Spain vs. Senegal: TV Info, Live Stream and Preview for FIBA World Cup 2014
Like its stateside co-favorites, Spain has done what it's had to do at the 2014 FIBA World Cup. The host country barreled its way to five straight victories to capture Group A, winning each of its games by double figures and posting a plus-126 scoring margin.
Spain comes into the knockout round at the polar end of the spectrum from its round-of-16 opponent.
Senegal, a small African country making just its fourth World Cup appearance in history, made it through despite being outscored by 51 points—far and away the worst of any remaining team.
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The Senegalese squad is the definition of "happy to be there." Their wins were down-to-the-wire squeakers against Puerto Rico and Croatia, becoming one of the few surprises of group play and the talk of the town in San Pablo.
"This is history. We joked around coming here saying we were trying to make history, but we really had in mind that we wanted to make history," said Senegal's Hamady Ndiaye, per FIBA.
| Saturday, Sept. 6 | 4 p.m. | ESPN3 | NBATV |
History only comes for the Spaniards with a gold-medal defeat of the U.S.A. Group play and the first couple rounds of elimination play should be a breeze, like playing the first couple games of a new Madden on Pro before ratcheting up to All-Madden.
Anything less than a finals appearance is a catastrophic disappointment. Anything less than a gold-medal rematch—and win—against the rival United States will create disillusionment from the crowd, which was nothing short of spectacular in Grenada.
"We are always grateful for the warmth of the fans," forward Pau Gasol told reporters.
Gasol, expected to be the lesser of the two brothers playing before his countrymen, has undergone a seeming renaissance. He's been almost unarguably the best player of the tournament, averaging 21.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and two blocked shots in 26 minutes per game.
Had there been superlatives for group play, it's hard to argue against him winning MVP honors.
"Physically he's in great shape, he's happy, relaxed and comfortable and he is playing where he thinks he's most effective. I think he's looking great and he's going to continue improving," said Spain coach Juan Antonio Ortega.
Marc Gasol has allowed his brother to play the hot hand, morphing into an efficient second banana who gives opponents fits on the defensive end. The Grizzlies center has protected the rim well and done a nice job of facilitating at the high post. He enters elimination play second on the team in scoring (11.8 PPG) and as its leading rebounder (6.8 RPG).
While encouraging, the efficiency of the Gasol brothers has helped hide disconcerting signs of struggle. Spain, which manufactures open shots at the same rate Lifetime produces bad made-for-TV biopics, has gone ice cold from three-point range. The Spaniards shot 34.2 percent from deep during group play, 15th among all teams and one of the worst rates among the 16 remaining.
Rudy Fernandez and Juan Carlos Navarro have been the only consistent long-range snipers, shooting more than 50 percent combined to prop up an otherwise anemic attack. Sergio Llull, Serge Ibaka and Alex Abrines are each shooting under 30 percent, while Ricky Rubio is yet to make a shot from long distance and has almost abandoned shooting entirely.
It's a problem similar to the one facing the United States, but Spain does not have the same margin for error. While the U.S. can rely on an abundance of springy athletes and excellence in transition, Spain subsists on crisp passing, chemistry and the consistency of its long-range shooters. (And, of course, the Gasols.)
Navarro and Fernandez will get a bulk of the perimeter minutes in a potential gold medal game, so it's as big of an issue as it seems at the moment. But the U.S. brought a truckload of length to go with its athleticism in an effort to mitigate Spain's advantage with the Gasol brothers.
Getting consistent progress and solid performances from the likes of Llull and Rubio will be necessary if Spain wants to seriously contend.
Again: This should not be an issue on Saturday. OK, OK. It unequivocally will not be even the slightest bit of an issue on Saturday. Spain is going to win, do so handily, and everyone will move on about their business without giving this game much of a second thought.
Timberwolves center Gorgui Dieng is the only player of import on this roster. He'll get a nice litmus test going head-to-head with two of the best international big men in the world, and these tournaments consistently help in the development of young players.
Never much of an assertive offensive force, Dieng has gotten the opportunity to be "The Man" out of sheer necessity. With the Timberwolves rebuilding post-Kevin Love and a Nikola Pekovic trade not entirely impossible, Flip Saunders has to be encouraged with what he's seen.
Just not encouraged enough to think Dieng can play 1-on-5 and come out on top. Senegal's next-best player has been Muhammad Faye, who has shot 35 percent from the field to earn his 11 points per game.
But Spain isn't worried about Faye or even Dieng for that matter. It's about the long game here and preparing for the next week. With the winner of Croatia-France coming next Wednesday, things are about to get serious real quick for Spain. It needs to use this last gimme and get back into a groove from the perimeter.
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