Responsible for the draw of the groups for the first round of the Paris 2024 Olympic basketball tournament, will the Australian Penny Taylor and the three-time American Olympic champion Carmelo Anthony (2008, 2012, 2016) have a lucky hand for the Blues?
The draw takes place this Tuesday at 7 p.m. at FIBA headquarters in Mies, Switzerland.
Boris Diaw, the manager of the France team, will be on hand to represent the Blues.
Victor Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert and the French team will therefore know what awaits them at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, in the North, between July 27 and August 3 for the first round of the tournament.
Each team will play three matches.
We know 8 of the 12 qualified teams
The Olympic tournament will bring together 12 teams.
At this time we only know the first eight qualifiers: France (host country), Germany (world champion), Serbia for Europe;
the United States (Olympic champions), Canada for the American zone, Australia, Japan and South Sudan representing the African continent.
The last four guests will be known on July 7 at the end of the four qualifying tournaments (TQO) where 24 selections will try their luck.
Only the winner of each of them will come to France.
At home in Valencia, Spain, still number 2 in the world, should qualify.
In Riga, Latvia, winner of France at the World Cup, will start as favorites.
It will be more open in Puerto Rico between Italy and Lithuania and still very undecided in Athens where a ticket will be played between Greece and Slovenia.
The Olympic tournament will therefore be deprived of the Greek Giannis Antetokounmpo or the Slovenian Luka Doncic.
Three groups of four, France avoids the United States
Before the draw, the twelve teams are divided into 4 hats according to the FIBA world ranking.
Pot 1: United States, Germany and qualified from the Spanish TQO;
pot 2: Serbia, Australia and guest of the Riga TQO;
pot 3: Canada, France and qualified Puerto Rico;
finally, pot 4: Japan, Sudan and the winner of the Greek TQO.
The twelve teams will be drawn into 3 groups of 4.
In addition to the United States, which the Blues will not be able to meet, France is also certain to avoid Canada in the first round.
Automatically, the United States is placed in group C. France is destined for group A or B. This means that there will not be a France-United States in the first round.
The reason is simple: TV broadcasting.
The two nations must play in the evening and alternately.
This is impossible if they are in the same group.
This is moderately good news because it implies that the two nations can potentially meet in the quarter-finals at the Accor Arena in Paris.
When we know what Team USA is preparing with all the NBA stars from LeBron James to Stephen Curry to Kevin Durant, it is better to avoid crossing paths with the Americans too early.
Preparation for the very high level Games ⚔️
6 matches including 5 in France for Vincent Collet's players 👊
Registration for the ticket alert 👉 https://t.co/B3cuxAAvUA#TeamFranceBasket |
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— French Basketball Teams (@FRABasketball) January 15, 2024
The Blues will have a difficult group
Avoiding the United States will not prevent the Blues from facing one or even two big pieces in front of the 27,000 spectators at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium. The draw is organized according to the FIBA ranking and because of the World Cup fiasco 2023 (elimination in the first round), the Blues fell from 3rd to 9th place in the world.
They are therefore not protected when taking out the balls.
The United States (1st), Germany (3rd), Serbia (4th), Australia (5th), Latvia (6th) and Canada (7th) are higher ranked.
In each of the three groups, FIBA indicates that there will be two or even three European teams.
France will therefore not escape a duel on the sidelines against a neighbor which could be the Germany of Dennis Schröder or the formidable Serbia of Nikola Jokic.
Spain could also be on its way.
The worst possible draw would be this one with a group made up of Germany, Australia and the qualifier between Greece and Slovenia.
Fearsome!
In simulation, FIBA offers Germany to the Blues
In its simulation of the draw which is nothing other than an example, FIBA places France in group B along with Germany, Japan and the qualifier for the tournament in Riga which could be Latvia .
If this is what happens, France will not fare badly at all.
But it's just a simulation.
At the end of this group phase, the first two from each group and the two best third-placed teams will head to Paris for the final phase which will take place from Tuesday August 6 to Saturday August 10 at the Accor Arena.
Barring a colossal surprise and industrial accident, France will be there.
But it will be necessary to achieve a first flawless performance to avoid meeting the United States before the final.
Wembanyama against James for an Olympic gold medal: we are already dreaming of it.