What Gilas must do to advance to the next round of the FIBA World Cup

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 28) — Gilas Pilipinas suffered a disappointing 80-70 loss to Angola in a crucial group stage match in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup on Sunday.

Despite holding a 0-2 win-loss record, the Philippines is still in contention for second place in Group A, where it could end up in a three-way logjam with Italy (1-1) and Angola (1-1). Dominican Republic is on top with a 2-0 slate.

Only the top two teams per group will progress to the next round.

Gilas will face world number 10 Italy on Aug. 29 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. A victory by the Philippines over the European powerhouse won’t be enough as there is a certain winning margin needed in the event of a tie.

But Gilas must first hope that Dominican Republic will beat Angola in their encounter.

If Angola loses and Gilas beats Italy, the tiebreaker that will be used is the point difference in their matches against each other.

As it stands, Italy has a +14 point difference, Angola has -4, and Gilas has -10.

In order for the Philippines to advance to the next phase, Gilas must beat Italy by at least 13 points to overtake Italy’s point differential edge.

If Gilas wins by 12 points against Italy, then another tiebreaker will be used.