ABIDJAN/ALEXANDRIA/KIGALI - Each of the 16 teams in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 African Qualifiers will play three more games early next month that will determine their place or not in the Second Round. 

Abidjan (Cote d'Ivoire), Alexandria (Egypt) and Kigali (Rwanda) will host Groups A, B, C and D from July 1-3.

The teams that finish in the top three of each group advance to the 12-team Second Round while the teams that finish last in their groups will be eliminated. 

But with the next 24 games in the horizon, the next window of the African Qualifiers brings some intriguing questions.

GROUP A

What does the future hold for Nigeria?

The winners of the 2015 AfroBasket and current number one on the continent - according to the latest FIBA World Ranking - had a slow start to the tournament after falling to Cape Verde in their Group A opener, but fought back to win two straight games against Mali and Uganda to take the group lead.

However, as we write, little is known about the D'Tigers' future in the African Qualifiers - after the country's Ministry of Sports - suspended Nigeria from all international competitions for two years. 

Can Mali build on their impressive start to the African Qualifiers?

If it wasn't for Nigeria's resilience, Mali would have been heading to the third window with a 3-0 record.. But allowing Jordan Ogundiran to complete a four-point play with less than a minute, before missing a layup with 2 seconds left has proven costly to Mali, who sit second in Group A.

Unlike their poor 2021 AfroBasket performance (0-3) three months earlier in Kigali, Mali looked a transformed team in the first round of Group A in Angola. They fought for every possession, almost every player contributed, but the question now is whether or not they can build on that impressive moment to stay on course for a place in the Second Round. 

Forward Ibrahima Haidara shed light on what makes this Mali team unique: "We have this chemistry among us because most of us grew up together and are still together in different places in the world. We know each other really well."

Who else can step up for Uganda? 

The silverbacks are on the rise in the African basketball landscape, but one question that remained answered was coach Mandy Juruny's assessment when he declared that they need more players to contribute and step up. Juruny's remark came in response to a question  about Brandon Davies' impact on his team rotation.

The FC Barcelona bigman was an all-round for the East Africans for most of their first three games, averaging team-highs 24 points and 11 rebounds per game.

If the Ugandans have a full roster or, at least, 2/3 of the squad from the 2021 AfroBasket, and prepare properly, rest assured they will have a more productive team. 

After missing a ticket to the second round of the African Qualifiers three years ago, two more wins in Group A might be good enough to advance.

"This is a team game. It's not going to be easy for us if it's going to be one or two players. So we have to make sure that everyone steps in and contributes," Juruny noted.

Can Tavares bring another spark to Cape Verde?

One of the reasons why Cape Verde reached the 2021 AfroBasket Semi-Finals  was Walter Tavares.

The Real Madrid star missed the the first three games of Group A, but has been pre-selected for Kigali. 

If the 2.20m (7ft 3 in) center joins the Blue Sharks, he will boost his country's chances to secure one of the three spots to the Second Round.

Tavares' presence in Cape Verde's roster would add some uncertainty in the outcome of the highly competitive Group A.

GROUP B

What could possibly go wrong with South Sudan?

The newest country in Africa stunned the world after ending Tunisia's unbeaten run in Africa. 

With a 3-0 mark, South Sudan are in total control of their African Qualifiers destiny, but what could possibly go wrong with South Sudan?

"We'll do the same job," Coach Luol Deng said, adding: "We still have the underdog mentality. We are 3-0, but we can't get carried away with that. We're going to come with our best effort. We are going to prepare and get better. We haven't done nothing. We can easily be 3-3 if we don't come prepared."

Who can spark the Tunisian offense?

Three years ago, Tunisia advanced to the Second Round unscathed, but things are looking different now.

Have Tunisia fallen to South Sudan and closed the First Round of Group B with a 2-1 due to fatigue, age factor or their opponents have improved? 

The reigning  African champions are still in a strong position to advance, but this won't come easy as the team's skipper Makram Ben Romdhane has acknowledged.

"Without Salah [Mejri] and Michael Roll it's like playing without 50 percent of our capacity in the offensive end," the 2021 AfroBasket MVP pointed out. 

Both, Mejri and Roll have been preselected for their next three games.

"This team consists of six veterans and six new players. If we don't qualify for the next World Cup, Tunisian basketball is done," Ben Romdhane stressed.

What if Cameroon bring their NBA stars?

No team was left more disappointed than Cameroon in the 2019 African Qualifiers as they missed the China World Cup train by a whisker.  

In the build-up to every major tournament in recent times, the most frequently asked question about Cameroon is whether or not they are able to attract their NBA stars Pascal Siakam and Joel Embiid. 

Both players saw their NBA season finish early. If the two All-Stars join the team for what would be their debut, the Cameroonians would see their chances of improving from the 1-2 mark, and have realistic chances of moving on. 

Bounce back on the horizon for Rwanda?

One of the three countries to remain winless so far, Rwanda are playing hosts this time around. 

