The 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup is quickly approaching and as Australia continues to prepare with a number of friendly exhibitions, we look ahead towards its opponents during the opening pool play round which begins on Aug. 31 in China.
Australia is a member of Group H and is set to face Canada, Senegal and Lithuania during the first stage. The top two teams from this group will advance to the second stage, in which there will be four groups of four teams that vie to advance to the knockout stage.
With that in mind, here's more on each team that Australia is set to face.
Canada
FIBA Ranking: 23
When they play: Sunday, Sept. 1, 5:30 p.m. AEST
| Player | Position | Height | Team |
| Aaron Best | G | 6'4" | Riesen Ludwigsburg |
| Khem Birch | C | 6'9" | Orlando Magic |
| Conor Morgan | F | 6'8" | Divina Seguros Joventut |
| Melvin Ejim | F | 6'6" | Baloncesto Malaga |
| Kaza Kajami-Keane | G | 6'2" | Mitteldeutscher BC |
| Owen Klassen | C | 6'10" | Telenet Giants Antwerp |
| Andrew Nembhard | G | 6'5" | Florida Gators |
| Duane Notice | G | 6'2" | Raptors 905 |
| Eugene Omoruyi | F | 6'7" | Oregon Ducks |
| Kevin Pangos | G | 6'2" | FC Barcelona |
| Addison Patterson | G | 6'6" | Bella Vista Prep |
| Phil Scrubb | G | 6'4" | Club Estudiantes |
| Thomas Scrubb | F | 6'7" | SIG Strasbourg |
| Kyle Wiltjer | F | 6'10" | Turk Telecom |
The Boomers have already established familiarity with Canada as they've hosted two exhibition games that resulted in two very different outcomes.
In the first game, Canada's defence stymied the Boomers, who shot just 6-for-34 from behind the arc. Point guard Kevin Pangos led the way for Canada with 18 points, while Patty Mills led the Boomers with 20 points (on 8-for-18 shooting).
The performance of these two guards could very well dictate how the pool play meeting goes in China.
While Mills and Andrew Bogut sat out the second game, Jock Landale (13 points) and Jonah Bolden (12 points) led the Boomers to an eight-point win. Pangos sat in the loss, emphasizing his value for a Canadian team that saw the majority of its NBA talent withdraw to focus on the upcoming season or to nurse injuries.
With an NBA champion head coach in Nick Nurse and the likes of Khem Birch and Cory Joseph on the roster, Canada still has the potential to make noise in China despite the absence of bigger names.
Senegal
FIBA Ranking: 37
When they play: Tuesday, Sept. 3, 5:30 p.m. AEST
| Player | Position | Height | Team |
| Xane D'Almeida | G | 6'0" | Tarbes-Lourdes |
| Moustapha Diop | F | 6'9" | Tallinna Kalev |
| Ibrahima Faye | F | 6'9" | Antwerp Giants |
| Mouhammad Faye | F/C | 6'9" | Crvena Zvezda |
| Makhtar Gueye | F | 6'10" | UAB Blazers |
| Hamady N'Diaye | C | 7'0" | BCM Gravelines |
| Maurice Ndour | F | 6'9" | Valencia Basket |
| Momar Ndoye | F | 6'6" | JA Vichy |
| Youssoupha Ndoye | C | 6'11" | JL Bourg |
| Lamine Sambe | G | 6'2" | ADA Blois |
| Djibril Thiam | F | 6'9" | SOPCC Basket |
| Babacar Toure | F/C | 6'9" | Fribourg Olympic |
While Senegal is the lowest-ranked team in this group, it still provides a number of unique challenges, specifically due to the size present on the roster. Just three players on the team are shorter than 6'9", meaning the team will have no shortage of length on both the perimeter and the inside.
One name to keep an eye on with Senegal is 6-foot-9 forward Maurice Ndour, who spent part of the 2016-17 NBA season with the New York Knicks. Ndour has made a name for himself as an elite defender – last season, the 27-year-old was named 2019 VTB United League Defensive Player of the Year for his work on the defensive end as a member of Russia's BC UNICS.
In addition to Ndour is 7-footer Hamdy N'Diaye, who appeared in 33 NBA games over a four-year span after being drafted in 2010. The 32-year-old spent the last two seasons of his professional career in Italy and will be playing in France this upcoming season.
Lithuania
FIBA Ranking: 6
When they play: Thursday, Sept. 5, 9:30 p.m. AEST
| Player | Position | Height | Team |
| Arnas Butkevicius | F | 6'5" | BC Rytas |
| Martinas Geben | C | 6'9" | Juventus Utena |
| Rokas Giedraitis | F | 6'7" | ALBA Berlin |
| capMarius Grrigonis | G | 6'6" | BC Zalgiris |
| Zygimantas Janavicius | G | 6'4" | BC Skycop |
| Paulius Jankunas | F | 6'9" | BC Zalgiris |
| Mantas Kalnietis | G | 6'5" | Lyon ASVEL |
| Mindaugas Kuzminskas | F | 6'9" | AX Armani Exchange Olimpia Milan |
| Lukas Lekavicius | G | 6'0" | Panathinaikos BC OPAP |
| Domantas Sabonis | F | 6'10" | Indiana Pacers |
| Renaldas Seibutis | G | 6'5" | Tecnyconta Zaragoza |
| Edgaras Ulanovas | F | 6'6" | BC Zalgiris |
| Jonas Valanciunas | C | 6'11" | Memphis Grizzlies |
With Domantas Sabonis and Jonas Valanciunas serving as the team's interior anchors, Lithuania has the ability to pound the ball inside and make the most of their size advantage when the opportunity presents itself. It helps that Valanciunas and Sabonis are far from one-dimensional, and their versatility makes things easier for the rest of the team.
Still, it's not just a two-man show and Lithuania is ranked No. 6 in the world for a reason.
Guard Mantas Kalnietis is worth keeping an eye on as he's an elite distributor – at the 2017 EuroBasket, Kalnietis averaged 7.2 assists per game. This will be his second World Cup with Lithuania; after competing on the team that captured Bronze in 2010, Kalnietis missed the 2014 World Cup with an injury. Now, he will again look to make an impact on this team.
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