It’s time for Olympic Bilal.
Bilal Coulibaly and the France men’s national basketball open their 2024 Olympic campaign as favorites against Brazil.
Game info
When: Saturday, July 27 at 11:15 a.m. ET.
Where: Stade Pierre Mauroy (a/k/a the Decathlon Arena) in Lille
How to watch: CNBC, Peacock
Game Preview
France did not exactly have the smoothest time closing out their exhibition games. Les Bleus lost their last four contests against Australia, Canada, Serbia, and Germany — all teams that could conceivably contend for a podium finish. But with the exhibition slate erased, the home team has a perfect opportunity to start the group stage with a win against a lower-ranked Brazil squad.
Based on France’s last two friendlies, the team may opt for a starting lineup featuring the twin towers of Rudy Gobert and Victor Wembanyama. Former New York Knicks Evan Fournier and Frank Ntilikina would man the starting backcourt spots, while Isaïa Cordinier would round out the first five at small forward.
Coulibaly wasn’t much of a factor during France’s last exhibition match against Australia. He didn’t take a shot and doled out two assists in just over nine minutes of action off the bench. But he did have a couple of 20+ minute outings during the friendlies and even started in France’s second tune-up against Germany when Wembanyama sat out.
Aside from Bilal, France also has Guerschon Yabusele and team captain Nicolas Batum providing frontcourt depth.
Brazil enters Saturday’s contest as clear underdogs. But they do boast a handful of players with some NBA experience.
Bruno Caboclo, the man best known for being two years away from being two years away, is expected to lead the charge for Brazil’s offense. Flanking him is former Wizard Raul Neto, along with Marcelinho Huertas, Cristiano Felicio, and Didi Louzada — all players who played at least two seasons in the NBA. The team also has 22-year-old Gui Santos, who currently plays for the Golden State Warriors.
France and Brazil are in Group B, which also includes Japan and reigning FIBA World Cup Champion Germany. Only the top two teams in each group are guaranteed to move on to the quarterfinals. The two best third-place teams in the group stage will also advance.