It’s getting closer which means it’s time for BallinEurope to deliver, for the first time in far too long, it’s group by group previews of EuroBasket 2022 and, in a shock, B follows A so it’s Group B time
It’s the hosts who are also hosting the knockout stages and one of the largest indoor arenas in Europe…that I haven’t been to. Anyway, 6 teams enter, 4 teams progress, let’s get through Group B.
Where?
Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany.
The teams
Bosnia & Herzegovina
France
Hungary
Germany
Lithuania
Slovenia
Need to know
This group rocks. Ok, more broadly, you’ve got Germany as a group host for the second time in the last three editions but looking for a much more impressive showing this time around. France and Slovenia both fancy their chances of going all the way and Lithuania seem to have everything clicking. This group rocks.
Must-watch game
Lithuania vs Germany – September
France and Slovenia may be the glamour tie but this one has the most meat. Both sides get an edge in terms of knockout seeding with a win plus we get a good look of just what each is really capable of when the tournament moves on to Berlin.
The locks
Ooooof this is a tough one to call in terms of the finishing order. There are four teams here that I legitimately believe could win the group, two who are clear contenders to win the whole thing, and one that’s got that sneaky gel going to not be ruled out as contenders to win it all. Either way, I’m not separating France, Germany, Lithuania, and Slovenia, until later in this preview.
The contenders
Umm, sorry, none.
The pretenders
Wow, before the draw I did not expect to be this harsh on Bosnia but they did the opposite of lucking out. I just don’t see a winnable underdog position here for them. Hungary are also out of their depth here.
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Fearless prediction
The hard part is definitely the finishing order. The fourth place team in this group gets the winner of Group A, which I’m pegging as Spain and that means a fight is going to go down to avoid that slot. Here’s the pick
1. France
2. Slovenia
3. Lithuania
4. Germany
What will follow Group B? Who could possibly guess…
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