Coming off a rousing start at the FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament, Team Canada guns for a 2-0 slate and the top spot of Group A against African powerhouse Senegal in the first game of Wednesday's double-header at the Mall of Asia Arena in the Philippines.
What's at stake:
Canada - For the Canadians, a win against Senegal will give them a top spot in Group A, thus avoiding any team coming on top of Group B - which is many expected to be the star-studded France.
There's no doubt that Canada has the weapons to go toe-to-toe with the Frenchmen, although it would be smart to reserve all their big guns until the final game of this blitz tournament.
Senegal - the African nation, on the other hand, will try to pull off an upset against one of the tournament's favorite. Senegal would have punched a ticket to Rio Olympics few months ago had not Nigeria come through with big plays down the stretch in their continental championship.
Now, the Senegalese are facing a daunting task of qualifying, with Canada and Turkey all their group. Senegal has to play a perfect game in order to stop the Canadians athleticism and running game. Of course, it's going to be a huge task, but Senegal has the personnel to accomplish the mission.
Prediction:
Canada enters the fray as the favorite over Senegal. Still, this isn't going to be a walk in the park for Tristan Thompson, Cory Joseph and the rest of Team Canada. Building an early lead is key to victory because they cannot afford to have a tight match down the stretch, not against this battle-tested Senegal team. In the end, I have Canada winning by 20 points, 85-65.
Broadcast Details:
Live Stream - FIBA OQT Live Stream & Replay: Philippines 'Gilas Pilipinas' vs. New Zealand - Start Time, Box Scores, Prediction
Canada vs. Senegal will start at 6:30 a.m US ET/ 6.30 p.m Phil time. Watch the game live on TV5 and BT Sports, while Sports5.ph, FIBA OQT Stream and Sports Stream provide online streaming. Boxscores of the match are available on FIBA OQT boxscores and stats.