Semi-Finals Preview: Who’s making the Final in Turkiye?

ISTANBUL (Turkiye) – Dreams of making it to Paris 2024 are on the line for the last four teams standing as they chase the one ticket on offer to the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments next year.

Here is a guide of everything you need to know about Friday’s Semi-Finals as we head into the business end of the Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in the famous city of Istanbul. 

Croatia vs Ukraine (16:00 CET; 17:00 local)

Unbeaten Croatia expectedly qualified as the top team in Group D, while Ukraine prevailed as Group C’s second team with a 2-1 record after wins over Iceland and Bulgaria. 

Croatia edged Ukraine in a tight contest 90-85 at last year’s EuroBasket, but both teams – especially Ukraine – will look quite different. 

Key Matchups

The chemistry between Croatia’s NBA players Dario Saric and Ivica Zubac has been off the charts. Such a gifted playmaker, Saric has been superbly setting up the powerful Zubac, who has often been in perfect position in the paint to score. Vyacheslav Bobrov will likely be matched up against Saric and will need to defend him closely to limit his talismanic influence. 

X-factor

For Ukraine to produce an upset, they will need to shoot well from deep. Both teams are averaging 27 three-point attempts per game in the tournament with Croatia shooting at slightly better accuracy. Ukraine’s most impressive performance was against Iceland, with their 82-69 win fuelled by a sizzling 11 of 23 from deep. They’ll need a big game from sharpshooter Oleksandr Kovliar, who is nailing 43% of his almost 8 three-point attempts per game. 

Stats Don’t Lie

Led by Saric, Croatia are averaging the most assists per game (25.3) – and the least turnovers (10.7). Ukraine, however, have the most turnovers per game (17.7), so taking care of the ball will be pivotal.  

Did You Know:

Since independence, Ukraine have never been able to qualify for the Olympic Games. 

Turkiye vs Sweden (19:00 CET; 20:00 local)

Host Tukriye rolled through Group C with an average winning margin of 26 points, while Sweden emerged the hard way by outlasting Belgium in a thriller. The teams split FIBA EuroBasket 2022 Qualifiers, but will both look vastly different here. 

Key Matchups

Turkiye have dominated in the interior through NBA big men Alperen Sengun and Omer Yurtseven, who have combined for 29 points and 16 rebounds per game. Sweden are more of a finesse team who like to run and gun, so it will be a clash of style. There will be a lot of pressure on Nicholas Spires, Denzel Andersson and Adam Ramstedt to limit the imposing frontcourt of Sengun and Yurtseven.

X-Factor

Sweden shot the three-ball more than any other team in the group stages – a whopping 33 on average which is 11 more than Turkiye. It’s obviously a potential way for them to outscore their favored opponent, who on offense like to dump it down low to their star big men. 

Stats Don’t Lie

Dynamic Sweden guard  Elijah Clarance was the leading scorer overall in the group phase, averaging 19.3 points per game. Sweden runs a lot of offense through him with Clarance averaging 19.3 shots per game in just 27.8 minutes. But he’s shooting only 37.9% from the floor and 27% on three from 7.3 attempts per game. He either has to fire or Sweden needs a healthier spread to cause a major upset. 

Did You Know

Turkiye have a proud basketball history having finished second at the FIBA EuroBasket 2001 and FIBA World Cup 2010. But they have not reached an Olympic games since 1952, while Sweden’s sole appearance was in 1980. 

FIBA