“You Don’t Know Ball Sadly”: Yuki Kawamura’s Heroics, Latvia’s History and Other Upsets Enthrall as Fans Trash FIBA World Cup Rankings

Kicked off on August 25, the 2023 FIBA World Cup has already seen some major upsets. The nail-biters have pushed the fans to the edge of their seats. While many are excited to witness some of the biggest stars in action, others aren’t happy about the FIBA power ranking. The fan reaction increased after France’s abysmal performance in the tournament and the awe-inspiring displays of Japan, Latvia and other underdogs.

France was ranked #3 ahead of the World Cup and was considered a favorite to win it all. However, after a humiliating 30-point loss against Canada in the first game, France needed a win against Latvia to stay in the tournament.

Upsets in the 2023 FIBA World Cup

France was hoping to bounce back from the poor performance against Canada with a win against Latvia. However, Latvia had other plans. Interestingly, Group H was considered one of the toughest groups in this World Cup with Canada, France, Latvia, and Lebanon. Many predicted Canada and France to qualify for the next round.

After dismantling Lebanon 109-70 in the first game, Latvia was brimming with confidence. But the same can’t be said about the French national team. However, given the players on the roster, France was always the favorite and they had a good start to the game. Their opponents came back strong in the second quarter but France again had the upper hand in the next quarter.

But things came to a standstill for the 2020 Olympic Runners up in the last quarter. With Latvia’s impressive performance, France scored just 12 points in the whole period and lost the game 86-88. With a few seconds left, France’s 3-point attempt to win the game was off and the put-back to tie the game was not in time.

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Similarly, Japan had an impressive display against Finland who were ranked #12 before the tournament. In front of their fans, the Japan national team defeated Finland with 98-88. Yuki Kawamura helped his team cross the finish line with 25 points and 9 rebounds as per FIBA. Notably, Japan was ranked 26th.

Fans ripped apart the ranking

Interestingly, the FIBA admitted on social media that its power ranking did not age well. It also posted a hilarious clip of deleting the rankings. And the fans let their feelings known. One fan commented, “you don’t know ball sadly”.

A lot of fans mentioned Latvia and Japan in the comment section given their recent heroics. Also, some fans noted that power rankings don’t matter in a major tournament.

Apart from redundant ranking, the FIBA is getting limelight due to the rise of the underdogs on the big stage. And that’s what makes it an interesting global event.

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But do you think rankings mean anything in a major International tournament? Let us know in the comments.