Hoops

FIBA cuts two games per team from 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Other than ensuring all group stage games are taken more seriously by teams the only real justification I can see for this move is to make it harder for teams to game the system by trying to lose games to get a more favourable QF opponent which goes on in every one of these big tournaments.

Ok yeah, fair point.
I wasn't a huge fan of the 6 team groups.

I realise that one of the issues is "upsets" and seded teams not making it through. But surely that's part and parcel of playing in a tourney? Bring your 'A' game, every game, or you risk an early exit or unfavourable quarter-final.

I don't know how 3 groups feed into 4 finals. It's just messy.
And with 3rd place teams going on, we could still see teams playing silly buggers, trying to finish 3rd instead of 2nd to avoid the USA in the semis, etc.

Ah yeah this sucks. At least expand it to 16 teams if you're going to do that.

The World Cup is definitely the premier tournament, its only the US and Australia who seem to see it differently.


"So there's 12 teams, and only 4 are eliminated in the qualifying rounds?"

That was always the case anyway.

All the more reason to rate the World Cup as the most significant international basketball tournament.

making room to run the 3x3 Boring !

Weird, and really messes with my OCD...

So there's 12 teams, and only 4 are eliminated in the qualifying rounds?

And how exactly do they determine which 3rd place team misses out?
Is it based on scores? Or is one group a pre-determined group of weaker teams?

Call me simple, but what's wrong with the good ole standard 16 team tournament?
It works well because all the qualifying games are important, and there is opportunity for un-seded teams to cause upsets.

The problem with sending through two 3rd place teams, is that you're pretty well guaranteed that one or two of those teams will have won only one game.