FIBA Worlds: Games To Watch/Open Thread 2.9.10

Hey! Check out a rewind of Yesterday's Action below!

Feel free to post your thoughts about the games in the comments section.

We're in the final day of FIBA Group play (finally), and some groups are decided, but some groups still have things to sort out. Notably, Group A will have a championship game of sorts between Serbia and Argentina, while 2nd place needs to be decided between Greece and Russia in Group C, 3rd Place needs to be decided between Australia and Angola in Group A, and Group C has 3 teams that could potentially take the 4th spot. If this all seems confusing, check out the full schedule of events here and/or the standings here.

Note: This is a general guide to the games of today, and shouldn't necessarily be taken as a command to watch every single game on the list. Rather, think of it as a friendly introduction to international basketball, allowing you to more easily select a game to watch that suits your viewing style from the best games available. Also, the previews below are just meant to be short blurbs of why you should watch the game. Don't take it as in-depth analysis. For that, go to my previews of the respective groups.

Team Thunder:

Team USA (Durant, Westbrook) vs. Tunisia

Time: 8:30 AM Central Standard Time

Network: ESPN 2

Analysis/Prediction: If Iran was a walkover game, then this is a stompover game. This will be absolutely no contest at all. Unless you're a hardcore fan of USA Basketball, I wouldn't wake up early for this one.

Serbia (Krstic) vs. Argentina

Time: 11:00 AM Central Standard Time

Network: NBATV

Analysis/Prediction: This is a battle for the title of Group B, and it should be an exciting one. Serbia proved they're a force to be reckoned with when they have Nenad Krstic against Australia, and Argentina has struggled a bit but managed to remain undefeated. Even though I predicted Argentina to win the division, I'll predict a narrow Serbia win here, because Argentina has looked really weak so far.

Germany (Pleiss) vs. Jordan

Time: 1:30 PM Central Standard Time

Network: ESPN 3 Only

Analysis/Prediction: Both teams are eliminated from Group A, so this will merely be a 5th place showdown. Germany is the better team, and should win by 10. Hopefully, you'll get a good look at Pleiss here, as Jordan doesn't have some sort of dominant defense in the paint like some other teams.

Below: 4 Other Games You Should Watch!

4 Other Games You Should Watch:

4. Puerto Rico vs. Cote d' Ivoire

Time: 8:00 AM Central Standard Time

Network: ESPN 3 Only

Analysis/Prediction: It would be a gigantic shame if Puerto Rico didn't qualify for the Round of 16, especially with all of the close calls they've had. But if they manage to lose here, it's a distinct possibility. Puerto Rico should win by a large margin, but don't count Cote d'Ivoire out just yet. After all, this is Puerto Rico we're talking about. The chokers of the tournament.

3. China vs. Turkey

Time: 11:00 AM Central Standard Time

Network: NBATV

Analysis/Prediction: If China pulls off a win here, they could end up advancing. It's very unlikely that they'll win against the home crowd and Group C champions, but it's something to watch out for. 3 and 4 are included here as one, basically just as a watch as to who advances out of Group C.

2. Greece vs. Russia

Time: 10:30 AM Central Standard Time

Network: ESPN 3 Only

Analysis/Prediction: This is a battle for 2nd place in Group C. Greece should end up winning this one, but Russia has shown it's valor in the past. But, Greece just has too many weapons on the outside, so if Russia wins this one, it definitely won't be via superior talent.

1. Angola vs. Australia

Time: 8:30 AM Central Standard Time

Network: ESPN 3 Only

Analysis/Prediction: This will be a very entertaining game, as both of these guard-oriented teams go at it for 3rd Place in Group A. Expect lots of scoring and lots of outside shots. I originally predicted Angola in 3rd and I'm sticking with my prediction, but there's no doubt that this will be a tight game.