Alperen Sengun's Path to EuroBasket Championship Just Got a Little Easier

Alperen Sengun and Turkiye coming into the EuroBasket tournament were not regarded as one of the teams to watch when it came to winning a gold medal. With powerhouse teams like Germany, France, Serbia, and even Slovenia, Türkiye was an afterthought when it came to possible contenders.

Coming into the tournament, Turkiye was ranked 27th in the world, and although it wasn't a surprise that it advanced to the round of 16, almost no one outside of Turkey had it going 5-0 in group play. Turkiye not only went 5-0 after defeating Nikola Jokic, but it is now 6-0 and on its way to its first round of eight games since 2009. That was the last time Turkiye made it to the quarterfinals, where it lost a close overtime match against Greece.

Sengun said before the tournament that their goal was to bring a long-awaited medal back to their home country, and he has done everything in his power to make that happen. Sengun ranks in the top five in points, rebounds and assists as he has been one of the best players in the entire tournament. Sengun has been dominant not just on offense but also on the defensive end of the court.

Sengun forced a steal at the end of Turkiye's big win over Serbia in the final group play game and also had a block and dunk to seal the victory over Sweden in Turkiye's round of 16 win Saturday. Now, with Poland winning on Sunday and two of the powerhouse teams left in the tournament, both of which lost this weekend, Turkiye's path to its first-ever gold medal has gotten a little easier.

Sengun and Turkiye's path to a championship just got a little easier

May 2, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) stands on the court against the Golden State Warriors before the start of game six of the first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

As mentioned earlier, Türkiye's next opponent will be Poland after their come-from-behind win over Jusif Nurkic and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Poland was led by former Toronto Raptors guard Jordan Loyd, who led Poland with 26 points. As the tournament has shown, there are no easy games in EuroBasket. HowTürkiye has a very favorable path to the finals and a possible championship after this weekend's results.

After the brackets were set for the knockout round and beyond, most of Turkey's stiffest competition was believed to be on the other side of the bracket. After this weekend's games, however, both Serbia.

That means Türkiye's matchup with Poland and a possible matchup against Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece are the two likely opponents standing in the way of a final appearance. On the side with Serbia and France already out of the tournament, it seems Germany, which is led by NBA players like Dennis Schröder and Franz Wagner, is the likely team to reach the finals.

Conclusion

Even though Alperen Sengun and Türkiye seem to be the favorites to reach the finals from their side of the bracket, these EuroBasket games have proven that no game is guaranteed, and Türkiye will have to come out and play with the same sense of urgency it played in the second half in their win over Sweden.