Are Spain and Team USA in danger of missing EuroBasket and AmeriCup? / News - Basketnews.com

While Spain and Team USA are still considered favorites to qualify for the major FIBA competition, another loss could significantly jeopardize the situation of these two basketball powerhouses.

Credit: AFP/Scanpix Credit AFP/Scanpix

Who could have foreseen that the first FIBA post-World Cup window would push the reigning European champions, Spain, into a do-or-die situation? The unexpected loss to Cuba has also added a twist to Team USA's path.

Ricard Rubio

Team:FC BarcelonaPosition:PGAge:33Height:193 cmWeight:86 kgBirth place:Barcelona, SpainProfileNewsStatistics

The new FIBA window has pushed the No. 1 and No. 2 teams of the FIBA ranking to the ropes.

BasketNews explores the most unexpected upsets of the FIBA window and analyzes the necessary steps for these teams to secure qualification for EuroBasket and AmeriCup 2025.

Ricky Rubio's comeback at the Spanish national team camp brought positive vibes, but no one anticipated the team's stumble in the first two FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers against Latvia (75-79) and Belgium (53-58).

The 2022 EuroBasket winners now find themselves at the bottom of Qualifiers Group C alongside Slovakia.

The three highest-placed teams from each group will qualify for the Final Round except those that include FIBA EuroBasket 2025 co-hosts (Cyprus, Finland, Poland, and Latvia).

Groups that contain the host nations, will see two highest-placed teams and the host qualifying for the main tournament. That means if one of the hosts finishes in 4th place in the standings, the team in 3rd place will be eliminated.

That puts Spain in a do-or-die situation ahead of the next FIBA window in November.

Team W L +/- 1. Belgium 2 0 +20 2. Latvia 2 0 +16 3. Spain 0 2 -9 4. Slovakia 0 2 -27

Spain is set to go head-to-head with Slovakia in two crucial matchups on November 22 and 25. A loss in both games or a defeat by a bigger margin in one might see Spain miss out on EuroBasket.

Adding intrigue is the absence of NBA players in the current EuroBasket qualifiers since all three windows are scheduled during the season.

On the other hand, some of Spain's top basketball talents, such as Ricky Rubio and the Hernangomez brothers, have opted to return to the EuroLeague after their NBA stint. Currently, Santi Aldama and Usman Garuba are Spain's sole representatives in the NBA.

Georgia / Schedule

Denmark Georgia75-69 Georgia Serbia63-76

Unless FIBA and EuroLeague strike a deal to accommodate two FIBA windows during the EuroLeague season, making all players available, Spain still may not have all their star players, especially in the crucial first game played on a Friday.

If things get dicey, Spain could field their full roster for the Monday game at home.

Having EuroLeague players on the roster doesn't guarantee victories, though. A case in point is Spain, which boasted nine EuroLeague players but couldn't secure a win against Latvia, a team with only one EuroLeague member on its roster.

Can Slovakia pull off an upset and leave the champions out of the 2025 EuroBasket party?

Slovakia, yet to qualify for major competitions in its basketball history, faces challenges with losses to Belgium (60-75) and Latvia (52-64).

Slovakia's standout player, the 29-year-old forward Vladimir Brodziansky, has been making his mark, contributing an average of 7.4 points with a 38.1% accuracy from beyond the arc in ACB for Joventut Badalona.

Adding to their strength is the 23-year-old towering center Tomas Pavelka, standing at 2.16 meters, who has showcased his skills for BC Siauliai. Pavelka has been a force to be reckoned with, boasting 12.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and a 17.7 efficiency rating, ranking him among the top five players in Lithuania.

The 25-year-old point guard Mario Ihring manages the floor, representing Atomeromu in Hungary. Despite his notable contributions, with averages of 11.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in their recent defeats, Ihring has faced challenges with a shooting accuracy of 28.0% and an average of 5.0 turnovers.

Can they strengthen their roster through "free agency" by naturalizing a player before their upcoming two-game clash with Spain?

Presently, Slovakia has one naturalized player in their ranks. Andre Jones, an American, established a family in Slovakia and obtained a passport in 2017.

Jones was part of Slovakia's roster during the FIBA window and averaged 6.5 points. However, this falls short of his career averages in the 17 appearances he made for the Slovakia national team, where he typically scored 12.1 points and had 2.2 assists.

