The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
World Cup format irks some top players
Luka Doncic, a leading contender for NBA rookie of the year, was unhappy last week, and for good reason. His Slovenian national team was not granted automatic entry into next year’s FIBA World Cup as the reigning EuroBasket winners and now won’t be going at all.
“I’m so disappointed,” Doncic said in an interview after Friday’s practice with the Dallas Mavericks. “We’re the European champions. We should be playing.”
Doncic, 19, is averaging 18.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists for the Mavericks, quickly affirming Dallas’ belief that one of Europe’s best young players had instant NBA star potential.
But without Doncic playing, Slovenia is 2-8 in World Cup qualifying with two games to go. Under the previous system, the country would automatically have made the World Cup, which will be played in several cities across China next summer.
A controversial format change for the World Cup instituted by FIBA, basketball’s world governing body, has 80 countries compete for the 31 open slots in the field alongside the tournament host, China, via regional qualifying. It is similar to how the soccer World Cup entrants are decided.
Two-thirds of the qualifying games, however, clash with the NBA schedule. Unlike their soccer counterparts around the world, who are released to their national teams for qualifying matches via what are known as “international breaks,” NBA players and the majority of Euroleague players are not allowed to leave their teams during the season to represent their respective countries.
In Slovenia’s case, that has meant no Doncic, no Goran Dragic of the Miami Heat and the need for a new coach. Igor Kokoskov had to surrender his Slovenia post once he took the Phoenix Suns job.
The United States also did not receive an automatic berth for the 2019 World Cup — not even as the defending World Cup champion and reigning Olympic champion. But the Americans clinched a spot with a victory last weekend in Uruguay under coach Jeff Van Gundy, who has posted an 8-2 record in qualifying, relying mostly on players from the NBA’s developmental G League.
Led by Doncic, Dragic and Kokoskov, Slovenia made a Cinderella run to the title at the EuroBasket tournament in 2017 — something Doncic described as “more amazing than anything in my life.”
FIBA instituted the soccer-style regional qualifying structure with the hope that bringing meaningful home games to every country in the competition — as opposed to summer qualifying tournaments at a centralized location — would help increase interest in the sport.
For Slovenia and any other nation that fails to qualify for China, earning a spot in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo will be challenging. It will require an invitation to one of four last-chance qualifying tournaments shortly before the Olympics start in 2020. Only the four bracket winners in those tournaments will advance to Tokyo.
Doncic acknowledged that leading Slovenia to its firstever Olympic berth in basketball is one of his major career goals.
“Olympics, next EuroBasket, next World Cup — I want to play for the national team whenever I’m available,” Doncic said. “If I don’t have injuries, I’ll play.”
■ A .500 Record? You’re In!
New Orleans Bowl: Appalachian State (-7) vs. Middle Tennessee.
Camellia Bowl: Eastern Michigan (-3½) vs. Georgia Southern.
Las Vegas Bowl: No. 21 Fresno State (-3) vs. Arizona State.
Cure Bowl: Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Tulane (-3½).
New Mexico Bowl: North Texas vs. Utah State (-10½).
Appalachian State is 3-0 in bowl games since transitioning to the top level in 2013.
■ From Potatoes to the Bahamas
Dec. 18, Boca Raton Bowl: Alabama-Birmingham (-2) vs. Northern Illinois.
Marcus Childers of Northern Illinois has an adjustedyards-per-attempt figure of 4.5, the worst among bowl quarterbacks.
Dec. 19, Frisco Bowl: Ohio (-4½) vs. San Diego State.
Dec. 20, Gasparilla Bowl: Marshall vs. South Florida (-2).
Marshall has the best bowl record (11-2) of any team with 10 or more appearances.
Dec. 21, Idaho Potato Bowl: Brigham Young (-11) vs. Western Michigan.
BYU was just 6-6, but its independent schedule (Washington, California, Utah, Utah State) was tougher than the MAC slate played by 7-5 Western Michigan.
Bahamas Bowl: Florida International vs. Toledo (-6).
