FIBA 2019 World Championship Group B Review

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The 2019 Basketball World Cup is just over a week away. The tournament should be as tough as ever, as this year, unlike in previous years, there is no one clear favourite and all teams have a good chance to impress. In the time remaining before the start of the championship, we will take a look at the groups, their teams and the latest news.

Group B

The teams competing in this group are Russia, Argentina, Niger and South Korea. Two of the top 10 will compete in this group FIBA ranked teams in this championshipArgentina and Russia. The Nigerian national team, which was ranked 8th in the initial rankings released by FIBA, is only 18th in the latest rankings, while South Korea is 29th. Of course, these are only the initial rankings, which not everyone will agree with, but there is certainly some rationale behind them.

Argentina

The Argentinian team is going into this championship with all its best players and a really dangerous team. The team will feature some familiar faces for both those more and less interested in basketball: most of the team's play should revolve around the veteran L. Scola, who, at 39 years of age, is not a doubt in anyone's mind about his game. Campazzo (Real), Deck (Real) had great seasons in Europe representing one of the best teams in the old continent, Real Madrid. P. Garino (Baskonia), M. Delia (Murcia), L. Vildoza (Baskonia) have also had good seasons in strong Spanish clubs, and Vildoza has even managed to become one of the leaders of Baskonia this season. These players should be the main driving force of the Argentinian team in this championship:

Luis Scola - The 39-year-old Argentine, who averaged 21 points and 6 rebounds for the Shanghai Sharks, averaged 34 minutes per game. The season in China is much shorter than in Europe or in the NBA, so it is likely that the team's star player has had time to prepare for the World Championships, and given that he has looked good both in China and in the National Team's preparations, Scola should be the leader of the Argentinian team once again.

Facundo Campazzo - The Argentine, who averaged ~9 points and ~5 assists for Real Madrid, has spent an average of 24 minutes on the court and has already become one of the key players for one of the strongest teams in Europe. At just 1.80 m tall, he usually has problems on defence, but his quickness, excellent court vision and accurate shooting are a great asset to the team and should be one of the main pillars of the team's offence in this championship.

Luca Vildoza - The Argentine, who raised his scoring average from 4.5 to 9.1 points, has been killing opponents with his three-point shooting this season. Vildoza can attack from different positions, and when he senses a shot, just raising his arm may not be enough to prevent a three-pointer. With Campazzo and Scola on the court, it is likely that Vildoza will have more space on offense and will be a very important part of Argentina's offense.

Forecast: Argentina is the clear favourite in this group. With several key players from the Russian team having been denied entry for one reason or another, the main contender for 1st place in this group should be Nigeria, who, although dangerous, should certainly be beatable.

Russia

The Russian team is far from being the strongest team in the tournament, with T. Mozgov and A. Shvedo, who were supposed to be the team's key players, missing, as well as the less important, but also potentially helpful D. Khvostov and D. Kulagin. The team will now have to concentrate much more on team play, as it will no longer have the clear-cut leaders that would have been A. Shvedas and T. Mozgovas. Almost all the players are mediocre in their teams, with the exception of S. Karasev, who has been one of Zenit's leaders this season and is likely to play an important role in this team. Russia's key players in this championship will be:

S. Karasev - The Russian, who averaged ~17 points this EuroCup season for Zenit St Petersburg, was one of the team's key players. The left-handed sniper has good skills to play 1v1, create his own shot and break through. The forward, who will join Khimki Moscow next season, will definitely be the man who will be entrusted with the shots at crucial moments.

A. Vorontsevich - The long-time CSKA Moscow player had a very poor season. After missing most of the regular season due to injury, the big man returned to the court at the end of the regular season, but didn't get to shine. Of course, club basketball and the national team are completely different, so on the international front, his ability to extend the floor and make shots will be very important for the Russian national team.

V. Fridzon - The well-known defender was not one of the most important players at CSKA Moscow, but the situation will be a bit different for the national team. The experienced veteran, who can attack the basket from various distances, will once again be one of the key pillars of the team.

Forecast: Nigeria is likely to be Russia's main rival for a place in the next round. These two teams should compete for second place, as the Argentinian team looks to be a much more experienced and much stronger team going into this championship. It would not be surprising if Russia were to be knocked out in the first round of the championship.

Nigeria

Nigeria has assembled arguably the strongest national team it has ever had. This summer, the national team will be supported by the country's brightest star Al-Faruoq Aminu of the Portland Trail Blazers, as well as E. Udoh, who has played in the EuroLeague and NBA. Other familiar names include veteran Ike Diogu, Al-Farouq Aminu's brother Alade Aminu, Michael Eric, who played for Istanbul Darrussafaka in the EuroLeague, and Ike Ireogbu, who represented Panevėžys Lietkabelis last season. The team is certainly not short of familiar faces, but it is likely that the main leaders of the team in this tournament will be:

E. Udoh - The Utah Jazz's last season in the NBA hasn't really increased his value in the league. Udoh, one of Europe's highest-paid players and a Euroleague champion with Istanbul Fenerbahce Ulker, will play next season in China, where he will try to increase his value again. In any case, he is a dangerous player who can defend well, hit difficult shots and battle under the basket with any opponent.

Al-Farouq Aminu - The forward, who moved to the Orlando Magic this off-season, averaged 9.4 points and 7.5 rebounds for the Trail Blazers this season, which is pretty solid for a player who is not the most important player on the team. Aminu is an excellent defender against all positions and a good sniper who can't be left free.

M. Eric - The big man, who averaged 11 points and 5 rebounds for Istanbul Darrussafaka, has become one of the team's key players as the season gets underway. The tandem of the center, who is a great backcourt player and fights for the ball, together with Udoh will be one of the main keys to the success of the Nigerian national team, and will largely determine the team's performance at the tournament.

Forecast: rWe hope that the funding problems before the championship will not distract the players from the upcoming fights. It seems that once all the money issues are resolved and the whole team is in China, the Nigerian team will continue to be one of the black horses of the championship, and should not be underestimated in any way. This team, at least in terms of line-up, looks stronger than Russia and South Korea, so barring any major surprises we should see Nigeria in the next round.

South Korea

South Korea enters the championship as the clear outsider in the group, and nobody is expecting too much from them. In any case, the assembled team plays in the strongest clubs in the South Korean Basketball Championship, so they know each other well and playing well together can be a factor in surprising in one or the other competition. The team is likely to rely heavily on long-range shots and the play of the naturalised American Ra Gun-.

Ricardo Ratliffe, later shortened to Ra Gun, was on a rampage in this South Korean Basketball League championship representing Mobis Phoebus. The 30-year-old 203 cm. The 30-year-old forward averaged 24 points and 14 rebounds per game. Of course, we should not forget that the level of play in the Korean Basketball League is not the highest and is far below that of European basketball, but to show such statistics you need talent and ability, which this player certainly has. Ra Gun doesn't have a stable long-range shot and is only dangerous from mid-range and closer to the basket, so a big part of the team's success will also depend on the ability of the double-double closer to the basket to be able to read the situations and rebound the ball for his teammates.

Forecast: South Korea is definitely the weakest team in this group and advancing to the next round would be a big surprise. With good shooting and a Ra Gun day, the team can hope to keep up the fight against all the teams in the group, but it is likely that at one point or another the opposing teams will be able to turn the tide in their favour. South Korea's journey at this championship should end in the group stage.