GILAS Pilipinas’ huge win over Kazakhstan has made them the best third-placed team so far in the 20th Asian Games men’s basketball tournament at the end of Saturday’s playdate.
The Philippines evened its win-loss record to 1-1 in Group C on Saturday following its blowout 109-78 win against Kazakhstan at the Aichi International Arena in Japan.
At the moment, the Philippines shares the same win-loss mark as Bahrain but the Philippines is at third place in Group C, instead of second, due to its 89-85 loss last Friday.
READ: Gilas makes it rain from three late in blowout win vs. Kazakhstan
Under the tournament format, the top two teams in each of the three games and the two best third-placers advance to the quarterfinals.
Here are the standings at the end of Saturday’s games.
Group A: Korea 2-0, Japan 2-0, Saudi Arabia 0-2, Indonesia 0-2
Group B: Jordan 1-1, Chinese Taipei 1-1, Iran 1-1, Qatar 1-1
Group C: China 2-0, Bahrain 1-1, Philippines 1-1, Kazakhstan 0-2.
Currently, the Philippines has the inside track of a quarterfinal berth, being the best third placer among Iran and Saudi Arabia due to its +27 point differential in their games following the 31-point win against Kazakhstan, and the four-point loss to Bahrain. Iran follows with a -3, with Saudi Arabia at the rear with -22.
The Philippines is also ahead among teams that could potentially become third placers at the end of the tournament particularly those in Group B in Jordan (8 point difference), Chinese Taipei (0), Iran (-3), and Qatar (-5), all of which with 1-1 win-loss records.
The Philippines will not play until Monday when it faces China, and one of the two things must now happen to give Gilas Pilipinas a place in the quarterfinals - win against China or avoid being blown out by China on Monday.
If Gilas wins against China, the Philippines will be at least at No. 2 in Group C, ensuring a better seeding and avoiding the stronger teams in the quarterfinals.
Even with a three-way tie at first place with 2-1 win-loss records, Bahrain would likely be the No. 3 team by virtue of its 46-point loss to China on Saturday.
Staying away from a lopsided defeat could also give Gilas the quarterfinals seat as two of the best third-placed teams in the group stage, but will be ranked at either No. 7 or No. 8.
The Philippines may be taking a break on Sunday, but the games of that day will give an even clearer picture of the race for the last two quarterfinal berths for the three best third-placed teams.
Iran battles Jordan, and Chinese Taipei goes up against Qatar in Group B, while Saudi Arabia duels with Indonesia and Korea tangles with host Japan on Sunday.
By then, we will know how many points Gilas Pilipinas must not lose in order to advance to the quarterfinals. But of course, a win is a much better result.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
