Hoops Habit
Fansided

Antetokounmpo Headlines Olympics Qualifier In Italy

By Matthew Hallett

Apr 3, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) during the game against the Chicago Bulls at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Chicago won 102-98. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 3, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) during the game against the Chicago Bulls at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Chicago won 102-98. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 3
Next

Italy is hosting one of three FIBA Olympic qualifying tournaments, but Croatia or Greece are the likeliest picks to emerge from the field of six.

NBA
Jan 2, 2016; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Marco Belinelli (3) before the start of the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at Sleep Train Arena. The Kings won 142-119. Mandatory Credit: Godofredo Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

Six teams are split into two groups for a FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament being held this week in Turin, Italy. Group A has Greece, Mexico and Iran, Group B has Tunisia, Croatia and Italy.

Nine teams have already punched their ticket to Rio de Janeiro, including the top-ranked squad in the world in the U.S.

Of the teams playing, the rankings are as follows:

Pool A
Greece – 10th
Iran – 17th
Mexico – 19th

Related Story: LeBron James: Top 10 Best Career Performances

Pool B

Croatia – 12th

Tunisia – 23rd

Italy – 35th

The top two of each pool play off in the crossover round, with the world rankings seeming to favor a showdown between Greece and Croatia for one of the three remaining Olympic berths.

This tournament is going to be quite close, but I can’t see the host nation Italy winning despite some NBA talent and home-court advantage, their ranking is simply too low. Also Greece and Croatia are just really good basketball teams.

This week long tournament is being played at the same time as the other two so by the end of this week we will know all of the Olympic teams.

Next: Pool A