Slovenia Undefeated Three Rounds into Eurobasket 2017
After three rounds of 2017 FIBA Eurobasket for Group A in Helsinki, Finland, and Group B in Tel Aviv, Israel, Slovenia are the only team in the two groups to remain undefeated. They beat Poland 90-81 in the opening match of the tournament on Thursday, and bested hosts Finland 81-78 in Saturday, with Miami Heat point guard Goran Dragic scoring 29 for his national side.
Sunday saw the big upset that put them at the top of the Group A ladder: beating group second seed Greece 78-72. Greece also succumbed to France on Saturday, with their solitary win against Iceland leaving them second-last on the Group A ladder; a reversal many punters will blame on the absence of their NBA star Giannis Antentokounmpo.
Tuesday sees Slovenia take on Iceland, then group top seed France on Wednesday. After losing to Finland in overtime on Thursday, France pulled off consecutive victories against Greece and Iceland to stay second on the Group A ladder, and they now play Poland before Wednesday’s crucial Slovenia clash.
Italy, Lithuania, Germany atop Group B
Group B matches also began on Thursday, with Germany beating Ukraine and Italy beating Israel. The surprise was Group B top seed Lithuania going down 79-77 to Georgia. On Saturday, Lithuania restored their reputation with an 88-73 win over Israel, while Italy beat Ukraine and Germany beat Georgia.
On Sunday, however, it was Italy’s turn to lose to Lithuania, while the Germans suffered a narrow 82-80 defeat by Israel, and Ukraine beat Georgia. The result is that Italy, Lithuania and Germany are separated only by points-difference, on 5 points each.
Spain, Russia, Croatia Unbeaten after Two
Groups C and D only began their rounds-robin, in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, and Istanbul, Turkey, on Friday, so they are only two games into the tournament and play again on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. By Sunday, Spain remained undefeated against Montenegro and Czech Republic, while Croatia had beaten both Hungary and hosts Romania, albeit by much narrower margins.
Czech Republic won against Romania while Montenegro beat Hungary, but Spain and Croatia top the Group C ladder, with Spain still the odds-on favourite to win the tournament outright. Russia is the other side unbeaten so far, after triumphing over Serbia and Group D hosts Turkey. Latvia has one win, against Belgium, while Serbia beat Latvia, and both Belgium and Turkey beat Great Britain.
More About Jennie Martin
After completing her degree, Jennie Martin began her journalism career by working as an intern on the entertainment pages. However, her passion for sport was quickly noticed, and she began covering local events.
She now puts her considerable expertise and more than a decades worth of experience to good use, keeping readers up to date on Australian and international sports betting news.
From the latest sporting results to the thrills and spills of the online betting industry, Jennie is the australiansportsbetting.net expert in the field.
You May Also Like:
Dennis Rodman Faces Police Over No Mask
NBA legend Dennis Rodman was in the twang with police on Monday after he refused to put on a mast during a flight between Los Angeles and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. ….
Freak Occurrence Shatters Combine Record
NBA prospect Keon Johnson from Tennessee has shattered a 20-year-old Combine record by averaging 11.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists – all within 27 games. He then entered the ….
Scottie Pippen Says Jordan Doco Backfired
Former Chicago Bulls stalwart Scottie Pippen says he’s taken his sideswipe at Michael Jordan over the controversial “The Last Dance” Netflix documentary one step further by confronting the NBA legend ….
NBA Star Criticized Over Nameless Compliment
The Twitter police have been at it again, and this time it’s well-meaning Miami NBA star Andre Iguodala who finds himself drawing on the shortest straw. The unsuspecting good-natured guard ….
Mills To Donate NBA Earnings To Charity
Legendary Australian Boomers guard Patty Mills has shown his heart for others by announcing his plans to join the group of Australian athletes who are launching the “We Got You” ….