D’Tigers move 10 places up in FIBA world rankings

Coming into the World Cup as the 11th ranked team, Australia received extra points for beating higher-ranked teams in France and Lithuania.

This was on their way to their best-ever performance at the flagship event.

World Cup runners-up Argentina also moved up a spot at the expense of France.

The French’s overall points tally did increase at the World Cup, but they were not enough to compensate for the gains made by Australia and Argentina.

Czech Republic (596.8) and Poland (583.0) were among the highest risers, with their strong showings at the World Cup reflecting in the newly-updated ranking.

The Czechs climbed 14 places and are now 10th, while the Poles jumped to 13th place, having gained 12 positions.

The trajectory is also pointing up for some other World Cup participants, as Nigeria, Tunisia, Jordan, Japan, Cote d’Ivoire registered double-digit gains.

However, the countries losing ground were those not present at the 32-team tournament in China.

The FIBA World Ranking for Men, presented by NIKE, will next be updated following February’s Continental Cup Qualifiers.

(NAN)