Latest EuroBasket Update: 12 Teams Secure Early Qualification to Round of 16, Defending Champion Spain Faces Risk of Elimination

By September 3rd Beijing time, 12 teams have secured their places in the EuroBasket men's round of 16, 8 teams remain vying for the last 4 spots, and 4 teams have been knocked out early.

The 12 teams that have qualified are—

Group A: Turkey (4 wins, 0 losses), Serbia (4 wins, 0 losses), Latvia (2 wins, 2 losses)

Group B: Germany (4 wins, 0 losses), Lithuania (3 wins, 1 loss), Finland (3 wins, 1 loss)

Group C: Greece (3 wins, 1 loss), Italy (3 wins, 1 loss)

Group D: Israel (3 wins, 1 loss), Poland (3 wins, 1 loss), France (3 wins, 1 loss), Slovenia (2 wins, 2 losses)

Teams still in contention for the round of 16—

Group A (1 spot available): Estonia (1 win, 3 losses), Portugal (1 win, 3 losses)

Group B (1 spot available): Montenegro (1 win, 3 losses), Sweden (1 win, 3 losses), Great Britain (0 wins, 4 losses)

Group C (2 spots available): Spain (2 wins, 2 losses), Georgia (2 wins, 2 losses), Bosnia and Herzegovina (2 wins, 2 losses)

The 4 teams already eliminated are:Czech Republic in Group A (0 wins, 4 losses), Cyprus in Group C (0 wins, 4 losses), Belgium (1 win, 3 losses) and Iceland (0 wins, 4 losses) in Group D

All four qualifiers from Group D have been decided: Slovenia defeated Iceland 87-79, Israel beat Belgium 92-89, and France won against Poland 83-76. After this round, Iceland and Belgium are out of the round of 16 race; meanwhile, Slovenia, Israel, and France have secured their spots alongside Poland. For France, the bad news is that star player Sar has withdrawn from the EuroBasket due to injury.

In Group A, Latvia defeated Portugal to join undefeated Turkey and Serbia in the top four of the group. The final round of 16 spot in Group A will be decided in the last match between Portugal and Estonia, both currently holding a 1-3 record; meanwhile, the Czech Republic, with a 0-4 record, is already eliminated and cannot qualify for the round of 16.

In Group B, Germany and Finland have already advanced to the round of 16. Lithuania’s victory over Finland improved their group stage record to 3 wins and 1 loss, placing them just behind Germany and Finland in qualification. However, Lithuania’s point guard Jokubaitis suffered a severe knee injury on Monday and will miss the rest of the tournament.

Led by Vučević, Montenegro (currently 1 win, 3 losses) can secure the last Group B spot in the round of 16 if they defeat Great Britain (0 wins, 4 losses) in the final round. If Great Britain pulls off an upset over Montenegro, then Sweden (1 win, 3 losses) can qualify by beating Lithuania. If Montenegro, Sweden, and Great Britain all finish with a 1-4 record, the tiebreaker will be decided by point differential. Currently, Sweden has a -12 point differential, which is significantly better than Montenegro’s -71 and Great Britain’s -136, giving Sweden a strong advantage in this key metric.

Finally, Group C remains the most uncertain group—Greece and Italy are the only two teams confirmed to advance to the round of 16. Cyprus (0 wins, 4 losses) has been eliminated early, while Spain (2 wins, 2 losses), Georgia (2 wins, 2 losses), and Bosnia and Herzegovina (2 wins, 2 losses) will compete for the remaining two spots in the top four.

Spain narrowly lost to Italy today; if they lose again to Greece in the last group match and Bosnia and Herzegovina defeat Georgia, the defending champions Spain will be eliminated.This is because Georgia holds the head-to-head advantage over Spain (under tiebreaker rules, the winner of direct encounters ranks higher than point differential and other criteria).