NEWCASTLE (Paul Nilsen's Women's Basketball Worldwide) - The dust is yet to settle on the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2021 Draw, but there were some early winners and losers.

It's always difficult to judge when a competition is more than three months way and so much water is still to flow under the bridge. Perhaps even more so during these unprecedented coronavirus times.

With this in mind, here's my take on who had reason to cheer and who has reason to be unhappy with how the cookie crumbled.

The Fans - Winners

In my opinion, this is the most balanced set of groups that I can ever remember at this prestigious event. So often, we have had a real 'Group of Death' and sometimes arguably two. This time, I get the sense that the seed pots and the luck of the draw had handed us the potential to have the best Group Phase in a long, long time - and maybe ever. I would also support my gut feeling by pointing out that almost every coach and player reacted by saying, 'the draw could have been better, but could have also been worse' - or words to that effect.

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Losers

I think out of any team, Bosnia and Herzegovina have been handed the most difficult task. That is not to say they can't, or won't win at the Final Round. This kind of column is made for the purpose of nations like Bosnia and Herzegovina to ram my words back down my throat and prove me wrong. However, getting Belgium, Slovenia and Turkey is extremely difficult. I say this because all teams have the capability to move the ball quickly and have a strength in the backcourt and wings that Bosnia and Herzegovina could really struggle with. And they might need to win that battle to feed their impressive frontcourt rotation. Some 'uglier' teams basketball-wise that they could slug it out against, might have suited them better.

Co-hosts - Winners

Both France and Spain could barely have asked for a kinder draw. The co-hosts will still have to respect their opponents, but each have a tremendous opportunity to get any nerves out of the way and off to a strong start. Spain should be able to gather momentum against Sweden, Belarus and Slovakia, with France facing Russia, Czech Republic and Croatia. The depth alone of Spain and especially France means a combined 6-0 record is surely a lock. Anything less would be a surprise for me. Although basketball is played on the hardwood, not on paper and we regularly see theory blow up in our faces.

Belarus - Losers

This could be the last dance for Belarus for many years - maybe even a generation. Does that sound dramatic and familiar? Probably. I tipped the 2019 Final Round to be their last for a long time, but they have done it again and managed to qualify which is a huge credit to them. However, they have some veteran players who might struggle to continue pulling out near miracles. I think Spain, the energetic Sweden and battling Slovakia could prevent Belarus from advancing. Remember, they bowed out at the first hurdle two years ago as well.

Greece - Winners

As we know, they famously sealed the last remaining ticket during the Qualifiers in the most epic fashion. Now, after this draw they can truly believe that they have a tremendous opportunity to win two games. While Serbia might be very difficult, Greece should be licking their lips in anticipation at facing Montenegro and Italy. Yes, they could finish 0-3 and I am not predicting anything right now, but they could also finish 2-1. I don't see a lot between Italy, Montenegro and Greece in what looks like a real dogfight. 

Paul Nilsen

FIBA

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