Okay, that is the group stages of the 2014 FIBA World Cup done and dusted. Today, Friday the 5th of September, may be a rest day for the nations who have progressed to the knockout stages but for 8 teams, today will be about checking out of their hotel and getting ready to return home. It is a sad end for some teams, but there will have been some teams that have thoroughly enjoyed themselves in Spain this summer.
We’ll get to the last 16 games in time, but for now, let’s round up the groups and see where everyone ended up.
Group A – Granada
Brazil had a massive win over Egypt, a score of 128 to 66, securing the second place that was all but theirs before the game and ensuring Egypt had a sad end to their campaign. Egypt return home without a win and Brazil know that if they continue to progress, they will not be able to face Spain again until the semi-finals.
The next game in Group A was the real one, the one where a shock may happen. It didn’t but it was mighty close. The final score of France 81 – Iran 76, doesn’t tell the full story. At one point, Iran had a double digit lead knowing a win was required to progress and send France home. France rallied in the second and third quarter, before putting up a strong line of defence in the quarter finals and grabbed third place in the group.
Spain completed their 5-0 record in Group A with an 89-73 win over Serbia, who finished fourth. 20 points from Pau Gasol put the host nation on easy street and maintained the Spanish dream of world cup glory.
Spain topped the group on 10 points, Brazil were second on 9 points, France grabbed 8 points in third and Serbia finished fourth with 7 points. Iran and Egypt failed to qualify, Iran finishing on 6 points in fifth, while Egypt finished on 5 points in sixth.
Group B – Seville
The Philippines finally got their victory at the FIBA World Cup and there were plenty of neutrals in the audience who were happy to see them finally get one in the books. The team had been close run losers in their four previous games so seeing them finally get over the line with a 81-79 triumph over Senegal was a good moment. Except for Senegal that is, who finished fourth in the group and now face Spain in the last 15.
This was a must win match for Croatia and it showed with a strong victory. The final score of 103-82 against Puerto Rico indicated the strength of the Croatian firepower and this actually propelled Croatia into second place in the group, even though they knew a loss could have eliminated them. The second place was secured when Greece defeated Argentina by a score of 79-71. This meant that Greece claimed a 5-0 record and Nick Calathes was the main man with 18 points. The win means that the earliest Greece can face Spain, if at all, is the semi-final stage.
Greece took top spot with 10 points, while Croatia took second spot thanks to the head to head over Argentina. Both teams finished on 8 points but the South American side was pushed into third spot. The final qualification spot was grabbed by Senegal who had 7 points. The bottom two teams both had 6 points but Puerto Rico took fifth spot thanks to the head to head while the Philippines finished bottom of Group B.
Group C – Barakaldo
A 67-65 win for New Zealand against Finland was enough to send the Kiwis into the second stage as other results went in their favour. The Finnish side finished bottom of the group but Petteri Koponen missed two great chances late on in the game which could have altered the outcome of the game and the group.
Yet again Team USA started slowly but in the end, the American side ran out 95-71 winners against Ukraine. The combination of results on the final day meant that Ukraine were sent home while the American side is preparing to face Mexico in the last 16.
Turkey may have clinched second place in the group thanks to a 77-64 win over the Dominican Republic, but both teams were celebrating qualification to the knock out round. The Turkish cause was boosted by 15 points from Oğuz Savaş, but it was the celebrations from the Dominican Republic side at the end of the match that was probably the notable element, especially given that they actually lost the match!
The United States took top spot with 10 points and Turkey finished second on 8 points. There were then three teams on 7 points, which meant that head to head and goal average decided the placing. Dominican Republic finished third, New Zealand came fourth and Ukraine missed out on a qualification spot. The bottom of the group spot was filled by Finland on 6 points.
Group D – Las Palmas
It was far from the strongest Australian team that took to the court against Angola, and this led to an Angola victory of 91-83. Yanick Moreira grabbed 38 points but the talking point is about Australia not giving it their all, because this actually meant they would receive better seeding in the knockout round. This is the nature of sporting tournaments and surely the Australian team has to think about what is best for them, even if it flies in the face of sporting integrity at times.
Mexico clinched an 87-71 win over Korea, and with five players grabbing double figures, the head to head against Angola was more than enough to put the Mexicans through. Slovenia were well on top of their game but a late collapse means that Lithuania clinched a 67-64 win. The Slovenians only managed to score 2 points in the last quarter, a result which meant that Lithuania topped the group and Australia finished in third place, a place they were quite happy to achieve.
Lithuania and Slovenia both grabbed 9 points but the head to head record saw Lithuania top the group, while Slovenia sat in the second. Australia came in third on 8 points and Mexico finished fourth with 7 points. Angola also finished on 7 points but thanks to the head to head with Mexico, they ended up in fifth place, missing out on qualification. In last place was South Korea, who had 5 points.
Round of 16 matches
- Dominican Republic v Slovenia
- USA v Mexico
- New Zealand v Lithuania
- Turkey v Australia
- France v Croatia
- Spain v Senegal
- Serbia v Greece
- Brazil v Argentina
Games played on Saturday 6th of September:
- Dominican Republic v Slovenia
- USA v Mexico
- France v Croatia
- Spain v Senegal
With Team USA and Spain playing on this day, this is the one that fans want to see but it may be that the other games are the ones that offer the most competitive matches of the day.
Games played on Sunday 7th of September:
- New Zealand v Lithuania
- Turkey v Australia
- Serbia v Greece
- Brazil v Argentina
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