France faces US in FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup Semi-Finals for first youth basketball victory

Posted : 01 July 2023

France will face the United States in the Semi-Finals of the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2023, evoking memories of their encounter in the 2021 Final. France aims to defeat the USA for the first time in the history of youth basketball.

France enters the Semi-Finals with only one loss, which occurred against Spain on the second day of action. Prior to that, they secured victories over China and Canada to conclude the group stage. In the knockout stage, France displayed great strength, comfortably defeating Madagascar in the Round of 16 and Serbia in the Quarter-Finals.

Although the USA remains undefeated, they have shown vulnerability throughout the tournament. They started Group B play with a convincing win against Madagascar but faced a deficit of 11 points against Slovenia in the fourth quarter before ultimately prevailing.

The USA concluded the group stage with victories over Lebanon and a hard-fought win against China in the Round of 16. They cruised past Japan in the Quarter-Finals.

A key matchup to watch will be between France's Zacharie Perrin and the USA's Tobe Awaka. Both players have been highly productive big men in the tournament, with Perrin averaging 15.2 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, and Awaka contributing 12.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per contest.

The performance of these two players and their ability to limit each other's impact will greatly influence the outcome of the game.

Zaccharie Risacher, a highly regarded French forward, has yet to make a significant impact in the tournament. Despite a relatively quiet start, Risacher showed signs of breaking out with 13 points against Madagascar in the Round of 16.

However, he fouled out after just 16 minutes. In the Quarter-Finals against Serbia, Risacher contributed 9 points and 5 steals. France will need him to step up in the Semi-Finals.

Expect an offensive battle, as the USA leads the tournament in scoring with 106.4 points per game, while France ranks second with 89.8 points per game. Both teams value possessions, with the USA committing the fewest turnovers at 11.4 per game and France ranking third with 13.6 turnovers per game.

Both teams excel in applying ball pressure, with France leading in steals at 15.6 per game and the USA ranking fourth at 13.4. The team that can force more offensive miscues from their opponent will likely gain the upper hand in the game.

France faces US in FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup Semi-Finals for first youth basketball victory

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