2013 FIBA Asia Championships Power Rankings I

MANILA, Philippines — The Preliminary Round of the 2013 FIBA Asia Men’s Championships is now in the books. The 12 teams advancing to the second round and the 3 relegated to the consolation round have been determined, without much surprise.

You will see below how the teams have been grouped and their respective carry-over standings. After that, you will see a 12-team set of Power Rankings using a similar formula to the one I currently use for the UAAP. 

Team Standings

GROUP E	W	L
Chinese Taipei	2	0
Qatar	2	0
Philippines	1	1
Japan	1	1
Jordan	0	2
Hong Kong	0	2

GROUP F	W	L
Kazakhstan	2	0
Iran	2	0
South Korea	1	1
Bahrain	1	1
China	0	2
India	0	2

 

Consolation Matchups:

Malaysia vs. Thailand (loser finishes 15th and winner plays Saudi Arabia for 13th place)


POWER RANKINGS (only for the second round teams):

These rankings are based on each team’s Cumulative Efficiency Ratings (CER – sum of all its players’ efficiency ratings as calculated by PBA-Online.net) AND its wins. The formula I used was this:

Team EFF = CER + (# of wins x 70)

I gave each win a value of 70 stat points simply because the average score for each of the 2013 FIBA Asia teams so far was 72.52ppg. I just rounded that down to an even 70.

Despite the limitations of the statistical basis, I believe that these rankings still generally reflect a balance of “how good each team has been” and “how good each team is projected to be.”

I’m 110% sure not everyone will agree with the following rankings, but that was never the point anyway. As long as this fosters discussion and gives fodder for tabletop discourse, then all’s good. Well, hopefully.

Let’s go. Time for the disagreeing to begin.

1. Iran 
(3 wins, 0 losses, 474.3 CER)

The trio of Hamed Haddadi, Samad Nikkhah Bahrami, and Mahdi Kamrani has just been unstoppable, and there are no signs any of their round 2 opponents can do anything about it.

2. Chinese Taipei
(3 wins, 0 losses, 469.5 CER)

Their huge win over Gilas cements their place atop Group A and near the top of these rankings. As expected, the addition of Quincy Davis has made Taiwan a prime semifinal contender.

3. Kazakhstan 
(3 wins, 0 losses, 437.4 CER)

Considering their first three opponents and their next three, I am pretty sure this is bound to change soon enough.

4. Qatar 
(2 wins, 0 losses, 384.5 CER)

Their comeback win over Japan, their blowout of Hong Kong, and their torrid shooting have put Al Annabi right up there with some strong teams.

5. Philippines
(2 wins, 1 loss, 370.3 CER)

The Pinoys were not exactly super impressive in the preliminaries even if they did get 2 wins. If they can find a way to avoid slow starts, then they should have a solid shot at one of the top two Group E berths.

6. Bahrain 
(2 wins, 1 loss, 363.4 CER)

Two OTs and one blowout later and we have Bader Malabes’s team in the top 6. Oh, but with CJ Giles out with what looks like an ACL injury, things look mighty bleak for the Red Wolves.

7. Korea 
(2 wins, 1 loss, 357.7 CER)

They just lost steam against Iran, but for most of that game they showed they can compete. The Koreans should sweep round 2 and solidify the #2 spot in Group F.

8. Japan 
(1 win, 1 loss, 325.2 CER)

Had they not slipped up in the fourth quarter against Qatar, the Japanese would’ve been way up in these rankings. Oh, and if Kosuke Kanamaru can continue his red-hot shooting, then all three Group A qualifiers should watch out.

9. China 
(1 win, 2 losses, 320.5 CER)

They crumbled against Korea and looked supremely vulnerable against Iran. Even when they sweep round 2, this Chinese team is definitely not the one we’re so used to seeing.

10. India 
(1 win, 2 losses, 299.7 CER)

India could have been 2-1 had they played better in the clutch against Bahrain. They were also in the thick of things against Kazakhstan, but it’s clear they have nearly no chance against the big the from Group C in round 2.

11. Jordan 
(1 win, 2 losses, 280.0 CER)

A depleted roster means coach Vangelis Aleksandris will continue to play Jimmy Baxter for upwards of 35 minutes. And that has so far not resulted in the best of things.

12. Hong Kong 
(0 wins, 2 losses, 175.3 CER)

Composed of a bunch of semi-pros who had to take leaves of absence from their day jobs, the Hong Kongers aren’t expected to make much noise in round 2. And they won’t. – Rappler.com