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AfroBasket 2015 - Group B Preview

8/17/2015

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Reggie Moore (ANG) Lithuania vs Angola, 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, Gran Canaria (Spain), Day 2, Group phase

TUNIS (AfroBasket 2015) - AfroBasket 2015 is just around the corner so here is a look at the four teams making up Group B and their chances in the tournament, which runs from 19-30 August in Rades, Tunisia.

Group B will be a familiar territory for Angola, Morocco and Senegal as they have faced each other at least once in the last two editions of Africa's flagship event, while Mozambique will play Senegal for the first time since 2005.


Senegal left a very good impression at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain and have established this year's AfroBasket as a continuation of their path to continental glory.

The only team in the group that has beaten Angola in recent years (2011), Senegal's athleticism, confidence as well as height are some of their main assets, and should be detrimental for opponents.

This past weekend, in Spain, the Senegalese beat African champions Angola 82-77 to complete a 3-0 sweep over AfroBasket opponents, having previously beaten Cape Verde and Mali in Dakar.

On Saturday, Angola led by as many as 14 points, but Senegal's Gorgui Dieng, who played the entire 40 minutes, took over later in the game to finish with game-highs of 32 points and 10 rebounds.

The winners of AfroBasket 1997 will begin the tournament against Morocco on 20 August, while Angola will square off against Mozambique earlier in the day.

At first glance, Senegal appears to be the strongest team in the group having kept most of their roster from Spain 2014, but they will need to live up to their reputation as favourites, especially as they have a tendency for failing at critical moments of the competition.

A couple of years ago, Senegal upset Nigeria in the Quarter-Finals, but against all odds fell to Egypt in the Semi-Finals before beating hosts Cote d'Ivoire in the Third-Place Game.

Both Senegal and Angola are legitimate title contenders not based only on their history, but also because of the quality of their rosters.

Although the Angolans may be missing some key elements, they seem to be ready for the fight.

Senegal and Angola will face one another on Day 3.

Judging by the speech of Morocco's newly-appointed head coach Toni Vujanic, his team shouldn't be taken lightly.

He acknowledged that they are underdogs who can become big dogs. He even hinted the possibility of reaching the Semi-Finals.

It remains to be seen whether or not, head coach Inaki Garcia is capable of helping his Mozambique team reach the Quarter-Finals, which should be their best result ever.

The winner of the tournament will claim Africa's only direct qualification spot for next year's Olympics in Rio.

Teams that finish 2nd, 3rd and 4th  will get to take part in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments (OQTs).

The competition will be played in a round robin format, with every team taking on its three opponents in its respective group.

By: FIBA.com
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