FIBA World Cup 2019: Previewing Group A
The FIBA World Cup 2019 tips off on Saturday in China. What teams are in Group A and how might they fare when the tournament begins?
The FIBA World Cup 2019 is quickly approaching and this year’s event is the first in a new scheduling cycle designed to put FIBA, and not the NBA, in the driver’s seat for international basketball.
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Thirty-one teams head to China this week to join the host Chinese in an effort to win glory for their countries and seek an automatic berth in next year’s Summer Olympics.
The United States enter the field as the favorites, but due to the new schedule and a tumultuous offseason in the NBA has a significantly less-accomplished roster than at any point over the past two decades.
That opens the tournament up to challengers from all across the globe with a chance to strike while the international powerhouse is vulnerable.
Group A does not boast any of the tournament favorites, but it does contain host nation China. In addition Poland, Venezuela and Ivory Coast will compete in the group.
This group is light on NBA talent and on international success; outside of China none of the teams have made it deep into the major tournaments in recent years.
Even so each of these teams qualified for the tournament, and in a wide-open field have a chance to make some noise. Who should NBA fans know from each of the teams, and which teams have the best shot at advancing?