Final Preview: Will Bosnia and Herzegovina or Poland claim coveted OQT ticket?

GLIWICE (Poland) - The precious FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2024 ticket is one the line when Bosnia and Herzegovina and Poland go head to head meet in a mouth-watering Final on Sunday in Gliwice.

Here is a guide of everything you need to know about the winner-takes-all matchup at the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament

Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Poland

 At the starting grid of this 2023 FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Poland stood up as the main favorites to go all the way until the showpiece game in Gliwice. However, being put in the same Group meant one of them losing was the only option when facing each other in the fight for supremacy. Poland got the upper hand first, but what will happen now?

Following the two convincing victories respectively against surprise package Estonia and first-seeded Israel, both Poland and Bosnia and Herzegovina will now battle to stay on the Road to Paris. The former has not visited an Olympics since 1980, while the latter has never played on such a fascinating stage and in order to have an opportunity to potentially change history, victory is a must.

Key matchups

After what we saw on the glass in the Semi-Finals clash between Israel and Bosnia and Herzegovina, it will once again be a matter of dominating the paint for the Balkan nation to keep dreaming about the Olympic Games.

Polish standout Aleksander Balcerowski will find two high-level colleagues on the other side of the floor in Jusuf Nurkic and Luka Garza, while Mateusz Ponitka and Dzanan Musa will square off to establish who’s the better ball handler, scorer, and creator among the two.

X-Factor

What was the crucial difference between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Poland during their Group B clash in Gameday 2? The respective three-point shooting percentages. The ballers in yellow and blue experienced a rough night by banking only 7 of 36 (19.4%) from long-range, while the hosts had a way more solid 14 of 32 (43.8%).

Recording 10 or more shots from beyond the arc than inside the area, Aziz Bekir’s team didn’t find success. It makes perfect sense to say that the ticket for the 2024 Olympic Qualifying Tournaments belongs to those who will find the right balance in shot selection - and a perhaps bit more luck from outside.

Stats don’t lie

It's not a big surprise considering that Bosnia and Herzegovina surpassed 100 points against Hungary, but the Dragons have been the best-scoring team in the whole 2023 FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Poland-Estonia with 87.3 points per game.

Who stands right behind them? You got it right! It's Poland, with 84.8 points per game. Moreover, these are the two best teams at shooting the basketball from the field - sat with 48.1 percent in first and 46.3 percent in second spot. It could certainly be fun seeing all those buckets dropping in this showpiece game if the trend continues.

Did you know?

Alongside Estonia with Sander Raieste, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Poland are the only teams whose players have recorded double-doubles in the competition. Jusuf Nurkic and Luka Garza have accomplished the feat twice each, and Mateusz Ponitka once.

FIBA