Olympic Games: Spain eliminated, Serbia-Sudan match to determine Greece's quarterfinal qualification

Olympic Games: Spain eliminated, Serbia-Sudan match to determine Greece’s quarterfinal qualification

Canada defeated Spain 88-85, sending them home and securing Australia the 2nd place and Greece the 3rd. What result does the Greek National Basketball Team need in the Serbia-Sudan match to advance to the Olympic quarterfinals?

Canada, already secure in their standing, decisively defeated Spain, knocking them out of the competition. Spain paid dearly for their 12-point loss to Australia in the Olympic opener.

In the final game of Rudy Fernandez’s illustrious career, the Spaniards, needing only a win to continue, attempted a dramatic comeback in the last period. However, Llull’s desperation three-pointer from half-court missed, ending the game at 88-85 and sending Spain home. Australia secured the second spot, and Greece awaits tomorrow’s outcome of the Serbia-South Sudan match.

Qualification Scenarios

Greece kept their quarterfinal hopes alive after a nail-biting 77-71 win over Australia. However, the +6 point differential was not enough to secure their spot today.

Having done their part, Greece now hopes for a favorable result from Serbia, who also need a win, against South Sudan. Interestingly, there’s a wild scenario where South Sudan could still help Greece advance.

Both Serbia and South Sudan have one win and one loss, with the winner securing the second place behind the USA (theoretically leading to an easier matchup in the next round). If Serbia wins by three points or more against South Sudan, Greece and Brazil will complete the quarterfinal lineup. This is because South Sudan currently has a -6 point differential, and Greece has -8, so Greece would have the better record.

Here are the current third-place standings in each group:

Group A, Greece: -8
Group B, Brazil: -7
Group C, South Sudan: -6

Another scenario that sends Greece to the quarterfinals is if Serbia wins by a 2-point margin, provided South Sudan scores no more than 57 points (to not surpass Greece’s total points scored).

The extreme scenario involves South Sudan beating Serbia by 23 points or more, which would eliminate Jokic and his team (currently at +15, only such a heavy loss would knock them out).

Teams Qualified for the Quarterfinals

So far, six countries have secured their spots in the Olympic quarterfinals: USA, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, and Brazil. The remaining two spots are being contested by Serbia, South Sudan, and Greece.

If Greece manages to qualify, they will face either the USA, France, or Germany (the France-Germany match result will be crucial).

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