Eight teams will be in action at the continuation of the FIBA Africa Championship Round-of-16 in Antananarivo today.
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The triumphant teams will join Nigeria, Cameroon, Angola and the Central African Republic in the quarterfinals.
The day's opening game will pit Côte d'Ivoire against Rwanda. The Ivorians are out to make up for their disappointing campaign in the group stage. They beat South Africa 105-53 in their opening game but lost to Egypt (75-82) and Cameroon (70-76). Out to lead the Elephants is Chorale Roanne guard Mouloukou Diabate, who leads the entire tournament in assists with six per game. Kinidinnin Konate, Guy Edi and Jonathan Kale are also expected to step up.
Rwanda, meanwhile, finished third in Group D after losing to the Central African Republic (61-89) and Tunisia (37-69) and winning over lowly Togo (87-67). The team's top players are Kenneth Gasana, Cameron Bradley, Kami Kabangu and big man Robert Thomson.
Tunisia is also expected to breeze past South Africa in the day's second game. The Tunisians are unbeaten in the tournament after blasting Togo (103-56), Rwanda (69-37) and the Central African Republic (65-52) in Group D. Macram Romdhane is a force to reckon with inside the paint while UAE-based Radhouane Slimane provides more firepower. Point guard Marouan Kechrid, meanwhile, will provide stability in the backcourt.
Not so much is expected from South Africa although the squad upset Egypt 71-68 in the group stage. The South Africans suffered heavy losses to Côte d'Ivoire and Cameroon earlier in the tournament. Out to lead the squad are Masego Loate, Christopher Gabriel and Shane Marhanele.
Senegal should easily dispose of Madagascar despite playing in a hostile territory. The Senegalese have been impressive in the tournament so far, defeating Morocco (79-65), six-time defending champion Angola (85-78) and Chad (92-54) to sweep Group B. Mamadou Ndoye and Mouhammad Faye are the team's one-two scoring punch. Backing them up are big man Malick Badiane and Thiendou Diasse, who posted a double double in their last game.
Winless Madagascar, meanwhile, is just out to make the scores respectable. The hosts have yet to enjoy success in the tournament, losing to Mozambique (67-77), Mali (63-74) and Nigeria (81-112) in the group phase. Spain-based Charles Ramsdell, Romule Razafimahasahy and Andry Rakotoarisoa are the players to watch for Madagascar.
In the nightcap, Morocco will face Mali. The Moroccans finished third in their group after losing to Senegal and Angola.
Their only win came at the expense of Chad (89-57). Abdelhakim Zouita will carry most of the offensive load of the team and he is expected to get help from the likes of Kamal Hachad, Soufiane Kourdou and Reda Rhalimi.
The Malians are the higher-ranked team in this match-up after finishing second in their group. They lost to Nigeria in their opening game 59-84 but posted back-to-back wins over Madagascar (74-63) and Mozambique (72-69, 2OT). Former University of Arizona Wildcat Mohamed Tangara is the team's main man. Other players to watch are Waly Coulibaly, Modibo Niakate and former NBA player Soumaila Samake.
FIBA Africa Championship Day 8 Fixtures
24.08.2011
10:30 | BASKETBALL
Côte d'Ivoire v Rwanda
13:00 | BASKETBALL
Tunisia v South Africa
15:30 | BASKETBALL
Senegal v Madagascar
18:00 | BASKETBALL
Mali v Morocco
Watch and bet on all the FIBA Africa Championship matches live at bet365 > live streaming > basketball
