2013 EuroBasket schedule: Ukraine or Latvia to be eliminated Sunday

The second round of EuroBasket 2013 nears its completion Sunday with three more games. All eyes will be on whether Ukraine or Latvia becomes the fourth team from Group E to advance along with France, Lithuania and Serbia.

The first matchup comes at 8:20 a.m. ET between Latvia and Belgium. With a 1-3 record in this round, Latvia may be on the brink of elimination, but they still have a clear route to the next round. A win would put serious pressure on Ukraine to get a third victory and avoid elimination.

While Latvia’s 1-3 record in Group E trails Ukraine’s 2-2 mark, a tie would presumably eliminate the latter. In the event that both teams finish 2-3, the tiebreaker involves point differential, where Latvia (plus-6 through four games) currently has a huge advantage over Ukraine (minus-32) after winning 85-51 when the two teams played Wednesday.

That makes Sunday’s second game, a matchup between Ukraine and Lithuania, especially important. The Ukrainians may have the easier route to the next round -- they simply need to win Sunday and whatever happens to Latvia won’t matter -- but they’re also facing a very tough opponent. With poor odds of winning, Ukraine may actually be at a disadvantage despite currently holding the lead.

If you’re hoping to check out any of these games, they’re all available online on ESPN3.

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