The 2019 FIBA World Cup is now just a few days away. The competing teams are all busy with their preparations and tune-up matches ahead of this prestigious tournament.
Two of the best teams in the competition in Serbia and Greece just so happened to square off as they gave a preview of what’s to come from them in China.
However, there is some distressing news regarding Nigeria, who may not even take part in the competition due to financial problems involving their own government.
And finally, there are a couple more departures from Team USA, which has left coach Gregg Popovich with just one more cut to make.
These are all the major news stories SBOBET is set to enlighten you on as the FIBA World Cup creeps ever closer.
Serbia top Greece in Acropolis Tournament
While Team USA may still be the big favourites to win the FIBA World Cup despite their relatively depleted roster, the FIBA World Cup 2019 betting odds have Serbia and Greece as the two top contenders to the crown.
The two countries recently met in the final of the Acropolis International Basketball Tournament as they continued their warm-ups for the World Cup. And despite missing star centre Nikola Jokic, the Serbians still defeated Greece in overtime, 85-80.
The Sacramento Kings’ Bogdan Bogdanovic starred in the final as he had a game-high 28 points. The forward finished as the tournament’s top scorer, averaging 20 points in three games.
Reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had 20 points and eight rebounds in the final, also had a fine tournament as he averaged 18 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.3 steals, and 2.7 blocks.
Although it was just a tune-up match, the fact that the Serbians still won without their best player — and one of the World Cup’s stars to look out for — in Jokic is a testament to their strength in depth. Unless something unexpected occurs, they should be right there among the top contenders for the title.
As for Greece, although they might have the best player in the tournament in Giannis, other members of their squad will still need to step up for them to make a deep run.
Serbia are in Group D along with the Philippines, Italy, and Angola. Meanwhile, the Greeks are in Group F with Montenegro, Brazil, and New Zealand.
Team USA squad now down to 13 after more withdrawals
Team USA head coach Gregg Popovich will need to pick his 12 best players before the start of the World Cup. But the pool he’s choosing from is now down to just 13 with the recent FIBA World Cup 2019 news that both PJ Tucker and De’Aaron Fox have both pulled out as well.
While Tucker withdrew due to an ankle injury, Fox decided not to take part so he could instead focus on preparing for a playoff run with the Kings this upcoming season.
The 13 players remaining on the Team USA squad are big men Brook Lopez, Myles Turner, and Mason Plumlee, forwards Harrison Barnes, Jaylen Brown, Kyle Kuzma, Jayson Tatum, and guards, Kemba Walker, Marcus Smart, Donovan Mitchell, Joe Harris, and Derrick White.
The most likely candidates to be the final cut are Plumlee, Harris, and White. But given Harris’ shooting and the team’s overall lack of size, White could be the odd man out even though he is Popovich’s player on the Spurs.
Team USA has made their way to Australia, where they will continue the rest of their World Cup preparations before flying off to China near the end of the month. The Americans are in Group E alongside Turkey, the Czech Republic, and Japan.
Nigeria could miss World Cup due to financial problems
Nigeria are one of five teams representing Africa in this year’s FIBA World Cup. However, they may not be able to take part due to financial issues.
According to a report from Colin Udoh on ESPN, members of the Nigerian team allege that the Ministry of Sport has not released their money for the World Cup.
The likes of Stan Okoye, Ekpe Udoh, Ike Iroegbu, and Gabe Vincent were among the players who went public about this issue on social media.
They say the lack of funds has made it difficult for them to prepare for the World Cup and that they’ve had to shoulder the expenses themselves.
However, they remain hopeful the situation can be resolved and that they can put on a strong showing at the World Cup.
Obviously, it would be a major disappointment if the Nigerian team were unable to take part due to their government’s lack of support. Hopefully, they can get everything all sorted out before the beginning of the tournament.
Nigeria are in Group B along with Russia, Argentina, and South Korea.
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