Macedonia Is Wild Card of EuroBasket Quarterfinals - NYTimes.com

Macedonia Is Wild Card of EuroBasket Quarterfinals - NYTimes.com: "September 13, 2011, 4:48 PM

By CHRISTOPHER BELAC

Christof Koepsel/Getty ImagesA fan of Macedonia looked dejected after his team lost to Russia, 61-63, at EuroBasket 2011 in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Most of the quarterfinalists at EuroBasket 2011 do not come as a surprise. Greece, Slovenia and Russia are no strangers to this stage of the competition. And Spain, France, Serbia and host Lithuania were touted as pretournament favorites. But Macedonia? It is bound to turn some heads when the quarterfinals begin Wednesday.

Macedonia is competing in its third EuroBasket and has never qualified for the FIBA world championships or the Olympics. After dropping its opening game to Montenegro, Macedonia has assumed the role of giant killer by rattling off six straight wins, including against Croatia, Greece and Slovenia. It would have been seven if not for a buzzer beater by Russia.

In a story that would make college basketball’s Butler Bulldogs proud, the naturalized Macedonian Bo McCalebb has averaged 20.6 points a game as the point guard. He has been the team’s leading scorer in every game, including a 27-point performance in a 72-58 victory over Greece.

While the Macedonians have outplayed some of Europe’s best during this run, their quarterfinal matchup against Lithuania will test their resilience.