Group D preview: Redemption tour starts for Lithuania

MANILA (Philippines) - At the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019, and also at the FIBA EuroBasket 2022, Lithuania faced tough draws and failed to reach the Quarter-Finals. Now, they are the clear cut favorites to advance not only to the Quarter-Finals, but beyond.

The Favorite: Lithuania

Lithuania failed to reach the Quarter-Finals back in China in 2019, and three years later, their FIBA EuroBasket 2022 campaign got off to a slow start which never allowed them to get back on track and charge for the medal hunt.

Ignas Brazdeikis at EuroBasket 2022

Don't forget that Slovenia and Luka Doncic stunned the packed stands at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Lithuania in 2021, meaning there has been plenty of disappointment for one of the biggest basketball nations in the world. The path to redemption starts with Montenegro, Mexico and Egypt in Group D.

Their combined all-time World Cup records: 24-56. Lithuania's all-time World Cup record: 27-14.

The Underdog: Egypt

August 12, 1994. That was 29 years ago, plus two weeks or so. That's when Egypt won their last FIBA Basketball World Cup game, against Cuba, in the Classification Games 13-16 in Canada.

They will search for a bit more of Canadian magic in 2023, because they've got the Canadian youth teams mastermind Roy Rana running their plays now.

But because of the all-time record and the nearly 30-year-long drought, they are the underdogs of this group.

The Pivotal Game: Montenegro v Mexico

If Lithuania are the favorites, and Egypt are the underdogs, then the pivotal game would be the first game of the first day of competition in this group. That's when Montenegro take on Mexico, the winner could be trampolined up to fight for the top spot, while the loser has to climb a mountain barefoot to have a chance of reaching the Second Round.

Mexico is a very dangerous shooting team

Montenegro are picking up more and more major events experience, but keep an eye on Mexico. They had a Qualifiers campaign to remember, they have defeated the United States three times over the last five years, so seeing them reach the Sweet 16 would not be a surprise, at all.

The Open Question: Will Montenegro have one big run?

Nikola Vucevic and Bojan Dubljevic aren't getting any younger, and even though Montenegro's rosters always look impressive, something appears missing when they reach the Final Rounds of the World Cups and the FIBA EuroBaskets. 

Nikola Vucevic was a force at the World Cup 2019

They have the centimeters and inches to stand tall in this group and their height advantage will be clear from the get-go. Now it's a matter of finally going from a constant Qualifier to a perennial challenger when the major events start.

The Poll

 

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Don't forget to check the Team Profiles for: Lithuania, Montenegro, Egypt and Mexico.

FIBA