LBA - Libya 2009 Afrobasket: The real battle begin

TRIPOLI (Afrobasket 2009) - The numbers of countries participating in the 2009 edition of FIBA Africa Championship for Men holding in Libyan cities of Tripoli and Benghazi have further been prone down to the last eight from the sixteen that started the race on August 5.

The eight teams that made it to this stage of the championship have one goal that they are all gunning for getting thus far in the championship which will qualify the top three countries for Turkey 2010 FIBA World Championship and that is to be finish among the three nations that will fly Africa flag next year at the mundial.

The eight teams (Angola, Cameroon, Central Africa, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia) will try to outwit one another when the real battle begin at the Africa Union Hall in Tripoli while the rest four team (Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Rwanda) that fell by the way side out of the twelve that made it to the Eight-Final-Round are confine to play their classifications games in Benghazi also starting Thursday.

A look at each of the quarter-finals game

Angola against Central Africa Republic – Is the first quarter-final starting at 14.00 hours, the defending champion of the FIBA Africa Championship, Angola who has won the nine title nine times in the last ten editions missing out only in 1997 when Senegal hosted and won is gunning for a record tenth title and must be at its best to get past Romain Sato and his Central Africa teammates to get nearer realising the dream.

Angola who is the only team without a lose so far will really on the inside and calculative play of reigning most valuable player of the Africa Championship, Joaquim gomes to get things going.

The Central Africa Republic whose qualification to this stage was due to the hard work of Sato and maximum cooperation from his teammates must continue their progress after suffering some socked defeats especially at the preliminary stage to remain in contention.

Mali Vs Tunisia – 16.30hours - The Tunisian who surrender the top spot of group-F at the dying minutes of the Eight-Final-Round to Senegal will bring every weapon within its arsenal to curtail the rampaging Malian side who improve with every game in the quarter-final the second for the night.

Mali with a deep depth, young and skilful player who run down an opponent with its free flow basketball will be aiming to continue their progression toward picking a place for the 2010 Turkey party.

Nigeria Vs Cameroon – 19.00 hours – Cameroon finalist in 2007 will have its hands full against a hungry Nigerian side whose can match any opposition and sake off pressure from any opposition which saw them surviving Mali when both clash in the Eight-Final-Round.

Both one advantage the Cameroonian will have against Nigeria in Thursday quarter-final battle is that their coach, Joseph Toummou knows Nigeria basketball inside out having worked in Masai Ujiri Big-man camp and Top-50 camps in the last five years.

Pundits have dubbed the pairing the most explosive among the quarter-finals games on the billed in the 2009 FIBA Africa Championship and have refused to cast their ballot on any of the team.

Cote d’Ivoire vs. Senegal – 21.30 hours – Though Senegal is widely favoured in this game but with the inconsistency that has been associated with their games since the championship dunks-off August 5 leaves much to be desire as the Ivories side have a deep bench that can be used to their advantage.

Cote d’Ivoire whose last minutes strike saw them picking the last ticket in group-E is a side that is capable of springing surprises especially against a complacent side with Coach Rondoalo Dessarzin calling the shot from the side line.

FIBA Africa