The Philippine national men’s basketball team seeks a sweep of the group stages in its tussle against winless Qatar in the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup on Sunday at Nouhad Nawfal Sports Complex in Beirut, Lebanon.
Gilas Pilipinas, which won its first two games against China and Iraq, is already assured of the top seed in Group B and an outright ticket to the quarterfinals regardless.
Another incentive for the Filipinos is the long rest that awaits them. After their game against Qatar, they will have a two-day break before plunging back to action on Wednesday for the quarterfinals.
Despite the non-bearing game against Qatar, the Filipinos are still expected to go all out against their foes.
Qatar is on its way to elimination after losing to Iraq, 75-66, and China, 92-67.
Qatar was supposed to field in former PBA import Sammy Monroe as its naturalized player for the competition, but an injury prevented him from playing.
Qatar players who should be on Gilas Pilipinas’ radar are 6’1″ guard Abdulrahman Saad who leads his team in scoring with 21 points per game; and 6’6″ forward Ali Saeed Erfan who is averaging 15 points and 9.5 boards in the tournament.
