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AP Photo/Michael Conroy Germany forward Johannes Thiemann (32) falls into Latvia forward Andrejs Gražulis (24) as he takes the ball during the Basketball World Cup quarterfinal between Germany and Latvia in Manila, Philippines, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023.
AP
11:25 JST, September 7, 2023
Another order of business from the Basketball World Cup is complete. All seven automatic berths into next year’s Paris Olympics have been handed out.
Germany and Serbia owe Canada a bit of a thank-you.
Those European nations will finish as the top two teams from that continent in the World Cup, and that means they’re headed to the Olympics. Those spots were secured when Canada beat Slovenia in the last of four quarterfinal games on Wednesday night.
The two best European teams in the tournament receive automatic berths; they went to Germany and Serbia after those nations made the semifinals. The two best teams from the Americas Region also get tickets to Paris; those spots went to the U.S. and Canada, both also semifinalists.
The other automatic berths went to Australia (Oceania), Japan (Asia) and South Sudan (Africa). The last four spots will be earned in tournaments — four separate events, six teams in each tournament, winner take all — in July 2024, ending about three weeks before the Olympics begin.
SCHEDULE
Thursday
Consolation playoffs: Italy vs. Latvia, 4:45 a.m. EDT; Lithuania vs. Slovenia, 8:30 a.m. EDT.
Friday
Semifinals: Serbia vs. Canada, 4:45 a.m. EDT; USA vs. Germany, 8:40 a.m. EDT.
HOW TO WATCH THE BASKETBALL WORLD CUP
—In the U.S.: The U.S. semifinal matchup against Germany will be aired on ESPN2, with the broadcast beginning at 8:30 a.m. EDT on Friday.
— There are streaming options for all games.
BETTING GUIDE
The U.S. remains in the favorite role, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
The Americans’ odds after beating Italy in the quarterfinals were listed at minus-180 (meaning a $180 wager on the Americans would return $280 total, if they won the gold medal). Canada remained the second choice in the betting at plus-360 (a $100 wager would return $360), followed by Germany (plus-850) and Serbia (plus-1,100).
The U.S. was quickly installed as a 10.5-point favorite over Germany for Friday’s semifinal. Canada opened as a 4.5-point favorite over Serbia.
WHAT TO KNOW
What you need to know about the Basketball World Cup, and the U.S. road to getting here:
— U.S. rolls past Italy to make World Cup semifinals
—A preview of the World Cup quarterfinals
— U.S. falls to Lithuania to close second-round play
— Anthony Edwards talks the talk, and more than backs it up for the U.S.
— U.S. rallies past Montenegro to open play in Round 2
—Early U.S. wins: U.S. runs past Jordan to finish perfect in opening group play, U.S. beats Greece in second game, U.S. tops New Zealand in opening game
— The Americans are using lots of depth to their advantage
— For Erik Spoelstra, this trip to Manila is very much like a homecoming
UP NEXT
Quarterfinal-round losers will play Thursday. Semifinals are Friday. Games to decide fifth and seventh place are Saturday, and the gold- and bronze-medal games are Sunday.
STAT OF THE DAY
Germany’s Dennis Schroder missed 22 shots in 30 minutes of playing time in his team’s win over Latvia in Wednesday’s quarterfinals. He had missed 22 shots in his last 100 minutes of playing time over Germany’s last four games entering the day.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“It’s kind of weird, of course.” — Latvia coach Luka Banchi, an Italian, who will coach against Italy in the World Cup consolation playoffs on Thursday.
