Fresh off finishing atop Group H with a perfect 3-0 record, on Wednesday Canada found out its opponents for the second round of the FIBA World Cup.
The Canadians will face Brazil on Friday at 9:30 a.m. ET / 6:30 a.m. PT, then will take on Spain, Sunday at 9:30 a.m. ET / 6:30 a.m. PT.
Both games can be seen on Sportsnet and SN NOW, with pregame coverage beginning at 9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT.
Brazil secured its spot in the second round with an 89-77 victory over Cote d’Ivoire Wednesday morning. Spain finished atop Group G with a perfect 3-0 record after a 20-point win over Iran Wednesday morning.
Rounding out Canada’s second-round group is Latvia. The Canadians defeated the Latvians 101-75 Tuesday in a battle of 2-0 teams to secure their spot atop the group.
That win was an important one for Canada, as all records from the first round carry over to the second group stage.
In the second round, each team plays against the two teams in its group that it did not face in the first round. For Canada, that would be Spain and Brazil. From there, the top two teams with the best combined records from the two group stages advance to the quarterfinals, while the bottom two teams are eliminated and ranked in places 9-16.
After a dominant first round, the Canadians’ plus-111 point differential through their first three games is the best in the tournament, eight points better than the powerhouse Americans, who finished with a plus-103 differential.
Brazil and Spain are both veteran squads that will test Canada’s youth and depth. The Canadians are somewhat familiar with the Spanish team, as they faced them in a pre-tournament exhibition game, which Canada won 85-80 in overtime.