MANILA (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers) - The second round of the Asian Qualifiers is where the pretenders will be separated from the contenders, and a number of teams have already risen to the top.

A handful of teams in the fourth window of the Asian Qualifiers played big time, played well enough, in fact, to be among the top five most efficient teams in September.

Australia

Fourth Window Team Efficiency per game: 136.0
The Boomers have certainly lived up to their moniker. They didn't just beat their opponents in the fourth window. They did so by lowering the boom and making sure there's no getting back up. The Aussies outclassed Qatar by 52 points on 13 September and followed that up with a 53-point walloping of Kazakhstan on 17 September. They have been on a class all their own in the Asian Qualifiers, save for that shocking upset loss in Chiba a few months ago. With a 7-win, 1-loss card, Australia need just one more win to clinch their qualification for the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Korea

Fourth Window Team Efficiency per game: 129.0
It's been eight months since Korea last dropped an Asian Qualifiers game, and it sure looks like they aren't done yet. They are riding high on a 4-game win streak, and their fourth window performance definitely was nothing to scoff at. They played a tough road game in Amman to open their second round campaign and handed Jordan their second defeat of the competition. The Koreans went home a few days after and notched another victory, blowing Syria out for a 6-win, 2-loss slate. Ricardo Ratliffe continues to be the indomitable anchor for this team, averaging around 30 points and 12 rebounds per contest.

New Zealand

Fourth Window Team Efficiency per game: 110.0
The fourth window was night and day for the Tall Blacks. They dominated Syria on 13 September, 107-66, but then they had to scramble in the endgame to pull the rug from under the visiting Lebanese, 63-60, on 17 September. They still came out with big wins, though, and they have cemented themselves as the top team in Group E with 7 wins in 8 games. Like Australia, the Kiwis are only one win away from formally booking a spot in the World Cup, and with big men Isaac Fotu and Alex Pledger leading the way together with the Webster brothers, things are looking bright down under.

China

Fourth Window Team Efficiency per game: 102.0
The World Cup hosts have blown hot and cold in the Asian Qualifiers, though their fourth window showing was among their most spirited. They nearly upended Lebanon on the road in Beirut before recording a hard earned win over Jordan at home in Beijing. Even without some marquee names, the Chinese showed they could hang with a couple of West Asia's finest squads. In the process, the "Hu boys" - Hu Jinqiu and Hu Mingxuan - rose to the fore. Jinqiu averaged 14.0 points and 8.5 rebounds in the window, while Mingxuan put up a nice double-double against Jordan with 12 points and 10 assists.

Philippines

Fourth Window Team Efficiency per game: 95.5
Expectations were tempered for the Philippines in the fourth window as they fielded a squad without some of their biggest stars, but despite that handicap, they were lauded by fans for giving Iran a scare in Tehran before trouncing Qatar at home in Quezon City. New heroes basked in the glow for Team Pilipinas, led by Filipino-German Christian Standhardinger, who tallied 30 points and 12 boards in their stinging defeat to Iran, while Filipino-American Stanley Pringle finally debuted at the senior level with 13 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists in their win over Qatar. With coach Yeng Guiao at the helm, too, the national team has garnered a tidal wave of support from all corners of Philippine basketball.

FIBA