EuroBasket Round of 16 Preview: Doncic and Antetokounmpo Aim for Quarterfinal Spots, Can Yang Hanson's Teammates Pull Off an Upset?

On September 7th Beijing time, the EuroBasket Round of 16 continues. On the first day, Turkey, Germany, Lithuania, and Finland advanced to the quarterfinals, while Sweden, Portugal, Latvia, and Serbia were eliminated. The second day will feature four more matchups, with Doncic and Antetokounmpo competing for quarterfinal berths, and the question remains whether Yang Hanson's teammate Avdija can cause an upset.

September 7th, 17:00: Poland vs Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Polish national basketball team showed steady performance during the group stage, finishing with a 3-2 record. They defeated Slovenia, Israel, and Iceland, but suffered back-to-back losses against France and Belgium towards the end of the group phase. Lloyd stood out with an average of 22 points per game.

On the other side, Bosnia and Herzegovina started this EuroBasket poorly and faced difficulties but managed a remarkable comeback, securing their Round of 16 spot with two consecutive wins at the end of the group stage. Nurkic, averaging 16.4 points and 9 rebounds per game, is the key player they rely on.

So far, these two national teams have met three times, with Poland maintaining a perfect winning record. Their most recent encounter was at the Paris Olympic basketball qualifiers, where Poland narrowly defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 76-72.

September 7th, 20:15: France vs Georgia

France was originally considered one of the favorites to win the tournament, but the absence of players like Gobert and Vembanadze has weakened their competitiveness. Their group stage performance, however, demonstrated the depth of their talent pool. With Sar withdrawing due to injury, their lineup is further weakened, placing more offensive responsibility on Yabusele.

Georgia’s goal in this EuroBasket was to reach the knockout stage — a target they ultimately achieved. It would not be surprising if Georgia gives France a tough challenge. For an upset to happen, Georgia needs to meet several conditions, the most crucial being maintaining a solid three-point shooting percentage. So far, Georgia’s three-point accuracy in this tournament is under 30%.

This match will be the first official meeting between these two national teams.

September 7th, 23:30: Italy vs Slovenia

Italy quietly secured their advancement by finishing second in their group with a 4-1 record. They lost their opening game to Greece but quickly bounced back with wins over Georgia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Spain, and Cyprus. Italy’s main offensive challenge lies in lacking a consistently reliable clutch player, as Fontai Gio’s performance remains somewhat inconsistent.

Slovenia started the EuroBasket with losses to Poland and France but ended the group stage with a 3-2 record. With Doncic on the team, anything is possible — this superstar can create offensive advantages in numerous ways. In this tournament, no player seems capable of containing Doncic one-on-one; if his teammates can consistently hit open three-pointers, this team will be very tough to beat. Doncic leads the tournament with an average of 32.4 points per game across five group matches.

The two teams have faced each other five times previously, with Slovenia holding a 4-1 advantage in their head-to-head record.

September 8th, 02:45: Greece vs Israel

The Greek national basketball team advanced to the Round of 16 with a 4-1 record. Their only loss came when Antetokounmpo was resting, falling to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Their four wins were against Italy, Georgia, Cyprus, and Spain. In the close game against Spain, Greece narrowly won 90-86, despite leading comfortably for most of the match before Spain made a late comeback, making for a thrilling finish. Antetokounmpo played in three group games, averaging 27.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.

Israel caused a major upset in the group stage by defeating France, proving that when the team is in top form, they can compete with any strong opponent. Besides that surprise victory, Israel also beat Belgium and Iceland but lost to Slovenia and Poland. Their 3-2 record was enough to reach the Round of 16, where they will face the strongest team in Group C, Greece. Yang Hanson's teammate Avdija is the absolute core, averaging 24.4 points and 7 rebounds per game — can he lead his team to a shock victory?

Since 1997, Greece has never lost to Israel in official matches, currently holding an 8-game winning streak against them.