My takes on Quarter-Finals day at FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2026

Leave it to the Europeans to give the world a classy show and that is exactly what happened as the two all-European Quarter-Finals were thrilling - with Serbia and Türkiye winning - after two less-than-exciting victories by Australia and USA in the first two games.

We have four teams left dreaming of hoisting the trophy on Sunday in Istanbul. For USA it would mean business as usual while Australia get the first shot at handing the Americans their first ever loss. If USA reach the Final again, they will face another tough test with either the hosts Türkiye or FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2025 champs Serbia.

Here are my takes on the Quarter-Finals day in Istanbul.

Here are some notes on the two Semi-Finals.

USA and Australia have met four times and the Americans won all four times. The last two meetings have been big-time showdowns - in the 2012 and 2014 Finals. In Istanbul, the Americans are averaging 31.8 points off turnovers and 50.6 fast break points per game. The two played in an exhibition game just before the tournament and USA won.

Türkiye and Serbia for their part faced off in an exhibition two weeks ago in Istanbul. Serbia won 73-72 on a Matija Lukic 3-pointer with 3.1 seconds left after Omer Kutluay hit a jumper with 17.4 seconds remaining Nikola Kusturica did not not play for Serbia

The biggest storyline in the Türkiye and Serbia matchup will be which superstar can lead their team to the win - Türkiye’s Omer Kutluay or Nikola Kusturica of Serbia. It should be noted that the two went at each other in the NextGen EuroLeague Championship Game a few weeks ago with Kusturica’s Barcelona beating Kutluay and Real Madrid. Kutluay: 2pt 2as 1st in 10min - Kusturica: 20pt 10rb 2a.

All the talk before the tournament regarding France was them wanting to finish second in Group A to then avoid facing USA until the Final. That was the talk two years ago and the French were famously shocked by Puerto Rico in the Round of 16.

This time around, France’s unwanted exit after getting their wish in terms of the bracket came in the Quarter-Finals. And instead of Puerto Rico, it was Türkiye who eliminated Tony Parker’s team.

Türkiye’s amazing run in Istanbul has not been one for the faint of heart. And they kept up that tradition against the French with a thrilling 94-87 victory - scoring the final 13 points of the game for the win and reach the Semi-Finals for a third time in four U17 World Cup appearance.

Some time around halftime, I told a colleague that France better be leading by like 8 or 10 points in the closing minute or they would lose the game. There is just something magical about this K&K duo of Omer Kutluay and Darius Karutasu. They perform all game - and play nearly all game - and then still have energy and focus to deliver in the clutch moments.

Kutluay did just that again. With his team down 87-81 with 2 minutes left, Kutluay converted an and-on layup, which also fouled out France’s star forward Nathan Soliman. Kutluay punched right back the next possession with a triple to tie the game 87-87.

Kutluay was not yet done, driving in for another layup to put Türkiye ahead and France were emotionally beaten at that point. Kutluay finished with 30 points as well as dishing out 11 assists without a single turnover in 34 minutes of intense play. How much stronger mentally can you get?

Kutluay’s father Ibrahim Kutluay accomplished some massive achievements - winning the EuroLeague with Panathinaikos in 2001 and taking silver at the FIBA EuroBasket 2001 being the biggest of them. And while Omer still has a ways to go, he is certainly on a good track.

Karutasu for his part was outstanding as well with 24pt 5rb while the team did get a crucial performance from big man Ruzgar Opcun with 11pt 5rb 1bl and guard Omer Yusuf Sik drained 3 triples in scoring 13pt with 4rb 2as.

France point guard Aaron Towo-Nansi had 20pt 5rb 7as and Messi Yangala added 15pt 8rb, but they were not enough with Soliman finishing with 9pt 5rb 3as 3bl in 27min. The French now must regroup and try to grab fifth place.

Serbia came into their Quarter-Finals showdown with Lithuania knowing the two teams had plenty of history. They faced off three times last summer with Lithuania winning twice in the European Youth Olympic Festive - including in the Third Place Game. But it was Serbia who got the big win - taking down Lithuania in the Final of the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2025 for the crown.

Fast forward one year and the two teams - with both of them having nearly identical rosters - were facing off again for a spot in the FIBA U17 World Cup Semi-Finals. And just like in Serbia’s 99-86 win last summer, Nikola Kusturica led the way. The Serbian guard totalled 18pt 14rb 8as 5st 2bl in 2025 and took home MVP honors. In Istanbul, the Barcelona star totalled 30pt 7rb 3as 3st 2bl. And he scored 12 of those points in a fourth quarter that Serbia won 35-11.

