The eight teams left standing in the EuroBasket 2017 will spring back into action for a chance to advance to the Semi-Finals. The second set of Quarter-Final matches will take place at the Sinan Erdem Arena in Istanbul on September 13. Russia will take on Greece in the first game while Italy faces Serbia on the night cap.
The first two Quarter-Final games will be played on September 12 and will pit Spain against Germany, and Slovenia versus Latvia. The winners of these Quarter-Final matches will advance to the EuroBasket Semi-Finals and will have the chance to qualify for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Russia versus Greece (18:45 local time)
Russia will be slightly favored to win against Greece. While Russia finished in third place in Group D, they only had one loss in the preliminary round and completed the group stage play with 4-1 win-loss record.
The Russians picked up wins against Turkey, Serbia, Belgium, and Great Britain, while losing its lone game against Latvia. Russia defeated Croatia in the round-of-16 to set up its Quarter-Finals date with Greece, 101-78.
It is interesting to note that three teams from Group D made it to the quarterfinals. The Quarter-Finalists from Group D includes Russia, Serbia, and Latvia and all three teams finished the group stage with an identical 4-1 record.
Former New York Knicks guard Alexey Shved and Timofey Mozgov of the Brooklyn Nets are leading the charge for Russia. Shved is currently the leading scorer in this year’s edition of the EuroBasket, averaging 23.7 points per contest. Mozgov provides the steady inside presence for the Russians and has tournament averages of 13.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
Meanwhile, Greece survived inconsistent play in the preliminary round and finished fourth in Group A. Greece won against Iceland and Poland but lost against Slovenia, France, and Finland. Greece stunned Group B leader Lithuania in the round-of-16 to book its ticket to the Quarter-Final.
Greece has a number of players with NBA experience.
Georgios Papagiannis of the Sacramento Kings, former Denver Nuggets Kostas Papanikolaou, former Memphis Grizzlies Nick Calathes, former New York Knicks Thanasis Antetokounmpo, and the Atlanta Hawks draft pick Dimitrios Agravanis forms the backbone of this tough Greece team.
The winner between Russia and Greece will meet the winner of the other quarterfinal game between Italy and Serbia in the semifinal.
Italy versus Serbia (21:30 local time)
Italy will face Serbia in the last game of the Quarter-Final round. Italy finished third in Group B with a 3-2 record while Serbia topped Group D with a 4-1 record.
In the preliminary round, Italy picked up wins against Israel, Ukraine, and Georgia while losing to Lithuania and Germany.
Italy defeated Finland in the round-of-16 to punch its ticket to the EuroBasket Quarter-Finals against Serbia.
Italy is led by Marco Belinelli of the Atlanta Hawks and the former Boston Celtics Luigi Datome. The 31-year-old Belinelli is averaging 17.8 points per game in the tournament while Datome is contributing 15 points and 4.7 rebounds per contest.
Serbia won Group D by racking off victories against Latvia, Turkey, Great Britain, and Belgium while suffering only one defeat against Russia. Serbia won against Hungary in the round-of-16 to advance to the Quarter-Finals.
The 25-year-old Bogdan Bogdanovic of the Sacramento Kings is leading the charge for Serbia, averaging 19.3 points and 5.3 assists per game in this year’s EuroBasket.
Providing support to Bogdanovic are Boban Marjanovic of the Detroit Pistons, former Golden State Warriors Ognjen Kuzmic and Nemanja Nedovic, the former Philadephia 76ers draft pick Vasilije Micic, and the former Cleveland Cavaliers draft pick Milan Macvan.
The winner between Italy and Serbia will meet the winner between Greece and Russia in the Semi-Finals on September 15. The top 6 finishers in this year’s EuroBasket will get qualify for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
