Tuesday's preliminary matches at the National Indoor Stadium and the USTB Gymnasium will bring teams from both groups one game closer to qualifying for the quarterfinals.
Brazil vs. Israel (Group B) 9:00 a.m. (UTC/GMT +8)
? Brazil remains winless after narrowly losing to Australia 73-72 on Sunday and to the United States 87-41 on Monday.
? Brazil's Erick Silva and Irio Nunes combined for 49 points against Australia but only combined for nine points on their second match, shooting 3-for-13 from the floor.
? Israel recovered from its heavy loss to the United States 76-53 on day one with an easy 80-41 victory over China.
? Isreal's Dotan Meishar is one of the top scorers and rebounders of the tournament, averaging 21 points and 14 rebounds per game. Roei Rozenberg and Lior Dror contributed an average of 14 and 13 points per game, respectively.
Australia vs. China (Group B) 11:15 a.m. (UTC/GMT +8)
? Australia has won both of its games thus far, with a narrow 73-72 victory over Brazil on Sunday and an easier 67-48 win over Great Britain on Monday.
? Following Australia's defeat of Great Britain on Monday, forward Justin Eveson implied that no team -- even weaker ones such as China -- should be discounted. "There are teams here that can surprise you," Eveson said. "It's not going to be easy, and we know that, so we've got to stay the course and hopefully get the job done."
? China, the youngest team in the tournament, suffered two heavy losses against European teams. On Sunday, China was beaten by Great Britain 81-34, and Israel beat the host team 80-41 on Monday.
? Not one Chinese player is averaging more than 10 points after two matches. Huang Xunan is the team's top scorer with an average of 9.5 points per game.
Iran vs. Japan (Group A) 10:00 a.m. (UTC/GMT +8)
? Iran surprisingly beat Sweden 92-66 on Monday to remain undefeated after two games. In the first match, Iran defeated South Africa.
? Alireza Ahmadi of Iran averaged 26.5 points in the first matches, while centers Morteza Gharibloo and Adel Torfi Meneshidi scored 21.5 and 17.5 points per game, respectively, combining for 24 rebounds per game.
? Japanese guard Shingo Fujii's layup with five seconds left on the clock lifted Japan to a 58-56 win over Germany on Monday. Japan lost 49-61 to Sweden in the team's first game on Sunday.
? Japanese guard Keisuke Koretomo said Japan's 58-56 victory over Germany on Monday will give his team confidence to beat Iran.
South Africa vs. Germany (Group A) 12:15 a.m. (UTC/GMT +8)
? South Africa lost both of its matches. On Sunday, the team was beaten by Iran 73-62 and on Monday lost to reigning Paralympic champion Canada, 80-55.
? Nicholas Taylor of South Africa has played every minute of his team's games and averages 21 points per game. Richard Nortje is the second top scorer, averaging 13.5 points per game.
? Following Germany's 56-58 loss to Japan on Monday, centre Andre Bienek said Germany need to play more aggressive defense, and hit more lay-ups and free throws than they did against Japan, to win upcoming games.
? Guard Ahmet Coskun and Germany's coach Frits Weigmann said none of the German players performed to potential on the court during their loss to Japan on Monday.
Canada vs. Sweden (Group A) 6:30 p.m. (UTC/GMT +8)
? Reigning Paralympic champion Canada started with wins in both matches. On Sunday, the gold medal team had to struggle to beat Germany 62-59, while on Monday, Canada had no problem defeating South Africa 80-55.
? Canada's Patrick Anderson, considered the best player in the world, averaged 22.5 points in only 23 minutes per game of his first two matches.
? Sweden started with a win over Japan (61-49) but suffered a heavy 92-66 loss in its second match against Iran.
? Hussein Haidari leads the Swedish team in points (17.5 per game) and assists (7.5 per game). Joachim Gustavsson averaged 15.5 points in the first two games.
US vs. Great Britain (Group B) 8:45 p.m. (UTC/GMT +8)
? Team USA won its first two matches and continues to play at a high level. On Sunday, the team beat Israel 76-53 and on Monday thrashed Brazil 87-41, combining an effective offense with a tough and aggressive defense.
? Paul Schulte of the United States is the team's top scorer, averaging 14.5 points in the first two matches, while Jeff Glasbrenner and Joe Chambers both average 12.5 points per game.
? Great Britain is 1-1 thus far in the tournament. The team easily won against China on Sunday but lost 67-48 to Australia on Monday.
? Following the British team's loss to Australia, guard Jon Pollock said the game against the United States is not as important as upcoming games against Brazil and Israel, in order for Great Britain to advance to the quarterfinal.
(BOCOG September 9, 2008)