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August 2021
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26/08/2021
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FIBA U16 Americas Championship Quarter-Final matchups are solidified

XALAPA (Mexico) - The final day of the group stage in the FIBA U16 Americas Championship from Xalapa, Mexico wrapped up with the United States (3-0) officially clinching the No. 1 overall seed in the bracket with a 138-59 win over Chile.

Argentina (3-0) is the only other team to remain undefeated through three group play outings after throttling Mexico 71-49. Meanwhile, the Dominican Republic (2-1) bounced back with a momentum swinging victory vs. Puerto Rico, 75-67.

With a rest day happening on Thursday, here’s what we’re most looking forward to when the Quarter-Final round begins on Friday.

Can Mexico give the United States a test?

Mexico (0-3) has struggled drastically as they haven’t scored more than 59 points in any of their three outings and have failed to take care of the basketball on a consistent basis.
Obviously, the talent differential between the United States and Mexico is steep, but with home court advantage on the Mexican’s side, there is always a possibility of a competitive battle.

While Ronald Dewayne Holland II has been superb offensively so far in the event and has molded into the USA’s No. 1 option, their depth, balance and talent poses a serious threat for Mexico. A perfect example is Ian Jalen Patrick Jackson scoring 30 points on 14-of-20 shooting in about 19 minutes vs. Chile on Wednesday after dropping only a combined 20 points in the first two games.

 

Who is the biggest threat to take the USA’s throne?

Argentina, Canada and Dominican Republic have all looked special at certain points in this tournament.

We’ll start with Argentina as they play crisp offensive basketball, distributing the ball with ease and making 3’s in bunches. While Canada played particularly well vs. the South American side in their opening game, Argentina dominated the second half and also proved to be significantly better than both Mexico and Brazil.

Even though Canada didn’t finish off Argentina and earn a win, their excellent first half in that opening game proved to be a resume booster. They even regained their confidence and blew out Mexico and Brazil in their own right. Mikkel Tyne is tied for fourth in scoring in the U16 Americas and their efficiency rating as a team is No. 2 in the event behind the United States.
Finally, the Dominican Republic is a stingy group that has created the second-most turnovers and looked locked in vs. Chile. While they got blown out by Team USA, they did score 74 points in the game – which is the most the United States allowed in the group stage – and saw Luis Alberto Diaz Gil have a big outing with 16 points.

 Will Dominican Republic vs. Brazil be the game of the Quarter-Finals?

Brazil suffered two disappointing losses to Canada and Argentina, but they have a solid interior presence – that they showed off vs. Mexico.

If the Dominican Republic is vulnerable in one area, it’s their lack of rebounding as they are just sixth in boards per game. Brazil can take advantage of this specific weakness and possibly pull of an upset if they are able to grab extra chance opportunities and limit their giveaways.
Brazil has been particularly solid with limiting their turnovers – which is key vs. the DR – as only Canada, USA and Argentina have less giveaways than the club.

FIBA