MUNICH (FIBA EuroBasket 2021 Pre-Qualifiers) - This is only the second window, so would it be considered premature to begin looking ahead to the Second Round? Allow the experts to weigh in.

The second window is going to tip off on Thursday and, with that in mind, our experts Igor Curkovic, Jared Grellet and Simas Baranauskas weigh in with how they see the six games to be played in the window, playing out.

For The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, is it too early to begin discussions about the Second Round? How about Cyprus?*
IC: People in Skopje and all over the country really love their basketball, and I'd love to see them get rewarded for that passion as soon as this Sunday. Keep in mind that Slovakia have to travel to Switzerland on Thursday, then to MKD on Sunday, maybe the Slovak jet-lag helps the land of the eternal sun. Just like in that famous Time song...well, famous in ex-Yugoslavia territory. As for Cyprus, they will be facing a much different Portuguese team this week, compared to the one they beat in the first window. Portugal figured it out late against Luxembourg, now they know what to do to collect W's.
JG: Something tells me that Slovakia are going to put a spanner in the works. I know, I know, they lost to them on their own court...but for me, it is time for the Slovaks to stand up and be recognized. With their backs to the wall, I am calling a Slovak win. Now...whether they can do it by 9 or more to get the head-to-head over the Macedonians...As for Cyprus, only winning against Portugal by 2 at home? Tough seeing them getting a victory on the road in the return game on Sunday.
SB: I'll make a wild guess that discussions about the Second Round in the streets of Skopje began well before the Pre-Qualifiers began in November and they only intensified after the 74-66 victory against Slovakia, their main rivals. The Slovak side are no push-overs, but I expect MKD to have a ticket to the next round come Sunday night. Having played just a single game in Group C, Cyprus has a longer way to go to securing a place in the next round. With a tough away fixture awaiting in Portugal, thoughts about qualification may be slightly premature.

Four teams - Switzerland, Slovakia, Albania and Luxembourg are winless. What teams can you see changing their fortunes this window?
IC: Sorry, Albania, but consecutive games away in Denmark and Armenia seem way too hard to handle. Slovakia could get off the mark, but I'm going with Luxembourg on Thursday, against Cyprus. Their 27-point lead in Portugal was no fluke, time for Luxembourgers to taste victory! A potential win there for Luxembourg would give us the closest group of the Pre-Qualifiers, with all three teams still alive and kicking before the last window.
JG: Well, Slovakia, obviously. Can not be too contradictory here to what I said above. As for Albania, even with Ryan Boatright missing from the Armenian line-up, I can not see them getting up on the road. That comes on the back a tough trip to Denmark two days earlier. See below my thoughts on Switzerland getting their first win, I have their game against Slovakia pegged as the game of the window. Finally, Luxembourg will find the going tough when they host Cyprus, who could very well be moving on in the competition.
SB: Talent-wise, Slovakia are head and shoulders above the other three teams on the list. Alright, maybe just head, not the shoulders. Either way, I would expect coach Ivan Rudez's men to get their campaign off the ground with a victory against Switzerland in Fribourg on Thursday evening. While competing against MKD for the top spot could be a tough undertaking, it's not completely out of the realm of possibilities. At least in comparison to other winless teams.

This is a basketball competition, which means there is an MVP race...[Boat]right?
IC: Not sure if I could call him MVP just yet, but Gabriel Lundberg was really impressive for Denmark against Armenia, with 21 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals. He is getting good numbers for Manresa in Spanish LEB Oro, scoring in double digits all season long, and I know he's really excited about the opportunity to represent his national team.
JG: Well, it looks like Ryan Boatright from Armenia will be sitting out this window, so there are plenty of opportunities for others to jump in for that role. Joao Gomes from Portugal, is for me leaps and bounds above the competition. Whilst in this window we will see how Armenia compete with Boatright missing, I fear to think what may happen to Portugal with their veteran power forward out. He has nearly played every second of these Qualifiers (38.6 minutes a night) and was definitely responsible for saving a blush or two against Luxembourg.
SB: Surely, you mean Mr. Venard Richard Hendrix?! Double-doubles and winning make a killer combination and you've got both in the naturalized MKD big man, who averaged 18.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.5 blocks per game in November. He's converting field goals at 65.2 percent and even made a three-pointer against Slovakia!

The must-watch game of Thursday:
IC: Luxembourg v Cyprus. Already said it, we could have the closest group of the Pre-Qualifiers after that one.
JG: Easy. Switzerland v Slovakia. Neither team has a win yet so something has got to give when they clash.
SB: Luxembourg had everyone's attention, when they led by as many as 27 points against Portugal in Almada… before collapsing and suffering an overtime defeat on foreign territory. This would seem to be sufficient evidence to suggest just about ANYTHING can happen, when they host Cyprus at the Centre National Sportif & Culturel d'Coque. An element of unpredictability always spices things up.

...and for Sunday:
IC: I know Jared and Simas will pick the other two, but I'm looking forward to the Armenia v Albania match-up. I know it's supposed to be a one-way-street from start to finish, but I can't help it, I love watching Armenia at home, powered by their powerful crowd in the stands. Ryan Boatright will not be playing, that's a chance for other players to shine for Armenia.
JG: Hmmmm, for me this depends on results from Thursday. But I think Simas has a point. Provided Slovakia win in Switzerland, we will be watching to see if MKD can lock up a ticket in the next round. But! Hold the phone! What about Portugal v Cyprus down in Group C?! This was a two-point game in the return leg! Now, this is where we should be watching!
SB: All eyes on Skopje! Providing the Slovakia take care of business against Switzerland on Thursday, the Group A showdown between MKD and Slovakia could prove decisive. Having won the first game by 8 points on the road in Poprad, MKD have a small cushion in terms of point differential but it is way too small to get too comfortable. Especially when their Slovak opponents have a flame-thrower named Kyle Kuric, who can get hot on any given night.

*The winning team from each of the three groups, plus the best second-placed team, will each earn a spot in the FIBA EuroBasket 2021 Pre-Qualifiers Second Round together with the bottom-placed teams from each of the eight groups of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers.

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