MUNICH (FIBA EuroBasket Women 2017) - With one week until tip-off at FIBA EuroBasket Women 2017, we put to our experts the big questions we are all seeking answers to.

Who is the favorite to win FIBA EuroBasket Women 2017? Who is in the MVP race? Who will qualify to the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup next year in Spain? Our experts attempt to answer all your nagging questions.

FIBA Women's basketball expert Paul Nilsen is joined on the panel by former Great Britain head coach and now commentator, Mark Clark; FIBA senior journalist and commentator Jeff Taylor; and Czech-based women's basketball writer Dan Casey.

Watching the explosive French guard is worth the price of admission alone

I'm buying a ticket to watch:
PN: All of the exciting young guns as the sport can only grow with the quality of our next generation. Seeing the likes of Alexia Chartereau, Marine Johannes, Cecilia Zandalasini, Maria Conde and Emma Meesseman at a first Final Round will be a thrill. I am also honored to watch Slovenia appear for the very first time as you have got to love a slice of history in the making!

MC: Marine Johannes of France and Alba Torrens of Spain. Two of the most exciting players at the tournament. Both will inspire and make young players sit up and watch.

JT: Laia Palau of Spain go up against Marine Johannes of France. The veteran against the kid. The legend against the legend in the making. Fire and intensity against cool, calm and dynamic. These are players that capture the imagination. This is Palau’s last FIBA EuroBasket Women and 2016 Olympian Johannes’ first. Mouthwatering.

DC: Laia Palau's extraordinary talent, especially given it's her last international tournament. Living in Prague, I've been fortunate enough to buy many tickets to see Palau dazzling EuroLeague Women crowds during her time at ZVVZ USK Prague. Her unconventional style and flamboyant passing skills make her one of a kind who will be truly missed.

Espana, Espana and...Espana

The smart money is on:
PN: Spain of course, and you would be a fool to back against them. So here goes, maybe it's time for Russia to roar back to prominence and if they don't win this edition, they are surely a lock for 2019!

MC: For Spain or France, this is the last chance before legends of these two counties retire. An outside shot could be Ukraine, if they make the Quarter-Finals and can then play with the freedom that showed in qualification.

JT: Put it on Spain. This is a team that is always in the reckoning and with so much experience both on the hardwood in terms of players and coaches, they have the best chance of going all the way.

DC: It's hard to see past Spain, who are riding the crest of a wave after their historic silver medal in Rio. They boast tremendous depth with great talent in all positions, including the return of Sancho Lyttle to shore up the backcourt. 

Could it be a battle between Petrovic (left) and Torrens (right) for MVP honors?

And the MVP goes to:
PN: Maria Vadeeva if Russia win it, Alba Torrens for Spain, Marine Johannes can do the unthinkable and debut as an MVP if things go well for France. Serbian ace Sonja Petrovic can also be MVP of any competition she plays in.

MC: Sancho Lyttle. If she is healthy, she can be the difference-maker between the knockout stages and gold for Spain.

JT: Anna Cruz. Has she blossomed into a big-time, fearless, clutch competitor or what? Cruz’s game-winning runner just inside the three-point line against Turkey in the Quarter-Finals of the 2016 Olympics was about as dramatic a shot that I’ve ever seen a player make. She ain't done yet!

DC: Lyttle and Alba Torrens will be in the mix if Spain do well, but Ana Dabovic will be determined to defend her individual honor as well as her team's title. Dabovic's teammate Sonja Petrovic might also benefit from familiar surroundings, after spending the last three club seasons in the Czech capital.

Anastasiya Verameyenka is just one of a number of high-profile absences for Belarus who could struggle to see their good form of recent tournaments continue

Thanks for coming, but not this time:
PN: After a decade of success, it's probably goodbye to Belarus as one of the world's most prominent women's basketball nations. I also fear for Turkey, although a soft opening group and quality coach in Ekrem Memnun might prove me wrong.

MC: Ukraine. Expectations are high after qualification wins over defending champions Serbia, but that brings pressure. Thinking outside the box, anything less than FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup qualification would be failure for Serbia. Even though they still have the core group of the 2015 success in their team, the change of coach and the loss of Milica Dabovic could change the dynamic which was so important to their success. Serbia could be a dramatic failure here. Czech Republic may not make it to Prague. They are in a tough group that will see them needing to win in the Qualification for the Quarter-Finals. I hope I'm wrong as I love the way they get the best out of their players.

JT: Turkey are missing some real heavy hitters from years gone by and new stars now must emerge. It's an exciting prospect but I'm not convinced they'll be good enough to reach the podium. In fact, this is a Turkey team that has struggled for results in the build-up. Maybe, just maybe, they'll get on a roll and surprise me but I don't think so. The hangover from their Quarter-Final defeat to Spain is likely to linger.

DC: Montenegro have had a wonderful run since their debut in 2011 - but with Jelena Dubljevic ruled out through injury, the underdogs might finally meet their match and face an early exit.

Belgium: See you in Spain in 2018?

See you in Spain:
PN: Spain, Russia, France, Serbia, Belgium, Italy.

MC: Russia, France, Ukraine, Turkey, and Belgium as a dark horse, even without Hind Ben Abdelkader and Julie Allemand.

JT: Will for sure be a Maria Vadeeva-led Russia and a Celine Dumerc-inspired France. But then it gets very interesting. I think it's wide open. Maybe this is the year that Italy finally make it back to a tournament they last played in 1994? I'll pick 'em. I think as defending champions - even with a new coach - Serbia have a team that will make it. This will boil down to the leadership of Ana Dabovic and Jelena Milovanovic and I’m betting they provide it. How sweet is it to have Belgium and Ann Wauters back at FIBA EuroBasket Women for the first time in a decade? Very. The marvelous talent that is Emma Meesseman can finally be admired on the most important stage in the women's game. Belgium won't make it to the podium, but this team, I think, is good enough to reach the World Cup.

DC: Serbia, France, Russia, Belgium and Italy.

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