The No. 10 ranked team in the world, Italy finished with an 8-2 record to tie Spain for first in their group during the qualifiers. Their high-octane offense led the qualifiers in points per game with 88.1 points. They also finished second in assists per game with 21.2 assists. The Italians will look to continue this high-level play in the World Cup.
Active NBA Players
- Simone Fontecchio (Utah Jazz)
Coach: Gianmarco Pozzecco
What to Watch
With Paolo Banchero choosing to play for the U.S. over Italy and Danilo Gallinari unlikely to play in the World Cup due to injury recovery, the attention turns to Simone Fontecchio. In three qualifying matches, the 27-year-old averaged 21 points and five rebounds. The Italy squad includes Luigi Datome, Nico Mannion and Nicolo Melli, who each had brief stints in the NBA.
Group Play Schedule
- Aug. 25: Italy vs. Angola (4 a.m. ET)
- Aug. 27: Italy vs. Dominican Republic (4 a.m. ET)
- Aug. 29: Italy vs. Philippines (8 a.m. ET)
