The FIBA EuroBasket 2025 field has been cut to 16 teams, and by the end of this weekend that number will be halved again. Four round-of-16 games are scheduled for Saturday, September 6, and another four on Sunday, September 7.
The headline clash on Saturday tips off at 18:30 (local time) – a true Baltic derby: Lithuania vs. Latvia. The winner will face either Greece or Israel in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, September 9.
BUILD-UP
Latvia’s national team has been steadily improving throughout the tournament. After a lackluster 73–93 loss to Turkey, the squad bounced back with a gritty 72–70 win over Estonia, pushed title favorites Serbia to the final seconds in an 80–84 defeat, and closed group play with convincing wins against Portugal (78–62) and the Czech Republic (109–75).
Lithuania opened with strong victories against Great Britain (94–70) and Montenegro (94–67), fell to Germany (88–107), and then edged past Finland (81–78) and Sweden (74–71).
CONTEXT
A Baltic derby needs no further explanation.
NUMBERS
Through five games (averages):
Points: 82.4 – 86.2
2-pointers: 14/26 – 26/49
3-pointers: 12/36 – 5/21
Free throws: 17/20 – 17/22
Rebounds: 34 – 42
Turnovers: 11 – 14
Lithuania’s rotation has been balanced, with 11 players averaging between 15 and 24 minutes on court. The team, however, has lost its key playmaker Rokas Jokubaitis (17.5 points, 8.5 assists per game) for the remainder of the tournament. Jonas Valančiūnas has been steady with 15.4 points and 6.4 rebounds, while Ažuolas Tubelis adds 10 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.
HISTORY
The Baltic neighbors have met just four times at EuroBasket finals: Lithuania leads 3–1. Results:
1939 Kaunas – Lithuania 37–36
2001 Ankara (Round of 16) – Lithuania 94–76
2003 Norrköping – Latvia 92–91
2013 Jesenice – Lithuania 67–59
2015 Riga – Lithuania 68–49
Most recently, at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Latvia crushed Lithuania 98–63 in the battle for 5th place.
QUOTE
Lithuania head coach Rimas Kurtinaitis: “I don’t care how many players we have left – we will play to win.”
GROUP WRAP-UP
Group C (Limassol): Bosnia joined the last 16 with an 84–76 win over Georgia, leaving Spain in a must-win situation. But the reigning European champions fell short against Greece (86–90) and exited before the knockout stage.
Group D (Katowice): France sealed first place with a dominant 114–74 win over Iceland. Slovenia beat Israel 106–96 to climb to third, while Poland’s narrow 69–70 loss to Belgium did not cost them second place.
ROUND OF 16 SCHEDULE
Saturday, Sept 6
12:00 Turkey – Sweden
15:15 Germany – Portugal
18:30 Lithuania – Latvia
21:45 Serbia – Finland
Sunday, Sept 7
Greece – Israel
Italy – Slovenia
France – Georgia
Poland – Bosnia
Source: latvijav.basket.lv
