Julius NWOSU (NGR)

"We're going to the game with a puncher's chance. We have to avoid making mistakes and try to find ways to put Argentina under pressure. We can't let them get out to a comfortable lead and relax. The higher seeds usually feel they have to play hard and the others have nothing to lose. The expectations are not sitting on our shoulders. For us, this is a new tournament. We have to give them the toughest game they've ever had. We're always most successful when we get it done with many hands.
New Zealand coach Tab Baldwin on his team's approach against Argentina.

"We're here. But we're not satisfied just being here. There's a lot we need to do. We have to play the best basketball we can to win. We especially have to rebound the ball on the defensive end. And we have to take our opportunities and use them."
New Zealand power forward Pero Cameron about what the team needs to do to beat Argentina.

"It started a week ago and some very good teams are going home, so we're happy to be here. And I think it would be wrong to say that the tournament starts now. It wasn't easy to get here, believe me"
German coach Dirk Bauermann when asked if he thinks the FIBA World Championship starts in earnest now.

"Anybody who can beat the defending champions and finish ahead of them in the first group can't be that bad."
Bauermann on next opponents Nigeria.

"They are a very good team, they improve every year. They don't have a couple of guys with them like Obinna Ekezie. So that helps us a little bit. Physically they're unbelievable. They're very strong under the basket, very athletic and now with the new coach it looks like they're very organised. So it's going to be a very hard game. So we better bring our best basketball."
German swingman and captain Ademola Okulaja about his Round of 16 opponent Nigeria.

"I was born in Nigeria. It's the first time I play against Nigeria. But it's nothing but friendship. My first goal is to win the game, so I can't think about that."
Okulaja about his Nigerian roots, which include him being born in Nigeria before moving when he was three years old to Berlin, which he still calls his hometown.

"Right now I only had six hours of sleep. It's been a long trip. So right now I'm just thinking about my body."
Okulaja about the trip from Hiroshima to Saitama.

"So far so good but we need a couple of victories in order to reach the semi-finals because once you reach that point, one plays with more calmness. We are not thinking about Team USA at all, we would only meet them in the final and before that we would have to win three very complicated games."
Argentina power forward Luis Scola knows the road to the final is still far away

"It's important for us to win against Slovenia in order to continue dreaming. Our good tournament so far confirms that FIBA made a good choice to give us a wild card but not only for us, also with Italy and Serbia & Montenegro."
Turkey coach Bogdan Tanjevic is riding high after his team's fantastic performance in Group C

"Personally, I've had a terrible tournament shooting but shooters go through that and we have to try and pick ourselves up. I have another chance tomorrow against Argentina."
Things can only get better for New Zealand shooting guard Phill Jones

"There is an important reason for us to beat Lithuania because if we do we will be given more modems. Right now we have only been given seven and we knock Lithuania out, we will get 14."
Lack of technology at team's hotel will further motivate Italy to beat Lithuania says coach Carlo Recalcati

"This arena is really impressive, it's nice, unbelievable, not even in America have I seen anything like it. I'm sure when it's packed it must be very nice."
Slovenia captain Rasho Nesterovic after stepping on the hard wood at the State of the Art Saitama Arena

"People back home are really proud of what we are achieving here in Japan."
Slovenia coach Ales Pipan on the support received back home after his team qualified for the first time in their history to the knock-out round of the FIBA World Championship

"People back home are a little bit disappointed... I don't think they appreciate that we are here, they think we are some big team like USA."

Where is the love? Slovenia captain Rasho Nesterovic wonders

"If Germany come out a bit flat after their triple overtime win over Angola, we'll definitely try and take advantage of that. We're going to put everything we have in this game."
Nigeria's Julius Nwosu is ready for the second round encounter.

"It's huge for all the African kids growing up and playing basketball to see two African countries making it to the second round. it shows how much basketball has improved on the continent in recent years."
Nwosu stresses how important it is for Angola and Nigeria to be in the second round of the competition.

"Due to the circumstances, it seemed the best starting five was to have me as a point guard and some of the scorers on the wing. But it doesn't really matter to me. I've played a bit of point guard everywhere I've been and even though my natural position is shooting guard I'm ready to do whatever is needed to help the team. I've no problem playing that role and in the last game we were able to get everyone involved and get a big win."
Guard Ime Udoka talks of having to play out of position as a makeshift point guard for Nigeria.

"It would definitely be huge to reach the last eight. It's great that we are here but also that Angola made it through. It shows the African continent is doing well and getting through to the quarter final round would mean that we're in the top eight in the world and that would definitely be a great result."
Udoka looks at what a win against Germany would mean for a nation and a whole continent.

"We're excited to be here. We were able to get our best win of the tournament (a 95-72 win over Lebanon) at the right time and now we look forward to this game and trying to continue to get better."
Nigeria head coach Sam Vincent likes his team's form going into the second round.

"I've scouted him enough to know that he's an incredible player. I know he's a 7-footer who can shoot the ball, knock down threes and he's done that all season long for the Dallas Mavericks. So it's going to be tough to play him but we'll come out and play him tough and and see if we can double-team him. If not, we'll find other ways to contain him."
Vincent talks of how he will try to slow down Dirk Nowitzki.

"I think that our team has been able to bond through this experience. We have been together and got closer in the tough times we had early on. But I think just going through the games and trying to get to know one another and that last win has really allowed us to grow a lot. I hope the bonding that's taken place will be enough to carry us through the next game."
Vincent explains how Nigeria's team chemistry has improved over the group stages.

FIBA