FIBA World Basketball Championship Preview - Group B

Basketball Betting Lines

08/25/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -

Country: Brazil

FIBA Ranking: 14

Head Coach: Ruben Magnano

Key Players: Leandro Barbosa, Anderson Varejao, Tiago Splitter

Overview: Under the guidance of new head coach Ruben Magnano, who had previously led Argentina to a silver at the 2002 FIBA World Championship and a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics, the nation most known for its soccer exploits will look to cash in on what some have called to be a golden generation of talent and try to regain its all-world form they used to have between the mid- fifties to the late seventies.

Strengths: Brazil has the ability to score inside-out thanks to the skills of Splitter in the paint and the perimeter talent of Barbosa. On top of that, they can also defend their own basket effectively, particularly on the inside - evidenced by the fact that they were the best defensive team in the 2009 FIBA Americas tournament.

Weaknesses: Despite being named best defensive team in last year's FIBA Americas Championship, Brazil's main weakness is on the defensive end of the floor. Its interior defense is exceptional, but they run into problems defending the perimeter properly, mainly due to its undersized guards that have difficulty defending shots by taller backcourt players.

Tournament Expectations: Brazil will more than likely be in a battle with Croatia for second place in Group B and they have a good shot at claiming that spot. With the way the draws in the knockout stages are predicted to go, the Brazilians should be expected to at least make it out of the round of 16.

Country: Croatia

FIBA Ranking: 15

Head Coach: Josip Vrankovic

Key Players: Roko Ukic, Ante Tomic

Overview: Croatia has seen a resurgence of its basketball might of late. After claiming a bronze medal at the 1994 FIBA World Championship, the European nation's basketball level dropped until its revival at the 2008 Olympics and EuroBasket 2009 (both sixth-place finishes). These two small successes have them hungry to go for its second FIBA World Championship medal.

Strengths: Much like legendary Croatian player Drazen Petrovic, this team can shoot the ball exceptionally well. Its main offense comes from the perimeter, both from beyond the arc and a few steps inside the line. This main offensive threat also compliments the finesse inside game that a lot of its big men like to play, taking and making shots from the high post.

Weaknesses: They have a talented, but inexperienced front court. Other teams that are more physical up front will be able to bully the Croatian bigs and take them out of their comfort zone.

Tournament Expectations: Croatia should be expected to at least make it to the round of 16. What happens after that really depends on where they finish in its group and given the predicted way the draws are shaping up, there sees a much more favorable matchup for the second place finisher as opposed to the third place one.

Country: Iran

FIBA Ranking: 21

Head Coach: Veselin Matic

Key Players: Hamed Haddadi, Arsalan Kazemi

Overview: Led by head coach Veselin Matic, who previously had coached the Polish national team, Iran saw great success immediately by defending its FIBA Asia Championship title last year. The Iranians will look to build on that success by making it to the knockout round of the world championship.

Strengths: One way to describe Iran is big. Up front they have three players who are six-foot-11 and over. These big men are complimented by an overall toughness and commitment to defense that every player on the team relishes.

Weaknesses: Another way to describe Iran is undersized. Out on the perimeter, its players are all too small for the positions they play, thus they will struggle to get quality looks over taller defenders, and can easily be overpowered by stronger, more athletic guards on defense.

Tournament Expectations: Iran will be in a tough fight with Slovenia for a shot at advancing past the group stage. With the top three spots most likely going to the United States, Brazil and Croatia, expect Iran to be on the bubble and competing for that fourth and final advancing spot in group B.

Country: Tunisia

FIBA Ranking: 43

Head Coach: Adel Tlatli

Key Player: Amine Rzig

Overview: This will be the first time Tunisia has ever participated in the FIBA World Championship after earning a berth with a bronze medal performance in the 2009 FIBA Africa Championship.

Strengths: Star guard Rzig can fill it up in a hurry thanks to his outside scoring touch. However, the team's real strength lies in head coach Tlatli, who is with his second stint with the national team and has even so far as to stopping the country's semi-pro league to give the national team more practice time. He is seen as an ambassador of Tunisian basketball and his influence on the team cannot be overstated.

Weaknesses: This is a very short roster. Tunisia will be eaten up in the low post, and will have a very difficult time defending any position one-on-one because of its height disadvantage. To make matters worse, its one true big is very inexperienced and will most likely be dealing with things on the floor he has never seen before.

Tournament Expectations: The 2010 FIBA World Championship will be a memorable one for Tunisia simply because it will be the nation's first appearance at the tournament. That will be the only good memory for the small African nation at the tournament, however, as they will more than likely finish last in the group and will probably struggle to win any of their games.

Country: Slovenia

FIBA Ranking: 20

Head Coach: Memi Becirovic

Key Players: Goran Dragic, Bostjan Nachbar

Overview: Slovenia lost a few key players in Beno Udrih, who decided to quit the team because of playing time gripes, and Erazem Lorbek. Despite the setbacks, they do have enough talent to make them a threat in the tournament.

Strengths: Pretty much all of their big men are the versatile type and are capable of posting up and stepping behind the arc to nail a three-pointer. In addition to the danger that its front court presents out on the outside, the Slovenian guards are lights-out shooters from just about anywhere on the floor, making this team very dangerous offensively.

Weaknesses: Since most of their big men are so versatile, the Slovenians lack some of the strength needed to compete in the post defensively. Teams with stronger big men will be able to pound them upfront and cause problems such as foul trouble, and offensive rebounding opportunities.

Tournament Expectations: Slovenia will be in the same boat as Iran, competing for that fourth spot in the group. The Slovenes probably have the edge in this battle because they're outside shooting is prolific and can change the course of the game in a hurry. They're also a more veteran-heavy squad than Iran, with a few former and current NBA players on their roster, including Primoz Brezec and Uros Slokar. These factors should vault them over the Iranians, but it is not a guarantee.

Country: United States of America

FIBA Ranking: 2

Head Coach: Mike Krzyzewski

Key Players: Kevin Durant, Chauncey Billups

Overview:

The United states have a completely different squad than the now famous "Redeem Team" of 2008, and will look to further the development of its national program by giving some of its rising stars a chance to shine.

Strengths: There is no team more dangerous in the open floor than the United States. The U.S. should look to always push the tempo because it will be hard- pressed to be stopped when it decides to run, especially with point guards like Derrick Rose and Chauncey Billups who love to get out in transition.

Weaknesses: While very athletic, the team is a little undersized. It's mostly comprised of guards and slashing forwards without any real interior presence, with the exception of Tyson Chandler. If opposing teams execute well in the half-court, America may struggle to stop strong offenses.

Tournament Expectations: Despite its FIBA ranking of second in the world, the United States is the most talented team in the tournament and should be expected to win it all. USA won't have their biggest guns in attendance like they did in Beijing but they still have a team loaded with depth at all five positions. What's interesting about this team is that the majority of them have never been exposed to the international game for a long period of time and it seems as if Coach K and the rest of USA Basketball is sending this specific squad to give the up-and-coming players in their system some quality experience and playing time in the international game.