The quarterfinals wrap up on Wednesday headlined by a matchup between Spain and France. The winner of that game will move on to face either Brazil or Serbia.
The field at the FIBA World Cup continues to narrow, and after Wednesday only four teams will remain. The United States and Lithuania punched their tickets to the semifinals on Tuesday, and two teams will join them on Wednesday after the final two games of the quarterfinals. The day's action will be headlined by the game between France and Spain. The two have an extensive history in international competitions, and Wednesday could provide the next chapter.
Serbia vs. Brazil - 12 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
While the late matchup may attract more attention, either Serbia or Brazil will also punch a ticket to the semifinals. Brazil has been impressive thus far, with its only loss coming to Spain in the group stage. The team is stocked with NBA talent, including Leandro Barbosa who leads the team in scoring at 13 points per game. Anderson Varejao, Tiago Splitter and Nene give Brazil a very stout front court. Serbia finished fourth in Group A, but blew out Greece 90-72 in the Round of 16. Serbia uses a well-balanced scoring attack with four players averaging more than 10 points per game.
This will be the second meeting between the two teams in the tournament. Brazil won the first meeting 81-73. Brazil dominated that game early and led by 16 points at halftime. Serbia outscored Brazil 32-12 in the third quarter only to go cold in the fourth and see Brazil pull away for the eight-point win.
France vs. Spain - 4 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
France and Spain have an extensive history against each other. Spain holds the upper hand overall, but the recent history has produced several tightly contested games. Spain eliminated France in the quarterfinals at the 2012 Olympics, but France got a big of revenge last year with a 75-72 win in the semifinal of EuroBasket 2013. Spain dominated the group meeting between the teams, notching a 24-point win, 88-64.
Pau Gasol will once again lead Spain, and he's arguably played as well as anyone throughout the tournament. Pau's posted averages of 20.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, and he's just one of a number of quality players. His brother Marc Gasol has also played well and is averaging 11.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Ricky Rubio, Jose Calderon, Serge Ibaka and Juan Navarro add to a potent attack. France has plenty of talent of its own, led by Nicolas Batum who is averaging 10 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. Boris Diaw has put up 6.7 points and 4 rebounds per game. Center Joffrey Lauvergne will be tested inside, but he's played well during the tournament and will likely need to hold his own against the Gasol brothers if France is going to come away with a win.