South Sudan needs the basketball miracle

There are some teams in this 2023 Basketball World Cup that you have on the extended list of favorites, but they couldn’t quite live up to expectations. However, there are also teams that deliver a somewhat unexpectedly strong performance. The Serbian selection is certainly one of them. Also in the third group match between South Sudan and Serbia the tip should go in the direction of a clear victory for the Europeans.

Surely the Serbs have also had the luck of the fittest in the draw. The group opponents, South Sudan, China and Puerto Rico were all considered more than solvable tasks and so the Serbs have the ticket for the main round after two wins already as good as safe in the bag. Only an extremely heavy defeat in the group final against South Sudan could still mean the end. However, the likelihood of that happening is slim to none.

The South Sudanese have one win and one defeat to their name. They suffered a narrow defeat in extra time against Puerto Rico and a certain victory against China. However, the Africans will most likely be eliminated from their World Cup debut on Wednesday, because we assume that the Magnificos from Puerto Rico will win against China and that Royal Ivey’s team will have to defeat the overpowering Serbs.

However, in the match between South Sudan and Serbia, there is no way around predicting a clear Serbian victory. Therefore, we believe that Serbia will secure first place in this Group B and will be joined by the team from Puerto Rico in the main round. The only hope for the Africans might be that the Chinese provide some shooting assistance.

South Sudan – statistics & current form

South Sudan has only been an independent country for twelve years. Due to numerous political upheavals in recent years, it is difficult to call South Sudan a sovereign state. This makes it all the more surprising that the African country’s basketball players were able to qualify for the World Cup in the Far East and present a positive calling card on the international sports stage.

First World Cup win for debutant

Making it to the main round would be a major sensation for the seventh-place finisher in the 2021 African Championship, but what Royal Ivey’s team has shown in its first two matches makes it clear that this team is completely justified in competing in the World Championship. The qualification for the next round was even within reach, but in the opening match they had to admit defeat after overtime against Puerto Rico with 96:101.

There are no ifs, ands or buts in sports, but with a win against the Puerto Ricans, South Sudan would now be safely in the main round. In the second match there was a never threatening success against the Chinese. Carlik Jones was the decisive man on the floor in the 89:69 victory.

It will take some time until Royal Ivey’s team can be competitive against the top teams. The squad currently doesn’t give enough for that. With Carlik Jones and Wenyen Gabriel, two of the Bright stars are currently trying to find their feet in the NBA. They haven’t quite managed to do that yet via 10-day contracts or second-game rights. Otherwise, the South Sudanese are playing all over the world, just not in their home country.

Projected lineup of South Sudan:
Madut, Omot, Jones, Maluach, Kuany, Shayok, Acuoth, Deng, Jok, Bar, Gabriel, Dech – Coach: Ivey

Serbia – Statistics & current form

You have to have extremely high quality in the squad if you can compensate for the absence of some absolute top stars without complaints and still successfully. This is also due to the fact that the Serbs have a very long basketball tradition, so that this sport is always very popular among the youngsters. Pleasing is also the keyword for the fans, who have so far witnessed two mature performances from their team in Japan.

Great balance for the Serbs

However, one should not praise the Serbians to the skies, because the opponents were probably too weak for that. They had a clear 105:63 victory against China at the start of the World Cup. Svetislav Pesic’s team also had no problems at all against Puerto Rico, winning 94-77 in the end. With five wins in a row, the confidence in their own strength has grown once again.

The Serbs had already built a 30-point lead at the break and also in this second match it became clear that the responsibility is distributed on many shoulders. There is currently not one top scorer. In the course of the game, the Serbians clearly lost some of their speed. The last two quarters went to Puerto Rico. However, this also means that the Serbian team has saved some energy for the upcoming tasks.

Also on Wednesday in the group final between South Sudan and Serbia the forecast goes to a very high Serbian success. The team from the Balkans will not miss the opportunity to enter the main round with 3-0 victories and thus then have the best prospects of entering the quarterfinals there, and all without Nikola Jokic, Vasilije Micic or Nikola Kalinic.

Predicted lineup of Serbia:
Avramovic, Bogdanovic, Davidovac, Dobric, Guduric, N. Jovic, S. Jovic, Marinkovic, Milutinov, Petrusev, Ristic, Simanic – Coach: Pesic

South Sudan – Serbia Direct comparison / H2H record

South Sudan has yet to leave a deep mark on the landscape of international basketball. The current World Cup is the first time the Africans have ever been represented on the big stage. This nation has only been independent since 2011. This also means that they have not yet faced many opponents. So South Sudan and Serbia will also meet for the first time ever on Wednesday.

South Sudan – Serbia Tip

The Serbs should also win the last games against South Sudan safely and with 3:0 wins then also as expected into the next round. The question on Wednesday will probably only be how high this success will be. After winning five games in a row, there is a lot to suggest that the Serbian side will now add another victory to their tally.

The Bright Stars from Africa, however, have presented themselves in a positive light and made a good impression at their first World Cup. Only with a win would it still be possible for them to advance to the main round. But we don’t expect that.

We think that this match could end in a range of 95:75 for the Serbs. That means that probably more than 166.5 points should fall. This then results in our bet, in which we see a decent value. We play between South Sudan and Serbia the betting odds on a Serbian victory with a total of more than 166.5 points on.