All you need to know about FIBA Asia Cup 2022

The tournament will feature the best national teams from the continent fighting for the title.

Basketball enthusiasts are gearing up for the start of the 2022 FIBA Asia Cup. The quadrennial tournament is set to take place in the city of Jakarta, Indonesia. It was originally intended to take place in 2021, but due to the Olympics taking place that year after postponements due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it was shifted to 2022. A lot of exciting basketball action will take place starting from 12 July 2022 until 24 July 2022.

The FIBA Asia Cup 2022 will see national basketball teams from Asia and Oceania regions participating in it. There are 16 teams vying for the title and the competition is going to be more challenging than ever. Australia is the defending champions heading into the tournament and will hope to retain the title when the ball starts rolling.

India is one of the teams that has never won the tournament before and will hope to do so when it takes place in Indonesia later in July. FIBA Asia Cup will also act as a window into what Asia has to offer. It will feature several talented hoopsters for basketball fans on the continent to witness. As the prestigious tournament approaches, here is what is in store for the spectators:

Groups

There are 16 national teams which are further divided into four groups with four teams each. The top team from each group will head straight into the quarter-final while the second and third-place teams will enter the playoffs. The playoffs will act as a second chance for the teams to make it into the quarter-final positions. 

Group A

This group consists of defending champions Australia, the hosts Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. The Aussies are clear favourites to win the group and head straight into the quarters while the competition for the other places will be intense. 

Group B

Chinese Taipei, China, South Korea and Bahrain make up the group. China is the all-time leading Asia Cup winner with 16 wins which makes them clear favourites to finish as the top team. South Korea and Chinese Taipei will be outside favourites as well.

Group C

Group C consists of Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan and Syria. As far as favourites to qualify go, the Iran national team will be confident of securing first place. However, there will be steep competition from Japan for the top place in the group.

Group D

The Indian national team is in Group D and will be up against heavy odds. In order to make it out of the group, they will have to fend off competition from the likes of Lebanon, the Philippines and New Zealand. The Oceanic country of New Zealand will be favourites to qualify into the quarters unless there is a huge upset waiting to happen.

Team India

As mentioned, India has never won the FIBA Asia Cup, previously known as FIBA Asian Championships. It is also the lowest-ranked team in Group D, therefore the odds are tall but there is promise nonetheless. The Indian team will hope to better the fourth-place finish back in 1975, which remains the country's best performance at the continental showpiece. 

Key Player 

Vishesh Bhriguvanshi will be one of the key individuals when India takes to the court at the 2022 FIBA Asia Cup in Indonesia. He has been a part of the Indian team for more than a decade and is one of the finest basketball players produced by the country. Over the years, he has appeared in five Asia Cups and will make his sixth appearance in 2022. 

The head-coach Veselin Matic will hope that Bhriguvanshi can inspire the rest of the team at the tournament and lead by example. 

India Schedule

13 July 2022 (Group D) - India vs New Zealand

15 July 2022 (Group D) - Philippines vs New Zealand

17 July 2022 (Group D) - India vs Lebanon

Broadcast

The live streaming of the tournament can be viewed at the Court 1891 website, accessible from the FIBA official website.

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