On Sunday, an unheralded Latvia team accomplished the unthinkable, knocking off France 88-86 in a stunning upset that eliminated them from the tournament in just the first round.
A first-round exit is probably not what a relatively star-studded French squad pictured when they lined up for the FIBA World Cup.
But on Sunday, an unheralded Latvia team accomplished the unthinkable, knocking off France 88-86 in a stunning upset that eliminated them from the tournament in the first round.
France, the reigning Olympic silver medalists, has a roster headlined by Rudy Gobert, Nicolas Batum, and Evan Fournier, but still blew a 12-point lead to start the fourth quarter to Latvia.
“For us, for sure, it’s a nightmare,” France head coach Vincent Collet said.
The game turned when France’s starting point guard Nando De Colo was ejected for committing a second unsportsmanlike conduct foul with 6:46 left in the fourth quarter.
