Having won five of their six games in qualifying so far, Australia enters the Second Round in a strong position in Group F of the Asia qualifiers. The Boomers will be looking to maintain their strong performance overall, despite a disappointing third window overall.

After losing their first game of window 3 to a resurgent and reinforced Japanese team, the Boomers’ victory over the Philippines in the second game was marred by an altercation between the teams.  

Prior to window 3 it had been plain sailing for Australia, and the Boomers will be looking to restore that trajectory.

Stats Breakdown

Australia have allowed teams to score just 65.3 points per game in the First Round of the Qualifiers, which is the second-best defensive record in Asian qualifying. The only team to have cracked 70 points against Australia was Japan in their unexpected victory over the Boomers.

Capturing the strength in depth that Australia has enjoyed, they have scored more points from the bench than all of their opponents in round one. They have also shared the ball incredibly effectively, sitting behind only New Zealand in assists per game in Asian Qualifying.

This offensive efficiency has also been mirrored in the fact Australia sits in the top five across all Asian qualifying for points per game, field goal percentage and three point shots made.

Key Players

Australia’s success has been largely achieved by committee. The team has been an incredibly effective unit, getting key contributions from many different players, and adapting well to the likes of Matthew Dellavedova and Thon Maker coming into the team.

Chris Goulding has shot almost 60% from three point range, going 13 for 22 and Daniel Kickert has been almost as effective with his 11 for 22, shooting 50%. Goulding is also the only of Australia’s roster to have had multiple 20 point games to this point.

Mitch Creek has been a real force on the boards, pulling down almost 9 a game for Australia, whilst only averaging 20 minutes on the court. He’s also proven a potent counter balance to the outside shooting of the Boomers, ranking 8th in Asian qualifying in points in the paint.

The role of Jason Cadee in creating offense for Australia should not be understated (4.8 assists per game), but nor should his ability to protect the ball (0.3 turnovers per game). With the Australian roster for window four missing several key contributors from previous games, the team will likely look to Kadee to pick up a larger role in Australia’s offense.

Next Games

Australia will travel to Qatar in the first game of the window, before returning home to play Kazakhstan in the second game.

Qatar (FIBA World Rank 61)

Australia will feel confident taking on Qatar who have a 2-4 record going into the game. Their two victories came against Iraq who have now been eliminated from Round Two. Qatar put up one of the lowest scores across the qualifiers in their first game against Iran, scoring just 39 points as a team. If Australia can maintain the defensive pressure they have established in earlier games, they will be heavy favourites.

Qatar’s most notable team statistic is how effective they have been in protecting the rim, averaging four blocks a game, which is in line with the best teams in Asia qualifying. Abdulrahman Saad has been the team’s most consistent offensive leader, playing in all of Qatar’s games and averaging 16.2 points per game. In the three games he’s played, Clinton Johnson has also been a potent scoring threat, averaging 17.7 points per game.

Kazakhstan (FIBA World Ranking 68)

Kazakhstan fared slightly better in the qualifiers than Qatar, coming into this window with a 3-3 record. Notably, they defeated Qatar (Australia’s first opponents) in the two games they played in Round One by margins of 12 and 33 point margins respectively.

One of the standout features of Kazakhstan’s performances is that they will be one of the few teams favoured to rebound just as effectively as Australia, particularly on the defensive glass. Australia may struggle to create second-chance baskets and may have to rely on creating good shots.

Anatoliy Kolesnikov has been the man crashing the boards for Kazakhstan, averaging over 8 rebounds a game, higher than anyone in the Australian squad for Window 4. The danger man offensively will be Anton Ponomarev who has scored 19.5 points per game in the two qualifiers he’s played in.

FIBA