Olympics 2021 Men's Basketball: 3 Reasons why Slovenia could beat Australia in the bronze medal match 

#2 Slovenia are a better rebounding team than Australia

France v Slovenia Men's Basketball - Olympics: Day 13

Slovenia have been lethal at grabbing boards at an efficient rate. All their players play with a tremendous amount of physicality and hustle that helps them gain an advantage on that front. They have recorded 49 rebounds per game, while the Australians are averaging 38.

The Slovenians gain extra possessions due to that, which helps them dominate their opponents. They have scored a whopping 15.6 second-chance points per game because of their rebounding efficiency.

WHAT. A. GAME. 🤯France advances to the Gold medal game after beating Slovenia, 90-89 in the semisLuka suffers his first loss of international play pic.twitter.com/gsbWIXx1x8

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 5, 2021

It will certainly come in handy against the Australians, who are known to play with a great amount of intensity. Rebounding is an underrated aspect but it matters a lot, especially at the international level, where it isn't easy to score or gain possession with ease.

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#1 Slovenia are great at making in-game adjustments

One of Slovenia's best traits noted during the 2021 Olympics men's basketball campaign has been its ability to adjust to in-game situations. It helped them compete right up until the end of a game, which was evident during games against Spain and France.

Many thought Luka Doncic would be the only player opposition teams would have to worry about, but Slovenia have proven that isn't the case, at least in the scoring department. Whenever Doncic has been double-teamed or isn't given enough space to operate, his teammates have managed to step up brilliantly. It allows them to function as a team and put pressure on their counterparts.

Doncic could only score 16 points in 28% field goal shooting against France, but he had 18 assists on the night as his teammates converted the chances he created for them with great ease. Slovenia has five players, including Doncic, averaging at least 13 points per game so far.

It was also one of the biggest reasons Slovenia were able to script a comeback against the French and almost win the tie if not for Batum's game-saving block. That being said, even if the Australians gain an advantage early on in the game, the Slovenians do tend to fight back and win games. This is possible mainly due to the adjustments they can make depending on the situation of the game.

So even if the contest is a closely contested one, the Slovenians will likely be unfazed by the challenge of overcoming that obstacle and winning the tie against the Australians.

Luka and Slovenia will take on Australia in the bronze-medal game 🍿 pic.twitter.com/EoNzAPA6M1

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 5, 2021