Kusturica was not alone as Matija Lukic picked a great time for his best game with 27pt 6rb 4as 3st 2bl in showing that he is also a top talent. Ognjen Simjanovski did a great job leading the ship with 13pt 2rb 6as (with 1to) 5st.

Benas Birzinis had a big game after missing the Round of 16 matchup due to suspension with 17pt 6rb while Gabrielius Buivydas had 16pt 4rb 6as. Kristupas Sabeckas was battling a leg injury and finished with 9pt and captain Jokubas Kukta had 8pt on 3/10 shots 8rb 4as 6to.

Those two Quarter-Finals came after USA had blown out Puerto Rico 149-82 to not only move to 56-0 all-time in the competition’s history but also break a record. The 149 points were the most scored in a single game, breaking the mark of 146 set two years ago.

The Americans led 40-29 after 10 minutes and never let up as six players scored in double figures. Pacing the group was Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, who put together one of the greatest games in FIBA U17 World Cup history. The Duke-bound big man collected 31 points on 11/13fg 3/3ft 16rb 4as 1st 2bl for an efficiency of 49 - all in just 21:40min. That was the fourth-highest mark in history. The record being Isaac Humphries’ 56 in 2014.

The Americans just are overwhelming all comers in Istanbul. And what has been perhaps most impressive has been their ability to share the ball with 44 assists - which was just five off their own record from two years ago.

DJ Gaines poured in 24pt with 7 triples as Puerto Rico just lacked the firepower.

Don’t look now but Australia are into the Semi-Finals for the first time since 2014 with a perfect record and a team that cruises from win to win - the latest being a 100-86 beatdown of Canada.

While so much of the talk in Istanbul has been about USA, Türkiye, France and Serbia, Australia seem to have gone under the radar. The Crocs rolled to a 26-12 lead after 10 minutes and the advantage grew to as many as 30 points before Canada did some cosmetics on the final result to not make it look that bad.

Luke Paul seems like a lock for All-Star Five as he collected 21pt 5rb 10as. Among the other four players in double figures was Yahya Basaran, who has been enjoying his return to his native Türkiye and picked up 12pt 11rb 5bl in the win.

Isaiah Hamilton scored 19pt in the loss.

The biggest game of note in the Classification 9-16 action was Côte d’Ivoire taking on Cameroon in a rematch of the FIBA U16 AfroBasket 2025 Final - which Côte d’Ivoire won for their first time. And the Elephants knocked off the Lions again - this time 77-62 on the global stage.

Côte d’Ivoire took control of the game in the third quarter in building a 25-point lead and finished strong and are still alive for ninth place - which would be the best result ever for an African team in this competition. Egypt took 10th place in 2022.

JP Oka collected 15pt 7rb 4bl and Nathan Djako added 15pt 8rb 5as 3st in the win. Cameroon got 16pt from Lenny Nouhet-Epesse Titi as the country is still hoping for their first win.

Slovenia had been one of the biggest negative surprises of the event, losing their first four games. But they bounced back in fine fashion to beat Italy 70-64 thanks to a 10-0 run over the final 3 minutes.

Slovenia’s stars shined together in this one with Jakob Siftar scoring 20pt and Lun Jarc adding 16pt 11rb in the win. Italy have now lost four in a row despite Nicolo Ronci scoring 27pt - just 2 more than he totalled coming into the game.

The Classification 9-16 game between Japan and New Zealand turned into a shootout and while Chussonjakku “Jack” Shiratani scored 35 points for Japan, it was Jayden Cecil hitting for 31 points and getting the 104-83 win for the Kiwis.

In a rematch of the Third Place Game at the FIBA U16 Asia Cup 2025, New Zealand won again thanks to a 51-39 second half. Cecil also collected 11rb 6as in the win while Marco Sula had 17pt and Kiam Keogh chipped in 14pt 8rb 5as.

China moved into the Classification 9-12 by knocking off Venezuela 84-63 to keep the South Americans winless in their first FIBA U17 World Cup appearance. The Asians took the second half 43-23 to ease to the win.

Chen Yuxiu had 5 three-pointers for 18pt and Zhang Yizhaojie collected 15pt 7rb 5as in the victory. Julio Vasquez scored 23pt in the defeat.

If you enjoyed this article, please click that button above and subscribe to Taking The Charge. That way you will not miss any posts.