The field of teams at the FIBA World Cup has been cut in half with 16 remaining in international play. The 3rd and 4th place teams in each group from the first round have been eliminated while the top two teams in those groups have advanced to the next round.
The results of the first round carry over into the second and the remaining countries are placed into new groups. Every advancing team will play against two teams that they did not face in the first round.
Here’s a list of which teams remain after the first round of action:
Group I
- Argentina (3-0)
- Poland (3-0)
- Venezuela (2-1)
- Russia (2-1)
The 39-year-old Luis Scola (Argentina) is the player with the most FIBA World Cup experience in this tournament. The 2019 games are his fifth time participating in the FIBA World Cup, as our own Alex Squadron recently detailed. And while Scola isn’t currently on an NBA roster, he has the most NBA experience in this group. No other country has an active player on their squad.
Group J
- Serbia (3-0)
- Spain (3-0)
- Italy (2-1)
- Puerto Rico (2-1)
Serbia boasts several NBA players including Nikola Jokic, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Boban Marjanovic. Their match-up with Spain (8:30am, Sunday) led by Marc Gasol, Ricky Rubio, and Juancho Hernangomez should be the premier contest in the group.
Group K
- USA (3-0)
- Brazil (3-0)
- Greece (2-1)
- Czech Republic (2-1)
USA Basketball will take on the Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Greece team on Saturday. Antetokounmpo is arguably the best player remaining in the tournament, while USA Basketball is, by many accounts, the best team. Team USA will take on Brazil on Monday and will need to win just one of the two games to advance to the next stage.
Group L
- France (3-0)
- Australia (3-0)
- Lithuania (2-1)
- Dominican Republic (2-1)
Australia is the only team to beat Team USA, though it came during exhibition play (knock on wood if you thought Cedi Osman was going to make his free throws during the Turkey match-up). While the country lacks an NBA star, it has several notable players on the roster including Andrew Bogut, Patty Mills, Aron Baynes, and Joe Ingles. The Aussies aren’t the only dangerous team in the group, as France yields Rudy Gobert and Evan Fournier in its attack and Lithuania has a fearsome frontcourt headlined by Domantas Sabonis and Jones Valanciunas.
