Five inevitable questions in the race for the Second Round of the African Qualifiers

ABIDJAN (Cote d'Ivoire) - The race for the five tickets available for African countries for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup is entering a defining moment with the 16 teams taking to the floor across three African cities in four weeks' time.

From July 1-3, Abidjan, Alexandria and Kigali will be the centre stage that will determine the 12 teams to advance to the Second Round of the African Qualifiers.

But there are some inevitable questions in the race for a place in the second round. These are questions that are likely crossing everybody's minds, before and during the 24 games in the first week of July and Window 3 of these Qualifiers.

Are South Sudan here to stay?

Some call it a Cinderella Story, but what South Sudan have achieved in the African Qualifiers so far is a feat like no other.

As one of three debutant teams in the tournament - alongside Cape Verde and Kenya - South Sudan stunned Tunisia, beat Cameroon and Rwanda to stay perfect in the first round of Group B.

As a team that wasn't even in the Top 20 in the continent three years ago, it's fair to ask whether or not South Sudan are here to stay. Was South Sudan's unbeaten run in Dakar in February accidental? How much do they have in the tank for the next three games?

Well, the return of head coach Royal Ivey - who sat out the first three games due to his NBA commitment with the Brooklyn Nets and the addition of Mayan Kiir represent a major boost for the South Sudan.

Kiir was impressive in the Basketball Africa League while playing for Cobra Sports. Aggressive, energetic and disciplined, the 2.06m (6ft 9in) forward, adds a tremendous value to this squad that fears none and aim to keep making history.

What a second straight defeat to Cote d'Ivoire would mean for Angola?

A lot has been said about Angola's decline in the African basketball scene in recent years. Even more so when, in November 2021, Cote d'Ivoire became the first team to beat Angola in Angola.

Can Cote d'Ivoire do it again to solidify their Group C dominance?

The Ivorians have reasons to stay positive ahead of the clash against a team that dominated the game of basketball on the continent for over two decades.

The Ivorians have been playing solid and consistent basketball; they will have Matthew Costello, who played a major role in helping the 'Elephants' reach the 2021 AfroBasket final, and more importantly, Cote d'Ivoire enjoy an encouraging 17-1 mark dating back to the 2021 AfroBasket Qualifiers.

With all that, add the home-court advantage, and Cote d'Ivoire are in a strong position to extend their winning streak.

When the two teams last faced off in Abidjan, Angola beat the hosts in the Semi-Final to eventually win their last African title in 2013. A second straight defeat to Cote d'Ivoire would certainly ring alarm bells back in Luanda.

Can Central African Republic, Kenya and Rwanda bounce back?

Unlike, Cote d'Ivoire and South Sudan who remain undefeated in three games each, the Central African Republic, Kenya and Rwanda find themselves on the opposing end of the standings as the only teams without a single win in the tournament.

For these three teams, every ball possession, free-throw, and shots matter to relaunch their African Qualifiers chances.

Is big Eddy back for Cape Verde?

In his first appearance for Cape Verde in almost a decade, Walter Tavares was huge in helping the Islanders reach the the 2021 AfroBasket Semi-Finals. He posted up 16.7 points on 64% shooting, 13.2 rebounds and an astonishing 3.8 blocks per game. A true game changer for his team.

If the 2.21m (7ft-2in) center joins the Blue Sharks for Window 3 of the African Qualifiers, Tavares, who made the 2021 All-AfroBasket Team, will duplicate Cape Verde's chances to stay in contention for one of the five tickets for the World Cup.