FIBA Americas: Canada knows task ahead in round 2
Top two teams from tourney will earn Olympic berths
Team Canada knows exactly what they are facing as the second round of the FIBA Americas qualifying tournament begins Sunday in Mexico City with a game against Panama.
They know the schedule they will encounter in the second round with games against Panama, Uruguay, Mexico and Dominican Republic on four consecutive days. They know they must advance to the semi-finals and win that game on September 11 to become one of two teams to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Brazil, as host team, has an automatic spot in Rio even though they finished last in their group at FIBA Americas.
After a seven-point loss to Argentina in their tournament opener, Canada reeled off victories over Cuba, Venezuela and Puerto Rico, to place second in group B in the first round. Now they face each of the top four Group A teams and carry over a 2-1 record into the second round. All results against Cuba (Canada won 101-59) were dropped as Cuba was knocked out by finishing last in the group.
Canada led the tournament in scoring with 328 points in the first round, but the young team had some uneven performances.
"Every game means something now because there could be tiebreakers involved, "Canadian head coach Jay Triano told The Toronto Star. "Everybody's in the mix. One loss can throw you into a scramble where you're now tied with three teams and the point spreads come in."
It's expected that three more wins, added to the pair in the first round, would be enough to get Canada into the semi-finals.
They'll need standout performances from 2015 National Basketball Association rookie of the year Andrew Wiggins who leads the team in scoring, averaging 15 points a game, tied for sixth-best in the tournament.
Panama, Canada's first opponent in the second round, enters at 1-2, having beaten Uruguay, while losing to Mexico and Dominican Republic.
Uruguay, Monday's opponent, is 0-3, having only defeated Cuba, a result not carried over.
Mexico, on tap for Tuesday is 3-0, the only team with an unblemished record in the tournament, other than Argentina.
The round concludes Wednesday with Canada meeting Dominican Republic which carries a 2-1 record.
The top four teams after the second round will meet in the semi-finals, 1 vs 4, 2 vs. 3. The semi-final winners then earn a trip to the 2016 Rio Olympics.