EuroBasket 2013: Game Eight Scenarios

Today marks game eight in the EuroBasket 2013 Qualifications and with only nine teams assured of spots in the Finals next September in Slovenia, the possible scenarios for which teams are going to grab the last seven spots are complex and many. Here are some possibilities for teams to qualify today…

Group A (They play 10 Games total)
Team In: Montenegro 8-0
Teams Out: Slovak Republic 1-7, Iceland 1-7
Remaining Teams:
Serbia 5-3: (Plays Estonia today) A win today over Estonia will put Serbia in line for finishing no lower than third, but not assure them of qualifying. If  any of Sweden, Belgium or Turkey (all 3-3) lose and Serbia wins, they qualify today.
Israel 5-3: (Slovak Republic) If Israel wins their qualification will be determined by Sweden, Belgium and Turkey today.
Estonia 4-4: (Serbia) Estonia cannot qualify today and their possibility of qualifying is slim, but not impossible. They must win with solid margins today to keep their chances alive, but they also need a lot of help from other teams.

Group B (8 Games)
Team In: Germany 6-0
Team Out: Luxembourg 0-6
Remaining Teams:
Azerbaijan 4-3: They are off today and play Germany on Sept. 11. If they beat Germany, they get second if Sweden loses one of their two games. If Sweden doesn’t lose and they beat Germany, they get third with 5-3 and will most likely make it through.
Bulgaria 3-4: (Luxembourg) Cannot qualify today, but a loss will knock them out. A win must have a decent margin since their points ratio is low (549/552).
Sweden 3-3: (Germany) A win today for Sweden is critical for them, but will not assure them a spot in the Finals. Sweden currently has a very good points ration (507/465), so if they can keep that ratio high over the last two games and win at least one game, their chances of getting in are very good. Two wins will get them second place because they win the tie-breaker with Azerbaijan.

Group C (8 Games)
Teams In: Croatia 6-0, Ukraine 5-2
Teams Out: Cyprus 0-6
Remaining Teams:
Austria 3-4: Austria is off until Sept. 11
Hungary 2-4: (Croatia) Hungary’s low ratio (451/480) and the fact that they play unbeaten Croatia puts them in a difficult position to qualify. A loss eliminates them, a win keeps them alive.

Group D (8 Games)
Team In: Bosnia and Herzegovina 5-2
Teams Out: Netherlands 2-5, Romania 1-5
Remaining Teams:
Both Latvia and Georgia are 4-2 and play each other today. If Georgia wins, they qualify, if Latvia wins they can finish no lower than third, but would have to wait and see how the other groups finish. Both teams have a shot to finish first in the Group.

Group E (8 Games)
Teams In: Poland 5-2, Finland 5-1
Teams Out: Albania 0-6
Remaining Teams:
Switzerland 3-4: Off today, Finland on Sept. 11
Belgium 3-3: (Finland) Belgium can’t qualify today and are 37 points down on Finland in head-to-head competition. If Belgium can win by more than 37, beat Albania on Sept. 11 and if Finland loses on Sept 11 to Switzerland, Belgium would finish second.

Group F (8 Games)
Teams In: Italy 6-0, Czech Republic 5-2
Teams Out: Belarus 1-5, Portugal 1-5
Remaining Team:
Turkey 3-3: (Portugal) Turkey can’t qualify today, but if they can beat Portugal today and then beat the Czech Republic by over 18 on Sept. 11, they will finish second and qualify. If they win both games, but don’t win by more than 18 they would most likely qualify with a 5-3 record. A loss in either game will put them in with the pack, but their points ratio is decent (457/441)