AUCKLAND, New Zealand – The top seed in Group B of the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers will be decided by the matchup between Gilas Pilipinas and New Zealand. The crucial match will start at the Spark Arena in Auckland on Sunday at 10 a.m. (Manila time).

The top rank could offer a more advantageous route in the competition’s next round, therefore both sides are keen to claim it. With home-court advantage, the Tall Blacks will try to exact revenge for their previous defeat at the hands of the Filipinos. Gilas won their first match, 93-89, at the Mall of Asia Arena in November of last year after a fierce battle. With that victory, the Philippines defeated New Zealand for the first time in a tournament approved by the FIBA.

A recent 91-84 loss to Chinese Taipei in the penultimate match of the qualifiers’ final window last Friday has left the team reeling from a three-game losing run. Concerns regarding the team’s performance and morale going into the crucial game have been raised by the losing streak.

The Tall Blacks will want to capitalize on their home crowd and keep up their momentum now that they are within striking distance of the top seed. In addition to tying the head-to-head record, a victory over the Philippines would guarantee their place at the top of Group B.

Gilas Pilipinas is aware of the significance of this match. Their chances of winning the Asia Cup could be greatly impacted by securing the top seed, which could provide a more straightforward path to the subsequent stages. To defeat the Tall Blacks at home, the players will need to concentrate, regroup, and give it their all.

In a friendly match last week in Doha, Qatar, coach Tim Cone acknowledged that defeating the Tall Blacks at home would be difficult, as the team is reeling from three consecutive defeats since the start of the campaign.

As the Filipino squad left Chinese Taipei on their way to Auckland, Tim Cone voiced his profound disappointment. Cone admitted that the current circumstance did little to lift the team’s morale, since they were still recovering from a previous setback. Feeling like they had failed their country, he and the players were both dealing with sentiments of failure. The squad struggled to maintain motivation in the face of the defeat, demonstrating the emotional toll of the loss.

Cone stressed the significance of finding a solution to improve their mood and focused on the next phase of their journey in New Zealand, despite the challenging feelings. He realized that focusing on the most recent loss would not help the squad advance. Rather, they had to turn their annoyance into a newfound will to get back up stronger. The team’s move to Auckland was a significant turning point since it gave them a new chance to refocus, regroup, and aim for greater results. Cone’s leadership was essential at this trying time as he worked to help the players move past their setback and rebuild their confidence in preparation for their upcoming test in New Zealand.

On the other hand, after crushing Hong Kong 91-52 on Friday, the Tall Blacks will be feeling quite positive going into their rematch with the Filipinos.

With New Zealand’s victory and Gilas’ defeat, the two nations were tied 4-1 at the top of Group B. The winner of the last qualifier would receive the top seed in the bracket going into the FIBA Asia Cup competition in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in August.

Judd Flavell, the coach of the Tall Blacks, is aware of the difficulty.

Although the team had already guaranteed a place in the Asia Cup, its attention was now on securing the top seed in order to increase their chances of making it to the gold-medal match. Given that a better seed could result in a more advantageous route to the finals, the coach underlined the need of strategically placing oneself in the tournament. It was essential for the team to defeat the Philippines in New Zealand in order to achieve this aim. In addition to being important for standings, this match was also crucial for gaining confidence and momentum going into the competition’s later phases.