ULAANBAATAR (Mongolia) - Expect fireworks on Friday when the eight remaining teams duke it out in the FIBA U16 Asia Cup 2025 Quarter-Finals as they all fight for something far bigger than continental glory.
Fans and observers alike are eager to see which of the competing squads will advance to the Semi-Finals, as it would also mean booking a trip to the prestigious FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup next year in Turkey.
Four tickets are allocated for Asia en route to the biennial global tilt that commenced in 2010 and that's precisely the reason why many are anticipating an all-out battle among the participants at the MBank Arena.
The Quarter-Finals begin at 11:30 local time, with reigning three-time champions Australia looking to overcome Korea to keep their hopes of creating unprecedented history in this tournament very much alive.
Aside from keeping their unblemished streak of U17 World Cup appearances, the Crocs are gunning for a fourth straight U16 Asia Cup title, which if they do would make them the most successful team in the tourney.
But standing in their way are the Koreans, who are hungry to win another gold after winning their first and lone back in 2015 - they were the last team to rule the meet before the Aussies' reign of dominance.
Adding to their motivation is the fact that they haven't reached the U17 contest since 2016 in Spain, in which they actually finished as the best Asian team at eighth after accumulating a 3-4 record overall.
Battling it out at 14:00 will be New Zealand and Iran, with much of the attention drawn on the former as some are watching out if they would be able to return all the way to the Final and better their finish from 2023.
The Junior Tall Blacks settled for silver behind Australia two years ago although that serves as an achievement in itself, for it was still an improvement from their bronze-medal finishes in 2017 and in 2022.
But of course, nothing's bigger than winning the gold itself and that's what they hope to accomplish this time, first by overcoming a young Team Melli although the latter is also armed with lots of motivation.
The Iranians are aching to return to the Semi-Finals, for they haven't done so since copping bronze during the 2009 inaugurals in Malaysia. They have yet to set foot into the U17 World Cup and that serves as a fuel, too.
Three-time champions China, meanwhile, will look to make another deep run when they face Bahrain at 16:30 in what should be a tight encounter between a traditional powerhouse and a dangerous side.
Third-placers in 2023, the Chinese have been on a roll and in fact barged into the Quarter-Finals with a clean 3-0 record but keeping their slate intact on the way to the Semi-Finals could be easier said than done.
That's because they'll be taking on a Bahraini side that's been impressive in the tilt thus far. After losing to the Crocs on opening day, the team has now won thrice in a row to book a maiden final eight appearance.
Playing at 19:00 to cap off the quadruple-header would be three-time medalists Japan and 2013 runners-up Chinese Taipei in an all-East Asia bout in which the latter is hoping to keep their mastery of the former.
Both squads have already met a total of six times in past editions of the competition, and Chinese Taipei have the edge coming into their rematch as they have notched a quartet of wins in their head-to-head.
Needless to say, the Japanese would want to trim down that deficit, which if they do so would also mean another Semi-Final trip and give themselves a shot at returning to the Big Dance after doing so back in 2022.
FIBA