BANGKOK (Thailand) - There are quite a few heated rivalries ready to be ignited in Group A of the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers. The headliner of the group is the on-going saga of the "Korean Curse" between Korea and the Philippines. Still, the back and forth between the Southeast Asian teams Thailand-Indonesia-Philippines is also just as enticing.

World Cup 2019 teams, Korea and the Philippines, look like they could use the Asia Cup Qualifiers as an opportunity to test out some of their rising stars and prospects. Still, they will have to stay wary of Thailand and Indonesia, who are quietly packing a punch themselves.

Team to beat: Korea

It wasn't easy to pick out Korea as the lone team to beat in this first window, considering how close the gap is between them and the Philippines.

Nonetheless, Korea gets the slight upper hand by having some continuity heading into this phase with head coach Kim Sang Shik still at the helm. They will also be missing out on the services of star player Ra Guna for the first window at the very least, but the group of young talents collected here for the first window is quite impressive.

KBL teammates Heo Hoon and Yang Hongseok have been on a tear this season with Busan KT Supersonic. Though they are relatively young at 24 and 22 years old, respectively, it's likely that they will be the critical pieces of Korea in these early stages. Korea are going to be lacking a bit in veteran leadership and post presences, which is why it will be necessary for players with a vast experience like Kim Jongkyu and Lee Seounghyun to step up.

(Lee SeoungHyun, FIBA Asia Cup 2017)

Korea have already beaten Indonesia on the road 109-76 back on 20 February and will now be returning to play Thailand at home on 23 February at Jamsil Students' Gymnasium in Seoul.

FIBA World Ranking, presented by NIKE

WORLD RANK	COUNTRY	ASIA RANK	IOC	CURRENT POINTS
30.	Korea	5.	KOR	359.5
31.	Philippines	6.	PHI	352.5
88.	Indonesia	16.	INA	105.4
105.	Thailand	21.	THA	88.6

Key Matchup: Indonesia v Philippines

There might not be a better opportunity than this for Indonesia to steal an upset against the Philippines. They will be playing on their homecourt of the Mahaka Arena for a second straight game on 23 February, and having the rowdy fans in Jakarta behind them will be an added boost.

The recent matches between these two teams have ended up in favor of the Philippines with quite a margin, but Indonesia having homecourt advantage could turn the tables a bit. Indonesia could also pounce at the opportunity that the Philippines are in the middle of a transitioning phase, bringing up a new batch of players led by a new head coach in Mark Dickel.

Indonesia and coach Rajko Toroman will have their work cut out for them nonetheless, considering the quality of players that the Philippines can continuously put on to the floor.

They took a rough loss to Indonesia in the first game, but all they can do is hold their heads up high in search of a win.

Click here for the full schedule of the Asia Cup Qualifiers.

Star: Tyler Lamb

There will be plenty of high-caliber players ready to showcase their games in Group A. Still, none of them are shouldering as much expectation and responsibility as that of Thailand's Tyler Lamb.

The 28-year-old guard made his FIBA debut back in 2018 at the SEABA Pre-Qualifiers, and he didn't disappoint by going for 22.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.8 steals per game. He'll be facing much tougher competition throughout the Qualifiers and Thailand will need to rely on him for gaudy numbers against Korea on 23 February.

(Tyler Lamb, FIBA Asia Cup 2021 SEABA Pre-Qualifiers)

Lamb has the skillset and potential to take over with his slick set of handles and smooth shooting at any given time of the game. That is undoubtedly something that will be highlighted in bold in Korea's scouting report.

Player to Watch: Kiefer Ravena

Ravena only got his first senior national team debut in FIBA competition at the World Cup this past summer where he oozed with potential, despite mixed reactions for his performances. He's back once again for the Asia Cup Qualifiers and even named as captain of the team for this tour of duty.

(Kiefer Ravena, FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019)

His numbers from the World Cup are slightly underwhelming with only 4.8 points in 17.7 minutes played per game, but there is much more to expect from a player as smart as Ravena. He will be given more responsibilities and opportunities here at the Qualifiers for the Philippines.

Don't be surprised if he emerges as one of the biggest stars of this first window.

Familiar Face: Kim Jongkyu

With teams that haven't had recent Asia Cup appearances (Thailand, Indonesia) in Group A and the fact that the traditional powerhouses (Korea, Philippines) are bringing up fresh recruits, that doesn't leave many familiar Asia Cup faces around in the pool.

Kim Jongkyu might be one of the most recognizable Asia Cup names among all teams and he'll be expected to play a significant role for Korea in the Qualifiers as well. The 28-year-old Kim has already played in 4 Asia Cups, making his debut back in 2011 as a wide-eyed 20-year-old. He's collected three Asia Cup bronze medals since, playing in 34 games and collecting a total of 219 points to his name.

(Kim Jongkyu, FIBA Asia cup 2017)

As mentioned, Korea will most likely be without Ra Guna for the first window of the Qualifiers. Ra's absence means that Kim will need to step up and raise his level of play in the post as they go up against their opponents. In Korea's big win over Indonesia, Kim put up 12 points and 5 rebounds in a quick 18 minutes of action.

FIBA