CLARK CITY (Philippines) - The fans were promised a classic game in the first of two rivalry matches between Korea and the Philippines in this Qualifiers bubble. The first game has proven to have lived up to the hype and now we’ll get to see how the rematch turns out.

When: 3:00 PM (GMT +8) on June 20, 2021
Where: Angeles City Foundation Gym in Pampanga, Philippines

Previously On…

At this point, you’ve all seen or heard about Round 1 of this bout between the two teams. It’s been widely distributed how closely contested the game was - so close that both teams scored three times in the last ten seconds before it was decided by a buzzer-beating shot.

The Philippines played had a rough start and fell down behind by a large margin early on, something they’ll obviously avoid doing again in this upcoming game.

Korea allowed their opponents to gain momentum with their hustle plays and that wiped away the lead they had built. Again, this is something that they’ll certainly be avoiding.

Long story short, it was a good game the last time around and it should be a good one again to close things out.

The Young and the Restless

The main story for both teams in the bubble has been the impressive play of their young stars.

Korea’s Lee HyunJung has not disappointed and has emerged as one of the best players of the Qualifiers in these past three games. So far, he’s averaging 18.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game on shooting splits of 55.9 percent from the field, 40.9 percent from downtown, and 90 percent from the free-throw line. He should continue to be a player to watch, especially when they play at the Asia Cup later this year.

For the Philippines, it’s been Dwight Ramos who has been the rock for this young squad. The 22-year-old guard has been just as efficient and impressive with 12.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.0 steals on shooting splits of 50 percent from the field, 38.5 percent from beyond the arc, and 90.5 percent from the free-throw line.

While they have stood out, both teams are not limited to just these two youngsters to develop. Whether it’s Kai Sotto, RJ Abbarientos, and SJ Belangel for the Philippines or Yeo JunSeok, Ha Yungi, and Yang HongSeok for Korea, both squads seem well loaded heading into the future.

Bragging Rights

This is their last game of the Asia Cup Qualifiers. Whoever ends up winning this will hold onto the bragging rights as winners of the rivalry up until whenever they face each other once again.

Maybe (or hopefully) that will be at FIBA Asia Cup 2021 in Jakarta, for which the two teams have qualified already. That potential crash is still a couple of months away, so either team would certainly like to hold on to the title as the most recent victors in the meantime.

End Game

Though both teams have successfully punched in their Asia Cup tickets already, their final position in the standings has yet to be finalized.

The Philippines holds the upper hand with a 5-0 record, but Korea (4-1) can tie things up if they win this final game. Moreover, if they are able to win by more than 3 points, they could also come away as the top team in the group as well.

Don't forget to download the FIBA Asia Cup application from the Apple App Store or Google Play to stay on top of all the action.

FIBA