IT’S the first time no PBA-reinforced Philippine men’s basketball team will be in the knockout quarterfinals of the Asian Games, set on Wednesday at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan.
Gilas Pilipinas bombed out in the group stage of the 20th Asiad on Monday as China dethroned the reigning champion behind a 105-61 rout.
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The Chinese finished with an unblemished record of 3-0 in Group C and amassed a total of +128 point differential by beating all three of their opponents by a margin of 42.6 points.
China is seeking to regain the gold medal it last won in the 2018 edition in Jakarta, Indonesia and which it lost to Gilas Pilipinas in the semifinals in Hangzhou four years later.
The dominant showing by Team Dragon had it clinching the No. 1 seed heading to the knockout stage, where it will meet eighth-seed Saudi Arabia.
The oil-rich West Asia Kingdom was the one which benefited from Gilas' ouster as it became the second best third-place team to finish the group stage behind Jordan.
Saudi Arabia finished with a -11 point differential, ahead of the Philippines which tumbled to -17 after carrying a +27 quotient to its final group game against China.
Jordan was the best third-place team with a -5 point differential to end up as the seventh seed and will face No. 2 South Korea.
Like the Chinese, the South Koreans are the only other team to go undefeated in the group stage and topped Pool A at 3-0.
Gilas Pilipinas played both Jordan and South Korea prior to the Asiad.
The Filipinos edged out Jordan in overtime, 82-81, during the fourth window of the FIBA World Cup qualifiers at the Mall of Asia Arena, but lost to the South Koreans in a pair of friendlies leading up to the quadrennial meet.
The South Koreans last won the championship in 2014 when it hosted the Asiad in Incheon.
The other quarterfinal pairings will have host Japan at no. 3 taking on sixth seed Chinese Taipei, while no. 4 Iran is set to meet no. 5 Bahrain.
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