MANILA (Enzo Flojo's Asia on My Mind) - As the FIBA Asia Cup 2022 Quarter-Finals begin, let's look at the other eight teams who are now outside looking in and packing their bags for long flights home.

Saudi Arabia

The Saudis really missed the services of top big man Mohammed Alsuwailem. Without the 2.08m/6ft 10in center, Saudi Arabia struggled to match up with opposing centers like Marques Bolden, Sam Froling, and Ahmad Al Dwairi. Alsuwailem's injury prevented him from playing in the Asia Cup, which meant that the Saudis weren't able to parade their top shot-blocker and double-double machine. As a result, they lost each game by an average of 20.0 points. Looking ahead, they have two tough games in Window 4 of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Asian Qualifiers against New Zealand and the Philippines. Needless to say, the Saudis will be underdogs in both contests.

Bahrain

Bahrain entered the Asia Cup as a dangerous squad, having beaten both Syria and Kazakhstan in Window 3 of the Asian Qualifiers. And though they ended up winless in three games, coach Mindaugas Lukosius' boys were very competitive. After a lopsided opening loss to Chinese Taipei, the Bahrainis very nearly upset China and Korea. They lost to China on a late defensive lapse leading to Gu Quan's game-winning lay-up, and they faded in the fourth quarter against a determined Korean side. Still, there are a lot of positives to take away for Bahrain, who are set to face Australia and then China once more in the next window of the Asian Qualifiers.

Kazakhstan

I'm not going to lie. Kazakhstan are probably the most disappointing squad in the FIBA Asia Cup 2022. Remember that this is the same team that won five of six group games in the Asian Qualifiers, including two wins over Iran. They should have finished at least third in Group C in Jakarta. Instead, the Steppen Wolves flew back home with their tails between their legs after going 0-3. To make things worse, the Kazakhs lost by an average of 26.0 points. It was just unthinkable and confusing how a team that looked so fluid and sharp in the Asian Qualifiers looked so listless at the Asia Cup. Without a doubt, coach Oleg Kiselev is back to the drawing board as they hope to regain their top form heading into their next Asian Qualifiers assignments.

India

India's three losses were not unexpected. They were missing some key players heading into the FIBA Asia Cup, and they were in a stacked Group D. This was also a very young team with an average age of just 23 years old. It's clear, however, that seasoned veterans Vishesh Bhriguvanshi and Amritpal Singh may already be on the decline. The former didn't even see action in a single game in Jakarta, while Amritpal couldn't find much rhythm. Pranav Prince and Muin Bek Hafeez were probably India's best players here, though that's not saying much since no Indian player scored more than 9.7 points per game.

Indonesia

By all intents and purposes, the Asia Cup hosts had a respectable showing. They opened with a huge win over Saudi Arabia before losing a relatively close game against Jordan. The defeats to powerhouse teams Australia and China, meanwhile, were unfortunately virtually unavoidable. Having said that, there were bright spots. The frontline duo of Marques Bolden and Derrick Xzavierro was explosive, while spitfire guard Abraham Grahita also had his moments. Indonesia will still need a lot more depth in the future to be consistently competitive, but the building blocks are there. Sadly, they won't see action in next year's FIBA Basketball World Cup as they were winless in the Asian Qualifiers, and they failed to break into the top eight here in Jakarta.

Chinese Taipei

If Kazakhstan were the biggest disappointment, Chinese Taipei perhaps had the most compelling turnaround. Even if they went 1-2 in the group phase, coach Charles Parker's wards were still competitive, and they very nearly made it to the Quarter-Finals had it not been for Freddy Ibrahim's miraculous endgame buzzer-beater. The perimeter combination of Liu Cheng, Benson Lin, and Ray Chen was potent, and Will Artino also showed up as a double-double threat. If Chinese Taipei could just manage to put all their top-tier players together in one tournament, they could be among the most dangerous squads out there.

Syria

Syria looked lost in the water after losing their first two games to Iran and Japan, but they managed to pull the rug from under Kazakhstan to close their group play. They failed to advance to the Quarter-Finals after a lopsided loss to New Zealand, but the Syrians can still consider this a small success. They advance further than most expected, and they can take that to the bank as they look way ahead to the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers, which begin late next year.

Philippines

It's really difficult to pinpoint what's wrong with Gilas Pilipinas right now. About a year ago, they were riding high after doing well in the Asia Cup Qualifiers, but now they're sliding down the FIBA Asia ladder. The team is in a state of instability, having gone through a coaching carousel and so much uncertainty about player availability. More than that, though, the team doesn't seem to have any identity, or if we look at it from another angle, they seem to have lost their identity. Gilas are just flying blind. Where that approach will lead them, nobody knows, but there's surely nowhere to go but up from where the Filipinos currently are.

Enzo Flojo

FIBA

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