The Chinese men's basketball team was thoroughly outshot by South Korea! It's frustrating and quite puzzling.

The Chinese men's basketball team lost to South Korea at home with a score of 76-80.

Before talking about the game, it's important to explain the rules to the guys.

Because many friends are still quite unclear about this competition.

The 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers include 16 teams split into 4 groups of 4 teams each. China is grouped with Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan in Group B.

The qualifiers are held in two stages:

The first stage consists of home-and-away round-robin matches within each group, spanning three windows (November 2025, February 2026, and July 2026).

The top 3 teams from each group advance to the second stage.

In the second stage, the 12 qualifying teams are divided into two new groups and play home-and-away matches against teams they haven't faced before, carrying over their first stage results.

These games take place during the windows in August 2026, November 2026, and February 2027.

Ultimately, the top 3 teams from each of the two second-stage groups, along with the best fourth-placed team, qualify for the World Cup. Along with host Qatar, the Asia-Pacific region will have 8 teams competing.

Currently, the first stage has just begun, and China will face South Korea both home and away.

The 12-man roster includes: Gao Shiyan, Zeng Fanbo, Hu Mingxuan, Liao Sanning, Cheng Shuaipeng, Zhou Qi, Hu Jinqiu, Wang Lanqin, Zhu Junlong, Li Xiangbo, Raymond, and Zhang Zhenlin.

Zhao Rui is injured, so Wang Lanqin is brought in as a replacement.

Then Zhou Qi replaces overseas player Yu Jiahao, which is an upgrade at the same position.

Zeng Fanbo and Zhang Zhenlin return, replacing Zhao Jiayi and Wang Junjie, who is currently playing in the NCAA.

Let's talk about the game (the bold red parts are key).

After six years, the Chinese men's basketball team returned to Wukesong Arena.

The last time they played at this venue was during the 2019 World Cup against Venezuela.

Although veteran fans still remember the "dead memory" of the national team being outrebounded by a group of shorter players back then, people ultimately have to learn to look forward.

Returning to the place of dreams in 2008 and heartbreak in 2019, starting the new journey to qualify for the 2027 World Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics with a victory would obviously be a great story beginning.

We are quite familiar with this opponent, South Korea.

In the recent Asia Cup, we even made their star player Lee Hyun-jung cry. South Korea, known for their three-point shooting, was limited to just 3 made threes out of 24 attempts, a 12.5% success rate.

Our defensive principle was fully implemented: no three-pointers allowed, if you want to score, do it inside the arc.

This strategy can almost be applied to all our Asian opponents.

Why? Because we have a clear physical advantage.

From the athleticism of our wing players to the inside duo of Zhou Qi and Hu Jinqiu, our height advantage is something that would make any opposing coach drool.

However, theory is one thing, and actually executing it in a game is another.

Stopping the opponent's three-point shooting is not that simple...

Then, we got completely outshot from beyond the arc.

South Korea's three-point shooting was indeed extremely accurate.

For example, in the first half that set the tone, they made 9 out of 16 three-pointers, with Lee Hyun-jung hitting 6 of 8 and scoring 20 points, while China only managed 1 made three-pointer on 8 attempts as a team...

To summarize a few points:

1. The gap in outside shooting ability is huge.

South Korea clearly played a more modern style of basketball.

2. The Chinese team lost the fluidity and ball movement seen in the Asia Cup.

You watching at home must feel like we are a completely different team compared to the Asia Cup.

This is partly due to changes in personnel.

When we have Zhou Qi on the court, others tend to rely on him habitually.

Why does our offense stall? At a deeper level, it reflects the habitual mindset of Chinese basketball players.

This game shares the same logic as when I watched the Chinese women's basketball team lose to Japan at home in Shenzhen.

The opponents who went crazy were just Tian Zhongxin and Lee Hyun-jung, that's all.

I just want to ask:

When Zhou Qi or Hu Jinqiu has the ball, is it a foul or illegal for the other four players to move around a bit?

It feels like we've gone back to basketball from 20 years ago, but we don't have Yao Ming.

3. The Chinese men's team lacks a true point guard.

Zhao Rui's injury has greatly exposed this weakness and is a major reason for the awkward offense. Although we brought five guards, none have true playmaking skills.

Not to be an armchair critic, but even with Xu Jie on the court, the situation might have been different.

Why can't Hu Mingxuan perform well? Because he doesn't have Zhao Rui beside him.

4. Remember his name, Lee Hyun-jung.

Tonight, he played like a peak Klay Thompson...

Single-handedly scoring 33 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.

Shooting has always been a hallmark of South Korean basketball; it's been that way since I started following basketball.

5. If we play at this level in the World Cup...

Honestly, I am very pessimistic.

Our style and philosophy won't support winning at the world stage.

6. Let me ask you guys a basketball question that confused me during the game.

Why must the undersized and differently built Cheng Shuaipeng guard Lee Hyun-jung...?

7. This game was very confusing and frustrating to watch.

Let's look at how the Chinese men's basketball team adjusted.