EuroBasket 2015 Live Stream & Schedule: Serbia vs Czech Republic, Lithuania vs Italy Quarterfinals Preview
Four teams will look to join Spain and France in the semifinals when they play in the quarterfinals of EuroBasket 2015 on Wednesday in Lille, France.
Serbia vs. Czech Republic, 12:30 p.m. ET
Serbia will put their perfect record on the line in their semis match against Czech Republic at Pierre Mauroy Stadium.
Serbia swept their five Group B matches during the preliminary round and sustained their momentum during the quarterfinals. They booked a spot in the Final Eight with a 94-81 win against Finland on Sunday.
Serbia are expected to lean on Nemanja Bjelica, who averaged 14.8 points and 6.7 rebounds in their first six games, and Miroslav Raduljica, who posted 14.2 points and 4.7 rebounds.
On the other hand, Jan Vesely will look to lead Czech Republic to an upset win against their unbeaten opponents. Vesely, who is averaging 16.8 points and 9.0 rebounds, posted 20 markers and 13 boards during their 80-59 victory against Croatia in the quarterfinals.
Serbia coach Aleksandar Djordjevic said that he watched the Czech Republic-Croatia match. He said Czech Republic displayed great character but added that his players are ready for the challenge on Wednesday.
"We know what we have to do," Djordjevic said. "We know our strengths and weaknesses. We have our goal and our mission and we will fight to get there."
Lithuania vs. Italy, 3 p.m. ET
Lithuania and Italy will play in the fourth and final quarterfinal of this year's EuroBasket, which serves as the regional qualifier for the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Lithuania were challenged by Georgia during their Round-of-16 match on Sunday, but they managed to escape with a hard-earned 85-81 victory to book a ticket to the final eight.
On the other hand, Italy had an easier route to the quarterfinals, as they ran away with an 82-52 win over Israel. Alessandro Gentile was unstoppable as he scored team-high 27 points for Italy, while NBA veteran Marco Belinelli added 14 points. Danilo Gallinari, the team's leading scorer, was limited to six points.
Lithuania, who is expected to lean on leading scorer Jonas Valanciunas, is favored to win on Wednesday, but head coach Jonas Kazlauskas said that there should be no room for complacency because Italy proved they are a force in the tournament when they defeated Spain during the group stage.
"They are a great team with a lot of great players," Kazlauskas said of Italy. "They are unbelievable three-point shooters and good at one-on-one. I don't think any average team can beat Spain that means they are a great team."
Fans can catch the EuroBasket 2015 quarterfinals via online live streaming on Live Basketball TV.
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