -8 | 67.7 | 69 | 8 | |
| 6 | Bahamas | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33.3 | 478 | 560 | -82 | 79.7 | 93.3 | 8 | |
Thursday, August 25
Bahamas vs. Venezuela - 20:00 local time
Dominican Republic vs. Panama - 20:10 local time
Canada vs. Argentina - 19:40 local time
Monday, August 29
Venezuela vs. Dominican Republic - 18:10 local time
Panama vs. Canada - 19:10 local time
Argentina vs. Bahamas - 21:40 local time
Canada flew through the First Round, winning their six games by an average of 33 points. If they can continue this level of play in the Second Round, the path looks clear for them to possibly claim the top spot in Group E and one of the three World Cup spots from the group.
If this indeed happens, it looks like it will be a battle for the second and third World Cup spots from the group between Venezuela, Argentina and Dominican Republic. All three teams are in good shape at 5-1, 5-1 and 4-2, respectively. There's still good news for the team from this trio that doesn't finish in the top three in Group E, as they will likely also have a chance to qualify for the World Cup as the best-ranked fourth-place team. The team that finds themselves in this scenario will be compared against the fourth-place team from Group F, so every game continues to matter.
A team like the Bahamas are interesting because they have the potential to pull off an upset and be a dangerous team to play, but their success hinges on whether NBA stars Buddy Hield and Deandre Ayton are available for future windows.
Canada vs. Argentina on August 25 and Venezuela vs. Dominican Republic on August 29 will be the key games to watch in the upcoming window from this group.
In this window, Canada can qualify for the World Cup if they win their two games AND if Dominican Republic loses their two games.
Argentina nor Venezuela can't be guaranteed to qualify even by winning their two games and being 7-1 after Window 4, as Canada, Dominican Republic and one of either Argentina or Venezuela can be better in the end.
Star to watch
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - Canada
Guard
Height: 198cm / 6'6"
June/July stats: 28.0 PTS, 4.0 REB, 3.0 AST, 2.5 STL, 62.9% FG in 24.4 minutes per game
Gilgeous-Alexander has been listed in Canada's 18-man preliminary roster for Window 4, and anytime there's a chance that he will suit up for Canada, he'll always be a focal point and a star to watch. His impact was felt immediately in Window 3, as seen from his impressive scoring numbers and stat sheet-stuffing ability in two games. If he's available again for the two games in Window 4, Canada will continue to be a frontrunner and a dangerous team as they look to remain unbeaten.
Top prospect
Leandro Bolmaro - Argentina
Shooting guard/small forward
Height: 198cm / 6'6"
June/July stats: 5.5 PTS, 1.5 REB, 3.0 AST, 41.7% FG in 22.8 minutes per game
After getting more experience playing for Argentina's Senior Men's National Team in Window 3, Bolmaro will now look to take the next step in Window 4. Even though his stats from last window weren't eye-popping, the 21-year-old still has plenty of potential and just needs a little more playing time at this level before he can start to dominate and be one of Argentina's go-to players.
Here's where Group E teams are ranked in the FIBA World Rankings, as well as in the Americas:
| World Rank | Team | Americas Rank |
| 7. | Argentina | 2. |
| 17. | Venezuela | 4. |
| 18. | Canada | 5. |
| 20. | Dominican Republic | 7. |
| 49. | Panama | 10. |
| 63. | Bahamas | 12. |
FIBA