FIBA Asia Championships 2015: Quarterfinals Schedule, Bracket and Live Stream

The FIBA Asia Championships push toward the elimination round Thursday, as the eight remaining teams go head-to-head in quarterfinals action.

The Philippines and China enter as favorites after taking their respective groups in the second round. China, which is also playing host to the event, is the only undefeated team remaining in the tournament and won Group F by two full games.

Employing a solid team-first strategy and getting a breakout performance from former NBA first-round pick Yi Jianlian, China did not allow any team to come closer than 13 points in the second round. All but one of its wins so far have come by double digits.

"We will take three wins from three matches in the group stage," China head coach Gong Luming said, per CNTV. "We have learned a lot and our team is improving. We were mentally stronger in the match against South Korea. But we should do more to solve our mental problems."

China will go head-to-head with India in the quarters, a matchup that shouldn't have any problem going the host's way. India was outscored by 66 points in the second round and advanced only because it beat Palestine in their head-to-head matchup. The Indian effort is led by Amjyot Singh, a young double-double machine who has helped keep the team in games single-handedly at points.

Eric Gay/Associated Press

"We are ecstatic to have qualified and all the players have put in a lot of effort," forward Yadwinder Singh said, per FirstPost. "Compared to teams in the past, the key difference has been the improved showing of our big men Amjyot Singh and Amritpal Singh."

The Philippines emerged as a strong co-favorite after running through Group E without a problem. Gilas are undefeated since an opening-round loss to Palestine, which stands out as one of the tournament's biggest outliers so far. Spurred by former NBA forward Andray Blatche, the Philippines have found solid co-stars in Jayson William and Terrence Romeo.

“This is where we wanted to be. Now, games will be tough, all opponents will be tough. We’ll have to prepare and get ready to bring everything together and work as a team,” said Gilas Pilipinas coach Tab Baldwin, per Nelson Beltran of the Philippine Star.

Blatche remains Gilas' best and most important player. Long an enigma who flustered NBA execs with his inconsistency, Blatche has become something of a cult figure in the basketball-crazed island country. He's also earned praise for his toughness for gutting through an ankle injury in group play and returning in solid form despite the passing of his uncle in August.

Hong Kong's Duncan Reid said of Blatche, per Mikkel Bolante of InterAksyon.com:

"

Anyone who plays in the NBA and is a legitimate NBA player is super talented but the crazy thing about it is his quickness and his length. His size—there are bigger Chinese players. But he’s so quick and he’s so long. Obviously, his fitness is getting better but if you can move like that and you can shoot like that, you’re really at his mercy. There’s really no one else like him in Asia right now.

"

Matchup	Time	Stream
Iran vs. South Korea	2:30 a.m. ET	LiveBasketball.TV
Japan vs. Qatar	4:45 a.m. ET	LiveBasketball.TV
India vs. China	7:30 a.m. ET	LiveBasketball.TV
Philippines vs. Lebanon	11:30 a.m. ET	LiveBasketball.TV

After shocking Iran on Monday, Gilas are preparing for a quarterfinals match with Lebanon. Lebanon is far from a pushover for a No. 4 seed, having only been outscored by one point so far. However, it's worth noting that Lebanon lost two of its last three games in group play.

The other quarterfinals matchups appear to make things more difficult on China going forward. The hosts, assuming they win, will take on the victor between Iran and South Korea. Iran was viewed as a pre-tournament favorite, and most expected the team to win Group E before taking second place. Equipped with a solid all-around roster that includes former NBAer Hamed Haddadi, Iran could knock off China if it can move on.

South Korea won't be a pushover, though, having outscored its opponents by 48 points in group play and suffering a narrow three-point loss to China earlier in the tournament.

On the other side, the Philippines would be subject to a head-to-head with the winner of Qatar-Japan, two teams with marked flaws. Qatar has struggled mightily on the defensive end and tied for the second-most points allowed in the second round. Japan, meanwhile, had the third-fewest points among teams that made the trip to the quarterfinals and has beaten only one team that has advanced to the next round.