From 24 to 16.
The field has been whittled down, with 16 teams still going through the eye of the needle to clinch the four Olympic Games Paris 2024 spots available in men's basketball.
In Riga, four teams compete for the lone berth offered in Riga. Gilas Pilipinas is right there in the semifinals along with Brazil, Cameroon, and host Latvia.
Take a look at how all 16 teams remaining in the FIBA OQT have reached the semis so far and what we can expect.
FIBA OQT in Riga
Semifinals 1: Brazil (12) vs Philippines (37)
Have we met?
Philippines has not beaten Brazil in their previous encounters in men's basketball, with the South Americans going 4-0.
First was the Olympic Games Helsinki 1952 (Brazil won 52-71). During the 1954 FIBA World Championship in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil beat the Philippines, 99-62, in the group stage. The hosts beat the Filipinos again in the final round, 57-41. Brazil settled for silver, while the Philippines got bronze.
When the Philippines hosted the World Championship in 1978, Brazil still had the upper hand 119-72.
Road to semis:
Both were winning losers going to the semifinals.
Brazil first defeated Montenegro, 81-72. All they had to do was to either win against Cameroon or lose by six points or less to become the Group B winners. They narrowly lost, 77-74.
The Philippines was also a lucky loser. The Filipinos needed to win against Georgia or to lose by 18 points or less.
Georgia at one point had a 20-point lead but it was whittled down to two. Gilas lost the game, but won the semifinals slot.
Players to watch:
Brazil: Bruno Caboclo
Philippines: Justin Brownlee
Semifinals 2: Cameroon (68) vs Latvia (6)
Have we met?
This is the first time European powerhouse Latvia will take on Cameroon, who secured the spot in Riga via the Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
Road to semis:
Host Latvia dominated Georgia right off the bat but suffered a stunning lopsided loss to the Philippines. They still advance to the semifinals.
Meanwhile, Cameroon experienced an opening loss to Montenegro. They had to win against Brazil to stay alive. And win they did, with three points to spare. They would have been the Group B winners if they won by seven or more points.
Players to watch:
Cameroon: Jeremiah Hill
Latvia: Mareks Mejeris
FIBA OQT Valencia
Semifinals 1: Bahamas (57) vs Lebanon (28)
Have we met?
The Bahamas and Lebanon have not played against each other before.
Road to semis:
Buddy Hield and DeAndre Ayton have made Bahamas the dark horse in Valencia, as they beat both Finland (96-85) and Poland (90-81) to become the Group B winner.
Lebanon meanwhile, had to fight for survival against Angola (74-70) after losing to host Spain.
Players to watch:
Bahamas: Buddy Hield
Lebanon: Omari Spellman
Semifinals 2: Finland (20) vs Spain (2)
Have we met?
Finland have not beaten Spain since 1967.
The Finns lost the past six matchups, but only two of those have been in this century. The last meeting was at FIBA EuroBasket 2022, when Spain won 90-80 en route to becoming champions for the fourth time.
Take note, Finland had Lauri Markkanen at that time. No such luck this year.
Road to semis:
Host Spain breezed past Lebanon (104-59) before putting away Angola (89-81).
Meanwhile, the Bahamas stunned Finland, 96-85. The Finns had to win against the Poles, and they did so by a point, 89-88.
Players to watch:
Finland: Alexander Madsen
Spain: Santiago Aldama
FIBA OQT San Juan
Semifinals 1: Italy (13) vs Lithuania (10)
Have we met?
Clash of the titans.
Lithuania is 12-4 against Italy in FIBA competitions--the last four during the 2015, 2013, and 2007 EuroBaskets, along with the 2006 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Italy though managed to stun Lithuania in the semifinals of the 2004 FIBA OQT. Will there be a repeat of history?
Road to semis:
Lithuania finished their assignments in Group A by beating Mexico (96-84) and Cote d'Ivoire (97-93).
Italy was also pretty much en route to the Group B after a 114-53 win against Bahrain. But Puerto Rico had other ideas and stunned the Azzurri, 80-69.
Players to watch:
Italy: Nicolo Melli
Lithuania: Domantas Sabonis
Semifinals 2: Puerto Rico (16) vs Mexico (25)
Have we met?
Puerto Rico has a 13-9 lead against Mexico--winning three of the last four.
Their last clash was in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Qualifiers, when Puerto Rico won 97-87, while Mexico prevailed 90-86.
Road to semis:
Latin American clash in San Juan!
After losing to Lithuania (96-84), Mexico had to win against Cote d'Ivoire to survive. And survive they did, 92-81.
Puerto Rico meanwhile delivered a stunner by beating both Bahrain (99-56) and Italy (80-69) to become the Group B winner.
Players to watch:
Puerto Rico: George Conditt IV
Mexico: Joshua Ibarra
FIBA OQT Piraeus
Semifinals 1: Dominican Republic (19) vs Croatia (30)
Have we met?
This is the first time the two squads will meet in international competition.
Road to semis:
Croatia first stunned Slovenia, 108-92, before absorbing a 90-86 loss to New Zealand. The Croats would become Group A winners if Slovenia defeated New Zealand by up to 28 points. The Luka Doncic-led Slovakians won by 26.
The Dominican Republic survived by beating Egypt, 90-77, despite bowing afterwards to Greece.
Players to watch:
Dominican Republic: Jean Montero
Croatia: Dario Saric
Semifinals 2: Greece (14) vs Slovenia (11)
Have we met?
Doesn't get any better than this. It is THE must-watch semifinals clash of the OQT.
Greece and Slovenia have battled 21 times from friendlies in 1995 to the FIBA EuroBasket 2017. Official score: 12-8 for Greece.
Slovenia though won that last one in 2017, 78-72.
Road to semis:
Greece got the job done at home with wins over the Dominican Republic (109-82) and Egypt (93-71).
Slovenia though had a tougher path, suffering a defeat to Croatia (108-92) before bouncing back against New Zealand (104-78).
Players to watch:
When you have two of the top five best players in the world, it can't get any better.
Greece: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Slovenia: Luka Doncic