Can they bounce back and re-enter the race for their tickets to the next round?

The Rwandans had an inconsistent outing when they hosted the African Championship last year. Despite a 2-0 start to the AfroBasket, which included a historic win over Africa powerhouse Angola, Rwanda fell short to Guinea in the Classification Round for the QuarterFinals.

It's Rwanda's second attempt to advance to the next round after missing out three years ago.

GROUP C

How do Central Africa intend to fight a 0-3 deficit?

Central African Republic small forward Max Kouguere is adamant that they are not down yet despite falling 0-3 in the first three games of Group C.

The veteran feels that beating Angola may vital to their Second Round aspirations.

Kouguere said: "It's going to be difficult for us, but we still can make it. We lost to Guinea by six points so we're going to come back and work this summer and try to beat them and have the points difference to qualify for the second round. But Angola will play away. So we are hungry and we can take a game against Angola. And we have Guinea too."

What's been Cote d'Ivoire's x-factor in the African Qualifiers?

Runners-up at 2021 AfroBasket, undefeated in the African Qualifiers after three games, and having become the first team to beat Angola in Angola is not an accidental feat for the Ivorians.

"What we're doing here is trying to prove that Cote d'Ivoire belongs among the best countries in the world,"  Cote d'Ivoire forward Guy Edi explained."

"The last one we didn't do so well. From our expectation we feel we could have done better. We are trying to put ourselves back in the same position with a different coach, a different team and go as far as we can.  

'They have more players, more guys in the NBA. We don't have that. What we have is heart and fight. This is what we do every window, every competition. We're just going to give our hardest and live with the results."

How has Angola's rebuilding been so far?

For a team looking to try to take Group C's lead not having Carlos Morais and Abou Gakou available for Abidjan may seem quite a challenge.

With Morais out, Leonel Paulo is the the player who helped his country beat Cote d'Ivoire in Semi-Finals before winning their last African Championship title in 2013 in Abidjan, which raises a question how has Angola's rebuilding process been so far? 

"Ten years ago maybe it would have been easier [to win games]," said Angola head coach Joseph Claros. "Now we have to work very hard to win. We are ready and prepared to suffer. We would like to win easily, but this is not happening. We never talk about the players who are missing. We are just talking about the players that we have."

How big has Shannon Evans been for Guinea?

Three years ago Guinea lost all their games in the African Qualifiers, but things have changed in recent times. Guinea not only reached the 2021 AfroBasket Quarter-Finals, but also won one of their three games in Group C to stay alive in contention for a spot in the next round.

Shannon Evans played a huge role for the Guineans in November, averaging team-highs of 19 points and 8 assists per game.

And Guinea power forward Daoude Conde hopes to seem American-Guinean back on the team.

"He's a beast. He facilitates everything for us. You know when you don't have to look back and see if the point guard has lost the ball, you can be focused on the things you have to do. Shannon Evans is a playmaker. He can score every time but he thinks about the team first. Off the court, he's a great guy. Perfect for us. He's never mad - only positive. He gives us what we need. I want to thank him for coming. Hopefully he will come again." 

GROUP D

Can Egypt stay perfect at home?

Group D is the most balanced group of the four with Egypt. DR Congo and Senegal sharing a 2-1 mark each although Senegal top the group on a points differential.

When asked the home-court advantage Egypt head coach Roy Rana had this to say: "We're trying to find some consistency, that's probably the most important thing. Who we play, where we play, when we play, as I said to my team, they are all unique challenges. There's not any type of pressure. It will be nice because it will be in home country. There is an advantage to be at home, but you've got to perform and we are trying to perform consistently, especially on the defensive end of the floor."

Mission impossible for Kenya?

Team Morans have their backs against the wall and face an uphill task next month.

But that's not how head coach Cliff Owino sees the situation.

"It's a high mountain to climb - having lost these three games - if we win two or three games, we are back in it. We still have a chance. We are not going to throw the towel early," Owino declared. 

Can Senegal beat Egypt in Egypt?

After dropping a game and finishing 2-1 in Dakar in February, Senegal head to Alexandria with a task for the ages. 

In one of the highly anticipated games of window 3 of the African Qualifiers, can Senegal move 2-0 against Egypt?

Senegal forward insisted Babacar Toure that they are on a mission to return to the World Cup, and continue their winning ways is a must-do situation. 

None of these two teams have beaten the other twice in a row in the last decade.

How can DR Congo improve their chemistry?

Some carelessness with ball, at times, affected DR Congo's offensive clarity in the First Round of Group D. 

And, after causing one of the biggest surprises by beating Senegal in Senegal, DR Congo fell to Egypt. 

When DR Congo head coach Thomas Drouot was asked about  potential improvement to his team, he replied that he just needed more time to prepare his team.

"If we stay together a bit longer, we'll improve our team chemistry and we can play better on both ends of the floor," the Frenchman pointed out.

DR Congo was one of the four teams that missed out the Second Round ticket three years ago. 

FIBA