BEIRUT (Lebanon) - Teams from the other side of the continent take center stage in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers beginning November 22.
Like most of those in the East, some sides from Groups D, E, and F - especially the unbeaten ones - could book their trip to the tournament proper in Saudi Arabia as early as this Window 2. But mind you, there's so much more to look out for than that.
Take a look at how the aforementioned groups look thus far:
Group D
Group E
Group F
And, here are the games of all groups:
22 November 2024
India versus Qatar - 06:00 PM local time - Chennai, IND Iran versus Kazakhstan - 05:00 PM local time - Tehran, IRI UAE versus Lebanon - 07:30 PM (GMT+4) - Dubai, UAE Jordan versus Iraq - 07:00 PM (GMT+3) - Amman, JOR Bahrain versus Syria - 07:00 PM (GMT+3) - Manama, BRN Palestine versus Saudi Arabia - 07:45 PM (GMT+3) - Jeddah, KSA
25 November 2024
Palestine versus Jordan - 02:45 PM (GMT+3) - Jeddah, KSA India versus Kazakhstan - 06:00 PM local time - Chennai, IND Lebanon versus Syria - 06:00 PM (GMT+4) - Dubai, UAE Saudi Arabia versus Iraq - 07:45 PM (GMT+3) - Jeddah, KSA Qatar versus Iran - 08:00 PM (GMT+3) - Doha, QATAR UAE versus Bahrain - 09:00 PM (GMT+4) - Dubai, UAE
Game to watch
Lebanon are among the teams looking to book an earlier flight to Jeddah. They are coming into Window 2 sitting atop Group F with a clean 2-0 record, meaning that sweeping their games in this window would send them back to the Asia Cup.
And their last game of this phase, which is a rematch versus Syria on November 25, is also one of the most awaited by fans. Aside from the fact that they had a pulsating encounter in Window 1 in Damascus, this meeting will be held on neutral grounds.
Supposed to be in Beirut, the game will now be played at the Shaikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Sports Hall in Dubai because of the current situation in Lebanon.
So, who will have the crowd advantage? By now, everybody knows that Lebanese fans could fill up any place that their team plays and they have done as much in this venue, as what we've seen in previous FIBA West Asia Super League seasons.
Plus, some Cedars love playing in there as guys like Al Riyadi stars Wael Arakji and Amir Saoud have tasted success in the home of Shabab Al Ahli, particularly in winning the Basketball Champions League Asia inaugurals just a few months ago.
But Syrian supporters have made quite a case, too. The Eagles got themselves a solid turnout when they faced UAE, enabling Nadim Issa and Co. to withstand the hard-fighting UAE, 78-63, to split their assignments in the first window.
Players to watch
Issa and the other players mentioned above should be among those to be watched out for but there are other names, too, that deserve the same attention.
For one, there's Bahrain star guard Mosti Rashed, who's one of the Qualifiers' top scorers with 23.0 points and is definitely expected to sustain his scoring ways.
There are the other stats leaders to check out, too. Curious as to which players from these groups have been major contributors to their teams? Swipe below!
Debut to watch
But of course, also on the lookout this Window 2 are the fresh faces. Palestine will be parading Brian Halums, their new naturalized player who's coming in with vast experience playing professionally mostly in the Gulf and West Asia regions.
Syria will also have someone new in Christian Maran. Born in 1998, the 1.96 M (6'5") Syrian-Australian winger is set to represent the country for the first time, bringing with him the lessons and maturity gained in the NBL1 and the Syrian Basketball League.
Promising prospects
Lest we forget about the youngsters that could potentially become the big names perhaps not only in this region but globally in the next years. We're talking about the guys such as the Mousa Bros. of Qatar, Hamad and the 16-year-old Abdullah.
There's also 19-year-old guard Daniil Severgin of Kazakhstan. If his name sounds familiar, it's because he starred for the young Steppenwolves in the 2022 FIBA U16 Asia Cup with averages of 20.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists.
For all these reasons, and possibly others more that may spring up during the course of this five-day stretch, Window 2 is definitely worth watching.
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