CHENZHOU (FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2017) - The FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2017 starts tomorrow, so let's check out Group B and see if defending champions China Kashgar can rise to the top.

China Kashgar

Player to Watch: Makan Kelanbaike is due to have a breakout tournament. The 24-year-old has always been among the most promising wingmen for China, but he has always played behind the likes of Zhou Peng and Zhai Xiaochuan. Now he should be primed to get more touches and more looks for a China Kashgar team hoping to impress in front of their home crowd.

Outlook: With foreign players Andray Blatche and Darius Adams at the helm, China Kashgar should remain title favorites. Having national pool members Wang Zirui, Li Gen and Makan Kelanbaike is going to be key along with the production of utility big men Sun Tonglin and Abudurexiti Abudushalamu. They should top this group and make it deep into the knockout rounds.

Al Shabab UAE

Players to Watch: Qais Omar Al Shabebi starred for the UAE side in the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2016, averaging a sublime double-double line of 15.6 points and 12.7 rebounds per game. This despite sacrificing a lot of size to the much bigger centers of other teams. What makes Al Shabebi quite effective is his mobility, his ability to finish well around the basket and how he is willing to play the entire game if need be.

Outlook: Al Shabab are one of two teams with no foreign players in this group, but the UAE quintet seem to be the deeper side. They have several national team standouts here who can do damage like Al Shabebi, Khalifa Salem, Mohamed Al Breiki and Rashed Al Zaabi. They have a good chance to make it to the Quarter-Finals, but beyond that will be a long-shot.

ONGC India

Player to Watch: Without a doubt, Vishesh Bhriguvanshi should be ONGC's main man in Chenzhou. The iconic Indian national team guard is the biggest name on this roster, and they will rely very heavily on him for scoring and playmaking. The critical factor is whether or not Vishesh has fully recovered from knee injury he sustained a few months ago.

Outlook: ONGC already did not do so well last year, and that's when their big three of Amritpal Singh, Amjyot Singh and Bhriguvanshi were all around. Now without their twin towers, ONGC will be hard-pressed to make it past the group phase. They will need to draw high levels of production from other veterans like Yadwinder Singh and Riyaz Uddin to notch even one victory.

Al Riyadi Lebanon

Players to Watch: With Fadi El Khatib hanging his sneakers, Al Riyadi will need other stars to step into the limelight, and this is where Ali Haidar will come into fore. Haidar was excellent for the Cedars in the FIBA Asia Cup 2017, and there's no reason for his game to dip as Al Riyadi tries to go all the way this time around. The versatile big man should make quite the splash.

Outlook: Al Riyadi are bringing in two new foreign players to the mix: big man Chris Daniels and naturalized player candidate Quincy Douby. Both add significant size and depth to the team, and that makes them one of the favorites to finish on the podium. National team standouts and veterans like Ali Mahmoud, Jean Abd El Nour, Amir Saoud, Charles Tabet and Wael Arakji should team up with Haidar to push Al Riyadi deep in this tournament. A return to the Final is still within reach.

Taipei Dacin Tigers

Player to Watch: It has got to be Sim Bhullar. He is the only foreign player on this team, but that is not really the reason he will be hard to miss. The guy is 2.26m tall and was the biggest - literally and figuratively - reason Dacin won the 2016-2017 SBL crown. He will be plenty tough to slow down for other teams, but he will also carry a ton of pressure in every contest.

Outlook: Where Sim goes, so do the Tigers, especially because they're missing their other big time scorer, national team star wingman Chou Yi-Hsiang, who is now in the Chinese Basketball Association. In his stead, veteran perimeter players Su I-Chieh and Lin Yi-Hui will have to take on the scoring cudgels. Dacin should make it past the group phase, but only a herculean effort from Bhullar can tow them to the top four.

FIBA