Kyle Kuric is another player with a Slovakian passport, having participated in three games during the FIBA EuroBasket 2021 Pre-Qualifiers.

Slovakia still has an opportunity to regroup their team in preparation for the two crucial games in the EuroBasket qualifiers.

Given the evident power difference and the deep talent pool in Spanish basketball, it seems highly likely that Spain will still secure qualification for the EuroBasket.

But the unexpected turn of events, finding themselves in a do-or-die situation before the EuroBasket qualifiers, has caught many off guard, adding an element of unexpected drama to the upcoming window.

Meanwhile, Team USA, fresh off introducing a stellar pool of potential NBA superstars for the 2024 Olympic team, encountered an upset in the FIBA AmeriCup Qualifiers 2025, losing to Cuba for the first time, 67-81.

Interestingly, Jasiel Rivero, the big man from Maccabi Tel Aviv, played a big role in Cuba's victory, contributing 11 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists.

The AmeriCup Qualifiers in Group D, with the Bahamas and Puerto Rico, stand perfectly tied after all teams secured one win and one loss.

The unexpected loss to Cuba raises eyebrows, but the USA still holds an advantage in the event of a tie-breaker since they won the first game by 21 points.

Team W L +/- 1. Puerto Rico 1 1 +8 2. USA 1 1 +7 3. Cuba 1 1 -7 4. Bahamas 1 1 -8

The three highest-placed teams from each group will qualify for the FIBA AmeriCup 2025.

Team USA hosts Puerto Rico and the Bahamas in the upcoming November window.

Those two teams could cause some damage with the Bahamian trio of Deandre Ayton, Eric Gordon, Buddy Hield, and Jose Alvarado from Puerto Rico. But since AmeriCup qualifiers are scheduled during the season, Puerto Rico and Bahamas aren't expected to be strengthened by the NBA players.

Would it be a significant setback if Team USA fails to qualify for the FIBA AmeriCup?

Well, the USA Basketball program hasn't placed an overwhelming emphasis on this tournament, considering that Team USA has only won gold once in the past 15 years. Additionally, they experienced a four-year absence from the FIBA AmeriCup tournaments from 2009 to 2015.

While they still hold the top spot in the FIBA AmeriCup history with seven gold medals, the last four editions have seen different champions, including Mexico in 2013, Venezuela in 2015, the United States in 2017, and Argentina in 2022.

It wasn't just a single upset in the AmeriCup qualifiers. Argentina, holding the 7th spot in the world rankings and featuring key players like Facundo Campazzo (16 PTS, 9 AST), Gabriel Deck (20 PTS, 7 REB), and Leandro Bolmaro (12 PTS), faced a loss against Chile, ranked 62nd.

Despite this setback, Argentina finds comfort in their 12-point victory in the first game over Chile, providing them with confidence in potential head-to-head scenarios.

Other teams facing challenging start in Europe:

Germany

Germany ensured that all three top-ranked FIBA teams experienced a loss during the first FIBA window. World champions struggled to contain EuroLeague standout Codi Miller-McIntyre, who scored one-third of Bulgaria's points (23) in a 67-62 victory against Germany.

Germany, Montenegro, Bulgaria, and Sweden each have one win after the initial two games. However, Germany's 24-point victory against Montenegro strengthens their position in head-to-head matchups and puts them in a favorable situation against other teams if there's a tie in the number of wins.

Ukraine

The Ukrainian national team, which reached the Round of 16 in the last EuroBasket, is currently at risk after dropping both qualifying games against Slovenia away (73-87) and Portugal at home (77-79), placing them at the bottom of Group A.

Notably, Ukraine lacked two NBA players, Svi Mykhailiuk and Alex Len, on their roster.

Lithuania

As of now, if the 2025 EuroBasket Qualifiers concluded, Lithuania would miss the upcoming competition for the first time since 1993.

Despite having four EuroLeague players, an unexpected loss against Estonia has created a challenging situation. With co-hosts Poland facing two heavy defeats, Lithuania must secure a victory against North Macedonia in the upcoming FIBA window to stay in contention.

Like Spain and Slovakia, Lithuania faces North Macedonia twice in November, with the first game taking place in North Macedonia.

Georgia

Despite Tornike Shengelia's impressive performances, with an average of 23.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in two qualifying games, it wasn't enough to secure wins for Georgia against Serbia and Denmark, putting their qualification at risk.

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