The biggest international basketball competition in Europe started yesterday and will run through September 17. Group C, which includes Bojan Bogdanovic and Croatia along with the Czech Republic, Hungary, Montenegro, Spain, and host Romania, opens play today.
Croatia has received mention as a potential dark horse in the tournament, but outpacing last summer’s feats — including an impressive upset over Spain on the opening day of pool play as well as a surprise berth in the quarterfinal round of the Olympics — could be tough sledding.
The Croats went an impressive 4-1 in warm-up play, including wins over Lithuania’s more physically imposing roster (82-80) and France (92-87) in a three-team tournament in Orleans.