Round of 16 set to tip off at AfroBasket 2015

RADES (AfroBasket 2015) - The battle to clinch places for the Quarter-Final stages of AfroBasket 2015 tips off on Tuesday in Rades, Tunisia, with eight teams aiming to get past the first knockout round of the Final Phase.

A thorough look at the teams taking to the court makes it clear that a few have bigger chances of finishing the day celebrating, while others will be confined to playing in the Classification Round the rest of the way.

Egypt v Zimbabwe
The Round of 16 will begin with Egypt, who won Group C as a result of their three wins in as many games , taking on AfroBasket debutants Zimbabwe, who lost all their three contests in Group D.

The Egyptians, who came to the tournament with the second youngest team - after Mali - advanced to the Final Phase thanks to wins over Cameroon, Gabon and Mali.

They are making the most of their effective bench and averaging 78 points per game should be a major boost against a Zimbabwean side who score 61 points per game.

The North Africans are clearly favourites to move on to the Quarter-Finals, but Egypt's men will need to deal with Vitalis Chikoko's athleticism near the basket. After all, Chikoko ranks fourth among all players in field-goal shooting (55.6 percent).

It will be the first time these two teams face each other in AfroBasket competition.

Angola v Central African Republic (CAF)
In the second game of the day, African reigning champions Angola will take to the court less than 24 hours after conceding a heartbreaking 74-73 defeat to Senegal.

They will square off against the Central African Republic (CAF), who beat Uganda and lost to two title contenders Tunisia and Nigeria in the Group Phase.

It remains to be seen whether or not the Angolans will be capable of responding positively after finishing second in Group B behind Senegal.

Carlos Morais, the team's leading scorer, remains CAF main threat.

Angola's long-range shooting should concern CAF given the fact that they average the second highest percentage (33.8 percent) behind Nigeria.

On the other hand, Angola may need to stop CAF's main weapon: their fast-break.

As long as the Angolans can bounce back physically and mentally from Monday's defeat to Senegal, they should be able to reach the Quarter-Finals.

Cote d'Ivoire v Mali
The third game two Western African teams will face off.

Cote d'Ivoire, the team that finished second in Group D as a result of their two wins and a defeat, face Mali who only managed one victory in Group C.

Judging by what both teams did in the Group Phase, this should be an intriguing match-up considering their similarities.

Souleyman Diabate, Cote d'Ivoire's leading scorer and inspirational leader, should remain as impactful for the 'Elephants', and may, at times, see Waly Coulibaly cross his way.

Back in July, Mali and Cote d'Ivoire faced each other twice during the preparations in Abidjan, with the teams claiming one win each.

However, since then, the Ivoirians have turned up in Tunisia with a completely different roster.

The result could go either way, although Mali appear to present a few more scoring options.

Tunisia v Morocco
In the day's last game, hosts Tunisia, who dominated their Group Phase and finished with a 3-0 mark, look to continue their quest to reclaim the continental title they won four years ago when they play regional rivals Morocco.

The Moroccans showed a lot of competitiveness throughout the Group Phase, and pushed Angola and Senegal to play their very best.

They are yet to win a game in the tournament, and facing the local favourites in front of their home crowd should be a challenge for the ages, as it has been for any team facing Tunisia.

Tunisia head coach Adel Tlatli should be prepared to stop Morocco's leading scorer Abdelhakim Zouita. 

If they succeed, then they make their lives a lot easier in the series.

The other eight teams will compete in Wednesday's four remaining Round of 16 games.

FIBA