■ Hawaii and the Armed Forces
Hawaii Bowl: Hawaii (-2) vs. Louisiana Tech.
Dollar General Bowl: Buffalo (-3½) vs. Troy.
Armed Forces Bowl: Army vs. Houston (-3).
Birmingham Bowl: Memphis (-2½) vs. Wake Forest.
After a 1-point win over Navy last year, Army won the Armed Forces Bowl, defeating San Diego State, 42-35, as a touchdown underdog.
■ Cheez-Its on Boxing Day
Cheez-It Bowl: California (-1½) vs. Texas Christian.
Quick Lane Bowl: Minnesota vs. Georgia Tech (-3½).
Georgia Tech had 335 rushing yards a game.
First Responder Bowl: No. 25 Boise State (-3) vs. Boston College.
■ Consolation Prizes Texas Bowl: Baylor vs. Vanderbilt (-2½).
Pinstripe Bowl: Wisconsin vs. Miami (-3).
Independence Bowl: Temple (-3) vs. Duke.
The Texas Bowl is the only game without a team with a winning record.
■ Remember the Alamo (Bowl)
Alamo Bowl: No. 13 Washington State (-2) vs. No. 24 Iowa State.
Camping World Bowl: No. 16 West Virginia (-6½) vs. No. 20 Syracuse.
Music City Bowl: Auburn (-4½) vs. Purdue.
Washington State was 10-2 against the spread this year.
■ The Tuneups Peach Bowl: No. 7 Michigan (-7) vs. No. 10 Florida.
Arizona Bowl: Arkansas State (-2) vs. Nevada.
Belk Bowl: South Carolina (-6½) vs. Virginia.
South Carolina has five losses, all to elite teams: Georgia, Kentucky, Texas A&M, Florida and Clemson.
■ The National Semifinals
Cotton Bowl: No. 2 Clemson (-10½) vs. No. 3 Notre Dame.
Despite the big spread, the early money is coming in on Clemson in this battle of unbeatens.
Orange Bowl: No. 1 Alabama (-13½) vs. No. 4 Oklahoma.
How much do bookmakers like Alabama? Though they are playing the No. 4 team in the country, 12-1 with a dynamite offense, Alabama is favored by the biggest spread of any bowl game.
New Year’s Eve
■ The Also-Rans Sun Bowl: Pittsburgh vs. Stanford (-6½).
TaxSlayer Bowl: No. 19 Texas AM (-4½) vs. North Carolina State.
Holiday Bowl: No. 17 Utah (-7½) vs. No. 22 Northwestern.
Liberty Bowl: No. 23 Missouri (-10) vs. Oklahoma State.
Redbox Bowl: Michigan State vs. Oregon (-1½).
Military Bowl: Cincinnati (-6½) vs. Virginia Tech.
Jeff Sagarin says Pitt played the third-toughest schedule in the country, trailing only UCLA and Tennessee.
New Year’s Day
■ The Jealous Bowl Sugar Bowl: No. 5 Georgia (-10) vs. No. 15 Texas.
These teams will look with some jealousy at Oklahoma: Georgia barely missed a playoff spot to the Sooners, and Texas lost to them in the Big 12 championship.
The big spread is a product, in part, of the dominance of the SEC.
Citrus Bowl: No. 12 Penn State (-4) vs. No. 14 Kentucky.
Kentucky has been one of the year’s surprise teams, winning nine games for the first time since 1984.
Outback Bowl: No. 18 Mississippi State (-5) vs. Iowa.
Rose Bowl: No. 6 Ohio State (-4½) vs. No. 9 Washington.
Fiesta Bowl: No. 8 Central Florida vs. No. 11 Louisiana State (-7½)
The only bowl line in which the lower-ranked team is the favorite. Last season, Central Florida was also unbeaten and beat Auburn in the Peach Bowl by seven despite being 10-point underdogs.
■ The National Championship
Should form hold and Alabama and Clemson win their semifinals, oddsmakers say Alabama will be a 6-point favorite to win its third national championship in four years.