Preview: Who's heading past the Group Stages in Turkiye?

ISTANBUL (Turkiye) - There is much on the line as excitement builds ahead of the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament 2023 on August 12-20 in Istanbul.

With Paris Olympic 2024 dreams at stake, let's take a temperature check on the group phase where two teams will emerge from each group. 

Group C:  Turkiye, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Iceland

Who's the favorite?

This is really host Turkiye's tournament to lose considering the talent they are set to unleash in front of their passionate fans in Istanbul.  While some of their rivals will likely be shorthanded, Turkiye have a strong squad boasting NBA players Cedi Osman, Alperen Şengun, Omer Yurtseven and Furkan Korkmaz . 

They also have former NBA guard Shane Larkin, who is a naturalized player.  Loaded at every position, Turkiye are hot favorites to get through this group en-route to securing a ticket to next year's FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments. 

Who's the underdog? 

With a population of less than 400,000, Iceland are used to being labelled as an underdog.  But size hasn't often mattered for them in the sporting arena, having impressively reached FIBA EuroBaskets in both 2015 and 2017. 

They enjoyed an overtime victory against a Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk-led Ukraine in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers 2023 last year, so Iceland will be eyeing something similar in Istanbul. With big man Tryggvi Hlinason controlling the paint, they can dare to dream of a giant-killing run. 

What will be the pivotal game?
We don't have to wait for long because the opener between Bulgaria and Ukraine might just shape what happens in the group. If Turkiye really is impregnable, then there will be a battle for second with Bulgaria and Ukraine in the box seat. 

Bulgaria are on the rise having made it to FIBA EuroBasket 2022 to end an 11-year absence, while Ukraine are always competitive.  The battle at the Sinan Erdem Arena on August 12 will be must watch. 

The open question: Will home court advantage suffocate Turkiye?

The rowdy support of their fans should create a hostile atmosphere for opponents, but it can also put a lot of pressure on the hosts.  It will be interesting to see how Turkiye responds. 

Group D: Netherlands, Croatia, Belgium Sweden

Who's the favorite?

Unlike Pool C, this feels a lot more open and there isn't really a clear cut favorite.  But the question is hovering above, so we'll have to take Croatia - even though they are likely to be without some big-hitters.. 

Croatia will enter with confidence after crushing Ireland and Luxembourg at the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Pre-Qualifiers although that was to be expected.  But the strong form of young gun Roko Prkacin, Toni Perkovic and Dario Dreznjak should leave Croatia with high hopes of an unbeaten run in the group stage. 

 

 Who's the underdog? 

To reiterate, there isn't a lot separating these teams but Sweden - as the lowest ranked team at 50 - probably has the most to prove. They were the only team in this group not to have qualified for last year's FIBA EuroBasket - an absence stretching a decade.

They should feel encouraged by spirited performances against Estonia and Germany at the FIBA World Cup 2023 Qualifiers earlier in the year. Sweden also split a pair of games with Croatia early last year, but they will bring a youthful team to Istanbul and it will be interesting to see how they fare under the bright lights. 

What will be the pivotal game?

Rivals Netherlands and Belgium square off on August 14 in a clash with a lot on the line.  Both teams have invested in younger players as they strive for a basketball rise and the battle between emerging stars Thijs De Ridder and Jesse Edwards could be a lot of fun to watch. 

The open question: Is there a team able to challenge Turkiye from Group D?

While Turkiye seems clearly the strongest team on paper, the group phase is a valuable chance for rivals to build confidence in time for - almost certainly - a match-up with the host at some stage at the business end. 

Upsetting Turkiye may seem fanciful now, but momentum is powerful and these four teams in Group D will all have genuine aspirations of making the Semi-Finals where anything is possible.

FIBA