We are getting closer to the shot and it is now time to introduce you to each of the groups making up this EuroBasket 2022. We are humans equipped with logic so we start with Group A, from which two favorites emerge behind which everything seems open . Note that this group crosses with that of France in eighth so we open our mouths wide… before being offended by Gobert?
The program (matches at the Tbilisi Arena)
- September 1 (1:30 p.m.): Spain – Bulgaria
- September 1 (4:15 p.m.): Turkey – Montenegro
- September 1 (7 p.m.): Belgium – Georgia
- September 3 (1:30 p.m.): Montenegro – Belgium
- September 3 (4:15 p.m.): Bulgaria – Turkey
- September 3 (7 p.m.): Georgia – Spain
- September 4 (1:30 p.m.): Bulgaria – Montenegro
- September 4 (4:15 p.m.): Spain – Belgium
- September 4 (7 p.m.): Georgia – Turkey
- September 6 (1:30 p.m.): Belgium – Turkey
- September 6 (4:15 p.m.): Montenegro – Spain
- September 6 (7 p.m.): Georgia – Bulgaria
- September 7 (1:30 p.m.): Turkey – Spain
- September 7 (4:15 p.m.): Bulgaria – Belgium
- September 7 (7 p.m.): Montenegro – Georgia
The rosters
Spain: Dario Brizuela, Lorenzo Brown, Jaime Fernandez, Rudy Fernandez, Usman Garuba, Fran Guerra, Juancho Hernangomez, Willy Hernangomez, Xabi Lopez-Arostegui, Juan Nunez, Joel Parra, Jaime Pradilla, Sebas Saiz
Turkey : Furkan Haltali, Shane Larkin, Sertac Sanli, Sehmus Hazer, Melih Mahmutoglu, Yigitcan Saybir, Muhsin Yasar, Metecan Birsen, Sadik Emir Kabaca, Cedi Osman, Alperen Sengun, Onuralp Bitim, Dogus Ozdemiroglu, Bugrahan Tuncer, Furkan Korkmaz
Georgia: Rati Andronikashvili, Givi Bakradze, Beka Bekauri, Mikheil Berishvili, Goga Bitadze, Merab Bokolishvili, Beka Burjanadze, Kakhaber Djincharadze, Giorgi Korsantia, Ilia Londaridze, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Luka Maziashvili, Thad McFadden, Aleksandre Pevadze, Duda Sanadze, Giorgi Shermadini, Giorgi Tsintsadze
Montenegro : Filip Andjusic, Vasilije Bacovic, Igor Drobnjak, Bojan Dubljevic, Aleksa Ilic, Nikola Ivanovic, Djordije Jovanovic, Vladimir Mihailovic, Zoran Nikolic, Nikola Pavlicevic, Kendrick Perry, Petar Popovic, John Radebow, Dino Radoncic, Nemanja Radovic, Marko Simonovic, Radosav Spasojevic , Marko Todorovic
Belgium : Ismael Bako, Vrenz Bleijenbergh, Haris Bratanovic, Maxime De Zeeuw, Pierre-Antoine Gillet, Archange Izaw Bolavie, Manu Lecomte, Alexandre Libert, Jean-Marc Mwema, Marshall Nelson, Retin Obasohan, Roby Rogiers, Jean Salumu, Loïc Schwartz, Quentin Serron , Jonathan Tabu, Kevin Tumba, Hans Vanwijn
Bulgaria: Ivan Alipiev, Vasil Bachev, Dee Bost, Dimitar Dimitrov, Andrey Ivanov, Pavlin Ivanov, Deyan Karmfilov, Konstantin Kostadinov, Chavdar Kostov, David Kravish, Stanimir Marinov, Yordan Minchev, Alex Simeonov, Emil Stoilov, Alexander Vezenkov, Alexander Yanev
The main headliners
A bunch of well-known names in this Group A. For the Spaniards, we will take malicious pleasure in insulting this great punk Rudy Fernandez, long live fair play, while the Hernangomez brothers will be among the spearheads of La Roja and that the young Usman Garuba will have the opportunity to show himself a little more in the adult world. No Ricky Rubio, no Sergio Llull, perhaps the opportunity or never to slam this team, but with them as much as not to project themselves because the new generation remains on about a hundred competitions won for two years. For the rest ? Turks look great with the former NBAer turned EuroLeague crack Shane Larkin, these gentlemen Korkmaz and Osman who no longer have much to prove and the little Alperen Sengun who should play like Nikola Jokic in five or six years. At home the Georgians will send a Bitadze / Mamukelashvili racket which does not make anyone laugh (a little in fact), the Montenegrins will be able to count on the pivot Marko Simonovic but not on Nikola Vucevic, while the Belgians present a roster composed in particular of some regulars of the French championship and players named Manu, Jean-Marc, Pierre-Antoine, Jean or even… Archangel . Finally, Bulgaria has the particularity of having a Kostadinov in its team, so France might as well avoid taking on the Bulgarians in the eighth, those in their forties will understand.
Home predictions
Spain and Turkey seem a (very big) notch above and should compete for the first place. First thing to know, Spain – Turkey is scheduled on the last day, trocool, and also know that the team that will finish second in its group has a good chance of beating France, Lithuania or Slovenia in the round of 16 and possibly Serbia in the quarters, a non-negligible detail when the Spaniards start doing what they know how to do best in the summer: calculations. Here we therefore start with the Spaniards in the fight with KD Osman for the lead, then a three-way fight for places 3 and 4, a fight excluding the Bulgarians since we know about zero players from the group of a coach whose we have also forgot the name. Come on, let’s get wet? Turkey, Spain, Montenegro, Georgia, Belgium, Bulgaria, with Georgians playing national heroes at home before going to be cut up in the eighth against Luka Doncic or Guerschon Yabusele.
A fairly heterogeneous group with two very solid teams and four others that Jérôme Rothen would have described as “Lorient”. And you? Are you more Bosphorus or Andalusia? Rather tortilla or tomato onion salad? Place your bets, and RIP Bulgaria.