The semifinal round of the FIBA Africa Championship gets underway in Antananarivo on Saturday.
The first game will feature Nigeria against six-time defending champion Angola.
The Nigerians are unbeaten in the tournament so far. They reached the semifinals after beating Chad (84-46) and the Central African Republic (94-86). Derrick Obasohan and Ime Udoka are out to lead the Tigers to their first ever FIBA Africa crown.
Portugal-based Obasohan is in the top five in scoring while NBA veteran Udoka leads the tournament in assists and steals.
Other players to watch for in the squad are tournament leading rebounder Olumide Oyedeji, Michael Umeh and Ejike Ugboaja.
Angola, meanwhile, had a couple of scares heading into the medal round. The powerhouse squad was upset by Senegal in the group stage and survived Cameroon in overtime in the quarterfinals.
Perennial champion Angola, which has won 10 of the last 11 FIBA Africa tournaments, will rely on top scorer Carlos Morais, Armando Costa, Eduardo Mingas and two-time tournament MVP Joaquim Gomes.
In the other semifinal, Côte d'Ivoire will face unbeaten Tunisia.
The Ivorians also had a sluggish start in the tournament, finishing only third in its group. They were also tested against unfancied Rwanda in the Round-of-16.
The Elephants, however, made up for their sluggish form by beating erstwhile unbeaten Senegal in the quarterfinals. Mamadi Melameka Diane played well against the Senegalese and he is expected to get support from Guy Edi, Mouloukou Diabate and big men Jonathan Kale and Mohamed Kone.
The Ivorians finished runner-up to Angola two years ago in Libya.
Tunisia is also out to improve on its third-place finish in the last edition of the biennial tournament. The Tunisians are one of only two remaining unbeaten teams left in the competition. The North Africans hardly broke a sweat in the knockout stages as they posted easy wins over South Africa (94-50) and Morocco (86-67).
Out to lead the squad are Radhouane Slimane, Amine Rzig, Marouan Kechrid and giant Salah Mejri, who leads the tournament in blocked shots.
FIBA Africa Championship Semifinal Fixtures
27.08.11
14:00 | BASKETBALL
Nigeria v Angola
16:30 | BASKETBALL
Côte d'Ivoire v Tunisia
