By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
And here’s the full schedule of the day. If you need to mark the biggest games, then France vs Greece, Russia vs Serbia and Finland vs Slovenia are a must.
However, you never know what to expect and there’s a basketball feast all day long waiting for you!
Poland – Iceland – Group A (13.45 local time)
A must-win game for Poland and also the best chance of Iceland for a win in the tournament.
Latvia – Belgium – Group D (14.15 local time)
After the big fight and also the defeat by Serbia, Latvia has to get the job done against feisty but limited Belgium.
Montenegro – Hungary – Group C (15.00 local time)
Montenegro has to bounce back just hours after losing to Spain and this is the game that can help them climb higher in the standings. The same applies to Hungary, however, the extent of Adam Hanga’s injury is crucial for their chances.
Georgia – Germany – Group B (15.45 local time)
This is a make or break game for both teams. And it’s also a huge step towards the next round for the winner.
Greece – France – Group A (16.30 local time)
After losing to Finland, France simply has to prevail. If Greece gets the win, then “Les Bleus” are going to face early a Eurobasket crisis.
Russia – Serbia – Group D (17.00 local time)
Once upon a time, that was the ultimate European basketball match up. In this case, it will be also interesting as both teams are riding the thunder, having beaten just a few hours ago Turkey and Latvia.
Czech Republic – Spain – Group C (17.45 local time)
One more easy one for the Spaniards.
Ukraine – Italy – Group B (18.30 local time)
After beating the host of their group, Israel, Italy simply has to prevail over one of the weakest teams in the tournament.
Finland – Slovenia – Group A (20.00 local time)
Slovenia is hot, Finland beat France and it doesn’t get much better than this in the first stage of the tournament. Expect a game which will be remembered.
Croatia – Romania – Group C (20.30 local time)
Only the traditional suicidal tendencies of Croatia can make this a real game.
Great Britain – Turkey – Group D (21.00 local time)
Turkey needs to react after losing to Russia in front of their home crowd and GB wants to avoid being just a punching bag.
Israel – Lithuania – Group B (21.30 local time)
This is going to be dramatic. After a really bad first game against Italy, Israel must do something. However, against Lithuania, which also lost to Georgia, this is not going to be easy. “Lietuva” will have the first and possibly the last word.
(Photo credit: FIBA)