South Korea will face Qatar in the quarterfinals at the ongoing Asian men's basketball championship in the Philippines.
Qatar lost to the Philippines 80-70 Wednesday night to close out its second round at 4-1, good for third place in Group E. Later on Wednesday, South Korea routed India 95-54 to finish second in Group F at 4-1.
The South Korea-Qatar showdown will be at 10:30 p.m. on Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, Philippines.
The top four countries from Groups E and F advanced to the quarters. The other games are: Iran against Jordan, China versus Taiwan and the Philippines and Kazakhstan.
Qatar is led by U.S.-born forward Jarvis Hayes, a former first-round draft pick in the NBA who played for three different teams from 2003 to 2010. Hayes leads the championship with 18 points per game.
Should South Korea beat Qatar, it will then meet the winner of the Philippines-Kazakhstan match.
South Korea, who hammered Kazakhstan 71-47 in the second round on Tuesday, has yet to face the host country at this year's tournament.
Against India, five South Koreans scored double figures, led by Kim Min-goo and Cho Sung-min with 14 points apiece. South Korea shot 55 percent from the field.
South Korea must finish in the top three in Asia to qualify for its first FIBA Basketball World Cup in 16 years.
Spain will host the world championship next year. (Yonhap News)
