WIN or lose against Angola, the Philippines is expected to put up another ‘whale of a fight’ against world No. 10 Italy in the FIBA World Cup 2023 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Italians will be the Filipinos’ third and final assignment in the preliminary group phase, and the 8 p.m. game will be crucial in the country’s hopes of making it as Asia’s lone representative to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Led by NBA “Sixth Man of the Year” awardee Jordan Clarkson of the Utah Jazz and six-time PBA Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo of San Miguel Beer, the Filipinos need to finish as the highest-ranked Asian country in the prestigious 32-team competition to clinch the lone ticket to Paris.

Simone Fontecchio, a teammate of Clarkson at the Utah Jazz, and former NBA players Luigi Datome and Nicolo Melli will again banner Italy, which served notice of its title aspirations by beating Angola, 81-67, during opening-day action at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan last Friday.

Fontecchio, the 6-7 forward who plays for the Jazz, finished with 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting, three rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block against Angola.

Stefano Tonut added 18 points.

The Gianmarco Pozzecco-mentored Italians also swept their seven tune-up matches against fellow World Cup participants Turkey (90-89), China (79-61), Serbia (89-88), Greece (74-70), Puerto Rico (98-65), Brazil (93-87) and New Zealand (88-81).

Based on Olympic rules, only 12 countries will be allowed to compete in Paris, with only host France already assured of a seat.

“It’s been a while since we’ve been to the Olympics. The last time was in 1972,” said Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Al Panlilio.

“The goal right now is to be the best-ranking team in Asia in the World Cup to advance to Paris,” added Panlilio wbo was at courtside when the country established a new FIBA record in crowd attendance.

Interestingly, all Asian countries vying in the World Cup and battling for the Parid ticket dropped their initial assignments in the face of strong opposition.

China, which was reinforced by NBA veteran Kyle Anderson of the Minnesota Timberwolves, was the biggest victim.

The Chinese went out as the day’s biggest losers after falling 63-105, to Serbia last Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The 6-9 Anderson, China’s newly- naturzalied player, went scoreless with a nightmarish 0-of-9 shooting in almost 26 minutes on the floor.

Co-host Japan also started on the wrong foot after losing to Germany, 63-81, in Okinawa.

Also losing their matches were Lebanon, which bowed to Latvia; 70-109 at the Jakarta Arena; Iran, which faltered against Brazil, 59-100, at the Jakarta Arena; and Jordan, which succumbed to Greece, 71-92, at the Mall of Asia Aren in Pasay City,