FIBA World Cup 2014: Day 10 Schedule and Predictions After Day 9 Bracket Results
The cream has officially risen to the top at the 2014 FIBA World Cup, as only six basketball teams remain in the field.
Among the remaining squads are powerhouses like the United States and Spain and dark-horse contenders like Brazil, Lithuania and France. A full bracket can be found courtesy of FIBA.com.
Before digging into quarterfinals predictions, let’s take a look at the Day 9 results and Day 10 schedule.
| Lithuania | Turkey | 73-61 |
| United States | Slovenia | 119-76 |
| Serbia | Brazil | 12 p.m. | ESPN 2 | Watch ESPN |
| France | Spain | 4 p.m. | ESPN 2 | Watch ESPN |
Brazil vs. Serbia
Brazil is arguably the most talented team outside of the United States and Spain, if we are going by NBA player standards, and it looked the part when it crushed rival Argentina 85-65 in the round of 16.
Nene Hilario, Tiago Splitter, Anderson Varejao and Leandro Barbosa lead the way, with Barbosa scoring a team-high 13 points a night and Varejao grabbing 7.8 rebounds a game. However, Brazil could have an extra dimension going forward after 22-year-old Raulzinho Neto broke out against Argentina with 21 points.
The rising star earned praise from team captain Marcelinho Huertas, via FIBA.com: “Every time he comes in the game, he controls the tempo, and always bringing something new.”
Don’t overlook Serbia, though, which brings a talented trio of its own. Miroslav Raduljica leads the team with 14.5 points a night, Nemanja Bjelica is scoring 11.8 points and grabbing 7.3 rebounds a game and Milos Teodosic is dishing out a team-high 4.3 assists a game to go with his 10.8 points.
With Teodosic darting into the lane and setting up teammates when the defense collapses, Serbia could challenge Brazil. However, the advantage down low for the Brazilians will ultimately prove to be too much over the course of the entire game as Varejao and company control the glass and create open looks on the block.
Prediction: Brazil 81, Serbia 75
Spain vs. France
It’s impossible to watch either Spain or the United States play at the World Cup and not think about a potential championship match between the tournament’s best two teams.
The matchups alone are incredibly enticing for NBA fans and basketball fans in general, with Pau Gasol, Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka battling down low against Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins and Kenneth Faried while Derrick Rose, Stephen Curry, James Harden and Kyrie Irving tussle with Ricky Rubio and Juan C. Navarro on the perimeter.
Before we get that, though, Spain has to get past France in the quarterfinals. Fortunately for Spain, it will enjoy home-court advantage and has a red-hot Pau Gasol, who is averaging 20.5 points and 5.5 rebounds a game and could be the most valuable player at this tournament.
France brings an impressive group of its own to the table, though.
Joffrey Lauvergne leads the way with 10.3 points and 4.5 rebounds a game, Nicolas Batum checks in at 10 points a night and Thomas Heurtel is the point guard that keeps it all going with 8.2 points and 4.2 assists a game. It is a credit to France’s overall roster that we haven’t focused exclusively on Boris Diaw and Batum.
The team actually won against Croatia in the round of 16 when Diaw struggled to get going, as Max Rappaport of Sixers.com noted:
While France can certainly be considered a dangerous opponent with all that talent and NBA experience, it simply has no answer for the Spaniard trio down low. The Gasol brothers and Ibaka will control the boards (France’s leading rebounder is only grabbing 4.5 rebounds a game), and Spain will gradually pull away from France to inch one step closer to a dream matchup with the Americans.
Prediction: Spain 91, France 78
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