FIBA World Cup 2014: Day 7 Schedule and Predictions After Day 6 Group Results
The 2014 FIBA World Cup's group stage completed on Thursday, greatly impacting the elimination rounds. While some teams cruised through the final day of group play, securing their spots as top seeds going forward, others faltered and will face difficult roads to the final.
For each of the 16 teams still in the mix, only four consecutive wins are needed to become the tournament's champion. It won't be an easy task for any team involved, but taking Thursday's contests into consideration, some squads enter elimination play with far more momentum than others.
Take a look at which teams appear poised for success and which are limping into the ensuing round, by examining the Day 6 results:
| Angola | Australia | 91-83 |
| Philippines | Senegal | 81-79 |
| New Zealand | Finland | 67-65 |
| Brazil | Egypt | 128-65 |
| Mexico | South Korea | 87-71 |
| United States | Ukraine | 95-71 |
| France | Iran | 81-76 |
| Croatia | Puerto Rico | 103-82 |
| Lithuania | Slovenia | 67-64 |
| Turkey | Dominican Republic | 77-64 |
| Spain | Serbia | 89-73 |
| Greece | Argentina | 79-71 |
It's pretty clear which teams are full of momentum heading into the round of 16 and which ones are just lucky to have made it that far. Before the first eight teams take the court on Saturday, here's a glance at the full Day 7 schedule and prediction for the winner for each contest:
| United States vs. Mexico | 10 a.m. | ESPN2 | United States |
| France vs. Croatia | 12 p.m. | NBA TV | Croatia |
| Dominican Republic vs. Slovenia | 2 p.m. | ESPN3 | Slovenia |
| Spain vs. Senegal | 4 p.m. | NBA TV | Spain |
The elimination bracket can be viewed at FIBA.com.
Matchup Analysis
United States vs. Mexico
The United States was expected to dominate in the early stages of the tournament, and it has done exactly that. The Americans are the only team averaging over 100 points per game through the first five games of the World Cup.
Kenneth Faried has been lights out so far in Spain, averaging 13.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Take a look at what's he's accomplished so far, via NBA:
Aside from Faried, Anthony Davis has been instrumental to the team's success, dominating the inside and averaging 15.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. This team's depth appears to be endless, and that's apparent when comparing the Americans to the Mexican team—Team USA has been statistically better in almost every major category, including field-goal percentage, rebounds, assists, turnovers, steals, blocks and bench points.
Mexico is only averaging 74.0 points per game and will need a vastly improved performance to compete with the Americans.
France vs. Croatia
Here's a battle between two teams that have experienced roller-coaster rides through the tournament to this point.
Joffrey Lauvergne has been France's catalyst so far. The center is averaging 10.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting 54.1 percent from the floor. While he's the only member of the team averaging double-digit points, France's deep bench is averaging 34.2 points per game.
Croatia is a team with great size. Six players on its roster measure at least 6'10". That includes future NBA player Dario Saric, who is averaging 13.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Max Rappaport of Sixers.com tweeted Saric's performance so far:
The team that can dominate in the paint will come away with a win here.
Dominican Republic vs. Slovenia
Slovenia features one NBA contributor in Phoenix Suns guard Goran Dragic. He's been on fire from all over the court through five games, averaging a team-high 17.4 points per game while shooting an impressive 60.7 percent from the floor.
On the flip side, the Dominican Republic features some nice size. The team has looked good in the paint, and 6'11" center Eloy Vargas has averaged a team-high 7.0 rebounds per game, leading to a team average of 41 boards per contest—about 10 more than its upcoming opponent.
These teams play different styles of basketball, and we'll find out soon enough if the shooting of Slovenia or the interior presence of the Dominican Republic will prevail.
Spain vs. Senegal
The day's final match may end up being its most lopsided.
Spain has been one of the tournament's biggest powerhouses. The team is averaging 88.0 points per game, which is second only to the United States. Spain's prowess comes from a devastatingly good Big Three. Pau Gasol, Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka can take over a game on both ends of the court, and small forward Rudy Hernandez is capable of knocking down shots from anywhere.
The Chicago Bulls tweeted Spain's tournament standing through the group stage:
Needless to say, Senegal will have its work cut out.
If Senegal has any chance, it's due to the ongoing double-double performances of Gorgui Dieng. The big man is currently averaging 18.0 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. Spain has averaged about seven more rebounds per game than Senegal, so Dieng will need a performance of a lifetime to keep his team in contention.
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