FIBA World Cup: Previewing The Round Of 16

Aug 22, 2014; New York, NY, USA; United States guard James Harden (13) controls the ball against Puerto Rico guard Carlos Arroyo (7) during the first quarter of a game at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The real FIBA World Cup is about to begin.

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After five stages of group play, the round of 16 knockout round will commence tomorrow with a four game slate. It will conclude on Sunday, with four more games, when the field of 16 is cut to 8.

The quarterfinals will then take place beginning Tuesday.

While the likes of USA and Spain continued to impress well through their five group stage games, there are still handful of teams left in the field that can pull off the upset to prevent a US/Spain final.

Though, it will not be easy. If we’ve learned one thing through group play, it’s that Team USA and Team Spain are clearly the favorites to meet next weekend in the Gold Medal match.

But anything can happen, and that’s why we play the games.

Here is a quick game-by-game preview to the FIBA World Cup Round of 16.