The serious things begin and we know the identity of the four teams which will compose the group K of this second round of the World Cup. Slovenia, Australia, Germany and Georgia. Suffice to say that things will clearly get more complicated for the nations present in this group.
The schedule (matches at Okinawa Arena, Japan):
Friday, September 1:
10:30 a.m.: Germany – Georgia 2:10 p.m.: Slovenia – Australia
Sunday, September 3:
9:30 a.m.: Australia – Georgia 1:10 p.m.: Germany – Slovenia
The rosters:
Australia: Xavier Cooks, Dyson Daniels, Dante Exum, Josh Giddey, Chris Goulding, Josh Green, Joe Ingles, Nick Kay, Patty Mills, Duop Reath, Matisse Thybulle et Jack White
Germany : Isaac Bonga, Franz Wagner, Niels Giffey, Justus Hollatz, Moritz Wagner, David Kramer, Johannes Voigtmann, Maodo Lo, Andreas Obst, Dennis Schroder, Daniel Theis and Johannes Thiemann
Georgia: Rati Andronikashvil, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Kakhaber Jintcharadze, Luka Liklikadze, Giorgi Tsintsadze, Giorgi Shermadini, Duda Sanadze, Giorgi Turdziladze, Mikheil Berishvili, Tornike Shengelia, Thaddus McFadden, Goga Bitadze
Slovenia: Ziga Samar, Aleksej Nikolic, Klemen Prepelic, Mike Tobey, Jaka Blazic, Gregor Hrovat, Ziga Dimec, Zoran Dragic, Bine Prepelic, Gregor Glas, Jokib Cebasek, Luka Doncic
What happened in the first round
Let’s start with the “little thumb” of this group: georgia. Building on a successful group stage with two wins in three games, the Georgians offered themselves the right to face big nations in the second round to the detriment of Venezuela and Cape Verde, the main competitors in the group stage. It will first be Germany then Australia for the teammates of Shengelia, Bitadze and Mamu who, whatever happens, have nothing more to lose.
The Germans continue for their part on their momentum from EuroBasket 2022, where they had brought back a pretty bronze charm. Despite internal problems before the start of the competition, the Germans particularly impressed in the game during the group stage, positioning themselves as a serious underdog in the competition. Dennis Schröder drove the truck really well, especially against Australia where he slammed 30 points in the deciding game for first place.
The Australian Boomers precisely lost against Germany, of course, but have lost none of their basketball IQ and their craftiness. A particularly bad team to play, especially in cleaver matches. With a very prominent Josh Giddey on his outings, the Australians have a real card to play. The first match against Slovenia will be crucial if the Kangaroos want to stay alive. Josh Giddey is also ready for his duel at the top against Luka Doncic.
Doncic, Doncic, Doncic and more Doncic. This is how we could sum up the group stage of Slovenia. In a very affordable group, the Mavs magician simply enjoyed himself during this first phase, notably slamming 34 and 37 pawns in his first two games. Particularly sharp after a solid summer preparation, the Slovenian leader intends to take his nation as high as possible in this World Cup. Be careful not to overplay, especially against teams that are much more in place, such as Australia and Germany.
Home predictions:
A small minnow in history, Georgia, who should quietly bow twice and let the big guys hit each other on center court. Behind it is jostling a little at the gate and Germany and Slovenia could do well, with leaders (Schröder, Doncic) in full swing and a collective base a bit higher than that of Australia. But beware of the Boomers, who never said their last word and who had also hit the Slovenians in 2021 for Olympic bronze.
2023-08-30 17:41:00
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