The Philippine national men’s basketball team will be clashing with rival China in a highly anticipated battle in the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup in Lebanon in August.
The finals rematch of the tournament’s 2015 edition was set up after the two teams were drawn on Tuesday together with Qatar and Iraq in Group B.
Gilas Pilipinas and China figured in an emotional and intense gold medal match in the then-named FIBA Asia Championship two years ago, with the Chinese prevailing, 78-67, to deny the Filipinos a ticket to the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Here’s the rest of the brackets:
Group A: Iran, Jordan, Syria, India
Group C: Kazakhstan, Lebanon, South Korea, New Zealand
Group D: Japan, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Australia
The 2017 FIBA Asia Cup replaced the FIBA Asia Championship as the continent’s premier tournament. Unlike in the past, the competition will not serve as a qualifier for the World Cup and the Olympics.
This year marks the debut of Australia and New Zealand, which had competed in the Oceania region, in the tournament.
The FIBA Asia Cup is slated on August 8 to August 20 in Lebanon.
