FIBA World Cup 2014: TV Schedule, Live Stream, Bracket Predictions for Day 10
The United States and Lithuania booked up half of the 2014 FIBA World Cup semifinal spots Tuesday, and they did it two markedly different ways.
Mike Krzyzewski's squad, expected to roll over Slovenia much like it did during an exhibition two weeks prior, came out sluggish and led by only seven points at halftime. The Americans' size and athleticism eventually won out, though, as they outscored Slovenia by 36 in the final two quarters to complete the 119-76 victory.
While the start wasn't pretty, Derrick Rose played arguably his best of the tournament, Anthony Davis and Kenneth Faried continued to dominate the frontcourt and Team USA finished shooting 50 percent from the field.
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The day's other quarterfinal was much more evenly contested.
Turkey led by five after the first quarter and held a four-point advantage all the way into the third quarter, but Lithuania's shooting kept it close before a late outburst helped the Northern European country to a 73-61 victory.
Martynas Pocius, Renaldas Seibutis and Ksystof Lavrinovic were all locked in from deep as Jonas Kazlauskas' squad knocked down 10 of 19 shots from beyond the three-point arc.
"Everybody in Lithuania can shoot. Even me," the head coach joked, via FIBA.com.
It will take another lights-out shooting performance to even think about offsetting the United States' superior talent, but it should be a compelling semifinal.
First, though, we have two more quarterfinal matchups to get to in Spain. Let's take a look at what's on the slate for Wednesday.
Viewing Info
| Spain vs. France | 6 p.m. | 12 p.m. | ESPN2 | WatchESPN |
| Serbia vs. Brazil | 10 p.m. | 4 p.m. | ESPN2 | WatchESPN |
Spain vs. France
The favorite to take home gold really depends on who you ask, but burgeoning NBA star Goran Dragic, who didn't seem all that impressed after going toe-to-toe with the USA Tuesday, likes Spain, per USA Today's Sam Amick:
No matter what side of the debate you fall on, Spain is unequivocally one of the two best teams in the tournament, and it would be a major shocker if it didn't advance to the final, especially at home.
Spain and France met in pool play exactly one week ago, with the hosts cruising to an 88-64 victory. But there have been accusations of teams not exactly playing to their best ability in order to gain an advantage in group play. Was this another example?
“I don’t think we wanted to show what we can do,” Nicolas Batum said, via NBA.com's John Schuhmann. “Because we kind of knew we were going to meet them [again].”
Of course, it will be Batum—who had a miserable 11 points on 15 shots to go with two rebounds and zero assists in 29 minutes during the first meeting—who will be crucial for France's success. At 6'8" with length and athleticism, he has a major size advantage on the perimeter against Rudy Fernandez and Juan Carlos Navarro.
Still, even if Batum has a better game, Spain is just too good inside. Marc Gasol, Pau Gasol and Serge Ibaka make up the best frontcourt in the tourney, and France just doesn't have the options in Rudy Gobert and Joffrey Lauvergne to match up well.
Prediction: Spain 80, France 69
Serbia vs. Brazil
There were very few group-play games as entertaining as Serbia vs. Brazil. Ruben Magnano's team led by 16 at halftime but trailed by four just 10 minutes later after Serbia put together an amazing 32-12 third quarter. Brazil fired right back with a 12-0 run in the final period, though, grabbing the thrilling 81-73 win.
The victory locked Brazil in as Group A's second-best team and the favorite for bronze. Anderson Varejao, Nene and Tiago Splitter make up a physical, hard-working frontcourt, while Leandrinho Barbosa is playing tremendously on the perimeter.
Moreover, as Schuhmann noted, Brazil has showcased its immense depth:
Still, Serbia shouldn't be overlooked.
It is coming off a 90-72 drubbing of a very good Greece team, in which five players scored in double figures, Suns rookie Bogdan Bogdanovic poured in 21 and the team shot 54.2 percent from the field.
Ultimately, the difference in this one will be on the defensive side of the ball. Both teams have proven they can score the ball, but Brazil is allowing just 66.3 points per game, while Serbia is giving up 75.0. That's a result of Brazil's frontcourt, and that's the reason it will squeak out what should be another back-and-forth battle.
Prediction: Serbia 71, Brazil 77
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