ISTANBUL (Türkiye) - Two of Europe's biggest powers will battle in the Semi-Finals of the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2024 as 2016 Finalists and hosts Türkiye face Italy, who find themselves in unchartered waters with their first appearance in the final four of the global competition.
These teams squared off just six days ago in Group C and Türkiye rallied from 16 points down in the second quarter to win 79-74. That was the last time Italy have lost as they beat New Zealand in the final group game and then marched past Australia and Puerto Rico in the Knockout Phase.
Türkiye lost to New Zealand to start the tournament but haven't tasted defeat since then, beating Italy and Argentina in the group stage and then Germany and Spain in the Round of 16 and Quarter-Finals, respectively.
Key Matchup
Kaan Onat has been spectacular all tournament for Türkiye, leading the team in scoring (21.2 ppg) and assists (5.2 apg) while shooting 45.0 percent from long range and making 73.8 percent on 8.4 free throws per game in addition to 1.6 steals.
The scoring playmaker torched Italy for 24 points on 13 shots to go with 3 assists, and Italy will have to find a way to slow him down. One of the main guys in charge of that will be Andrian Mathis - who ranks third on the team in steals. Mathis and the rest of the defense will have to do a better job on Onat if they want to reach the Final.
X-Factor
Sure, Italy will want to get revenge for their loss to Türkiye in the group stage, but they will also have to overcome the boisterous Sinan Erdem Dome crowd. Türkiye have traditionally performed better in front of their own fans in big events and this tournament has been no different.
The Sinan Erdem Dome was rocking as Türkiye was battling against Spain in the Quarter-Finals. Can Italy prevail over Türkiye and their beloved sixth man?
Stats Don't Lie
Italy come into the game as the number one three-point shooting team at 33.6 percent with Francesco Carnevale leading the way in burying 8 of 17 threes (47.1 percent) and Achille Lonati has hit 9 of 26 triples (34.6 percent). Giuseppe Mangone's team also has dished out the second most assists in Istanbul at 23.4.
Türkiye have struggled from long range at just 28.7 percent. The home side also connects on only 63.9 percent from the foul line, ranked 12th in the competition. But Türkiye make up for it in bulk, having attempted the third most free throws and made the fourth most.
Past matchups
The teams played on the second game day of the tournament and Türkiye won 79-74. Italy thought they had complete control of the game, leading by 16 points early in the second quarter. But Türkiye raced back and led at halftime and after a close entire second half, the hosts converted big baskets in the closing minutes for the win.
Besides that game, these two countries have never faced off in the U17 World Cup. They did hook horns in the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023 with Italy winning 101-68 in the groups stage. There are a lot of players back from both teams - Italy with nine players while Türkiye have eight players returning. Italy grabbed that victory last summer en route to finishing second at the U16 continental level.
They Said
"They are a really good team. We beat them by five points in the group stage but we will need to fight even harder to reach the Final." - Türkiye guard Derin Can Ustun
"Türkiye are having a good moment and they are playing in their arena. They started slow but have increased each game a little. It will certainly be difficult." - Italy head coach Giuseppe Mangone
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