Gilas rises to No. 37

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BOOSTED by two runaway victories in the first window of the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers, Gilas Pilipinas has climbed one spot higher in the latest rankings of the world governing body for basketball.

The Nationals rose one rank higher to No. 37, moving past Nigeria, after blasting Hong Kong 94-64 and Chinese Taipei 106-53 late last month.

The Philippines is the top FIBA Asia squad to surge on top in the standings, with Australia (No. 5) dropping one spot, and New Zealand (No. 21), Japan (No. 26), Iran (No. 27), Lebanon (No. 28), China (No. 29), and Jordan (No. 32) staying in their previous places after the World Cup last year.

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Korea also soared one place higher to No. 50.

The Philippine five is now training its sights on the Olympic qualifying tournament in July in Latvia where coach Tim Cone’s team faces a tall task in their bid to gain a slot in the Paris Olympics.

The second window of the qualifiers is set for Nov. 21 and 24.

The Filipino cagers are bracketed with host and world No. 8 Latvia, and No. 23 Georgia in Group A in the Olympic qualifying tournament.

The 38th-ranked Gilas quintet must finish in the top two of its group to advance to the crossover semifinals against the top two of Group B, which includes No. 12 Brazil, No. 17 Montenegro, and No. 67 Cameroon.

The winners of the crossover semis will clash for the lone slot in the Olympics.

 

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