China vs Cote d’Ivoire
Hosts China are all set to begin their 2019 FIBA World Cup campaign as they take on Cote d’Ivoire. The Chinese, who are back in the World Cup after missing out in 2014, are arguably the strongest team among the Asian contingent and will be hoping to go deep in the tournament in front of their home fans.
The FIBA World Cup 2019 odds certainly favour the hosts to get off to a winning start in the competition as they face perhaps their weakest opponent in Group A.
However, they must not underestimate the Africans, who may not have NBA talent but do possess an experienced squad of veterans, some of whom have been on this big stage before.
Talking Points
China’s Triple Towers
When talking about China’s chances of going far in this tournament, it all starts in the middle. The Chinese possess a trio of seven-footers in Yi Jianlian, Wang Zhelin, and Zhou Qi, who will allow the team to dominate in the paint against just about any opponent.
Yi is still the undisputed star of the team. The 31-year-old former NBA lottery pick has spent the past seven seasons in the Chinese Basketball Association. He is coming off another impressive season in which he led his team, the Guangdong Southern Tigers, to yet another championship as he won CBA Finals MVP.
Yi is one of the remaining holdovers from the China squad which competed in the 2010 FIBA World Championship. Yi had a terrific tournament as he finished fifth with 20.2 points per game and led the tournament with 10.2 rebounds.
This year, it could be Zhou Qi’s turn to produce a number of FIBA World Cup 2019 highlights. The 23-year-old former Houston Rocket is a remarkably talented big man who can protect the rim and shoot from distance. With him and Wang — the CBA’s reigning Domestic MVP — manning the middle, the Cote d’Ivoire centres will have their hands full all game long.
But while most of the attention will be on the Triple Towers, point guard Guo Ailun could turn out to be the key for China. The 25-year-old is a vastly experienced international player who was also part of that 2010 squad as a 16-year-old. He will run the show for the Chinese and will be crucial in feeding their frontcourt stars the ball.
Cote d’Ivoire’s experienced core
One of five African teams along with Angola, Senegal, Tunisia, and Nigeria — who’ve had some financial problems — Cote d’Ivoire are back in the FIBA World Cup for the fourth time in their history. They most recently made it back in 2010, when they won just one of their five games.
A handful of players who featured in that tournament are still around, including Souleyman Diabate, Guy Edi, and Noe Abouo. Those three were instrumental in helping them qualify for the World Cup as the best third-place team during the African Qualifiers.
Les Elephants don’t possess a single player who has ever played in the NBA; majority of the team plays in the French league.
However, they will have some added reinforcements in the form of naturalised forward Deon Thompson. The 30-year-old, who plays for Unicaja in Spain, was a member of the North Carolina Tar Heels team which won the NCAA national championship back in 2009.
Thompson will have the unenviable task of going up against the likes of Yi and Zhou in the paint and could find it tough to score against the length of the Chinese big men.
History
China and Cote d’Ivoire have only met once in international basketball. They were actually in the same group back in 2010 and played in the second game.
China came out on top, 83-73, with Yi Jianlian leading the Chinese with 26 points and nine rebounds. Souleyman Diabate starred for the Elephants with 20 points, seven rebounds, and three assists.
That turned out to be China’s only win of the tournament, although they still made it to the round of 16. Meanwhile, Cote d’Ivoire were able to beat Puerto Rico in their final game to get their only win.
What are the odds?
The SBOBET odds for these two teams to go on and win the FIBA World Cup are astronomical. The Chinese are priced at 251.00 while Cote d’Ivoire’s odds are even higher at 801.00. With those odds, it’s highly unlikely that either turns out to be a contender.
As for this game itself, China are major -11.50 favourites on the Asian Handicap market. That’s not surprising given the significant talent gap the Chinese will have, not to mention the advantage of playing in front of their home fans.
The atmosphere at the Wukesong Sports Arena in Beijing should be electric for the hosts’ first match, which should help them secure a comfortable win against Les Elephants.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE BASKETBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
