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The 16-team field for Round 2 of the FIBA World Cup 2023 is set, with games scheduled to kick off on Friday (Sept. 1). Round 2 will open up with a matchup between Serbia and Italy in Group I.
Friday’s game will take place at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Philippines, and will tip off at 16:00 local time (GMT+8). It can be streamed live on Courtside1891 and PILIPINAS LIVE.
Which teams are in the same group as Serbia and Italy in Round 2 of FIBA World Cup 2023?
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Round 2 of the FIBA World Cup will feature four groups of four teams who finished in the top 2 in their respective groups in Round 1.
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The top two teams from each group in Round 2 will secure their place in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, the bottom two from each group will compete in the classification round for places 9 to 17.
Competing against Serbia and Italy in Group I will be the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.
The other three groups are as follows:
Group J: USA, Lithuania, Greece and Montenegro
Group K: Slovenia, Germany, Australia and Georgia
Group L: Canada, Spain, Brazil and Latvia.
How did Serbia and Italy fare in Round 1 of FIBA World Cup 2023
As for how each team fared in the previous round, Serbia was dominant, going unbeaten (3-0) against China, Puerto Rico and South Sudan in Group B.
The Serbians, led by guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (18.0 ppg), won each game by double digits, with an average margin of victory of 30.3 points per game.
Meanwhile, Italy, led by forward Simone Fontecchio (16.7 ppg), went 2-1 in Group A. The Italians secured wins over Angola and the Philippines but fell to the Dominican Republic.
Per FIBA, Serbia should be considered the favorite in Group I. However, the Serbians are still expected to face some tough competition in their Round 2 opener against Italy.
Serbia will also look for revenge against Italy after they fell to the Italians in the 2020 Olympic Qualifying tournament Belgrade Final and in the Round of 16 of the FIBA EuroBasket 2022.
