Canada’s senior men’s basketball team carries a perfect 6-0 record into second-round Americas qualifying play for the 2023 FIBA World Cup. The men look to make it seven in a row when they hit the hardwood at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre for an Aug. 25 game against Argentina.
In the opening round, the national team won all of its Group C matchups – two each against the Dominican Republic, Bahamas and Virgin Islands. With the top three teams from each group advancing to round two, Canada will now play two games each against the Argentines, Venezuela and Panama. Those six games will be split evenly between matchups on home soil and matchups down south.
The Dominican Republic and Bahamas will join the Canadians in Group E, but won’t play the Canuck squad as they already met in the opening round.
Guided by head coach Nick Nurse of the NBA’s Toronto Raptors, Canada is the lone remaining undefeated team in the qualifier. Argentina and Venezuela tied for first in Group A at 5-1, while Brazil and USA won Group B and Group D, respectively, with duplicate 5-1 records.
After the Victoria game to open second-round play, the Canadians head to Panama City for an Aug. 29 contest, then have a two-month competitive break before resuming qualifying play in Canada on Nov. 10 against Venezuela and Nov. 13 against Panama. They hit the road for the final two games, Feb. 25 in Argentina and Feb. 27 in Venezuela.
Tickets for the Victoria matchup are available online at selectyourtickets.com or by stopping by the arena box office at 1925 Blanshard St.
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