After the first day of elimination-round competition at the 2014 FIBA World Cup, four teams survived the round of 16, while eight others will attempt to do the same on Sunday.
The United States, France, Slovenia and Spain all advanced to the quarterfinals on Saturday in their first contests since preliminary-group play. There were no surprises so far, but the toughest matchups await—including a potential meeting between Team USA and Spain in the Final.
The U.S. has yet to be tested during tournament play, and its win over Mexico was no different. The 86-63 victory actually looks closer than it was thanks to a strong fourth quarter by Mexico.
Meanwhile, Croatia's late-game run was almost enough to upset the French (who prevailed 69-64), and Slovenia bested the Dominican Republic by a modest 10 points.
But Spain continued to mirror the United States' dominance with an 89-56 victory over Senegal. With the Spaniards and Americans blowing opponents out left and right, their eventual meeting in the Final may be all but certain by now.
In the meantime, here's what we can take away from Saturday's action.
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Article written by Stephen Babb
Biggest Takeaways from Saturday’s FIBA World Cup of Basketball Round of 16 Play
September 6th, 2014 by Stephen Babb Leave a reply »
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