Today's Manila OQT Games: Tuesday 5 July

MANILA (2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments) - Here are the two games to look forward to on the opening day of the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Manila, Philippines (click here to watch the games).

Turkey v Canada

This is the very first meeting ever between Turkey and Canada’s men’s teams at the world level. These are the two highest teams in Group A, and this game may well determine who ends up as the top seed from this group entering the next round. Canada may have a lot of NBA talent in their roster, but Turkey has a lot of size and experience in their fold. The Turks are fighting for respectability after not performing so well in Eurobasket 2015 (14th place), while the Canadians are hoping to return to form after they were upset by Venezuela in the semis of the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship.

France v Philippines

 
This is the first meeting of both teams since 2014, when they met in a pocket tournament in Antibes, France. Gilas Pilipinas lost in that game, 75-68, but they won a lot of respect as they hung tough and even led in the fourth quarter. Gilas hit 12 threes in that game, and they will have to shoot well again from long distance if they are to put up a stiff challenge against the French, who certainly have the bigger team. Les Bleus also have versatile players, and they will look to Tony Parker and Nando De Colo as their 1-2 punch.

FIBA