It was a game effort from Great Britain but a familiar result for them against Sweden at EuroBasket 2025. Marc Steutel’s side fell to 0-3 as the reality of this level hit home.
Great Britain came into Saturday after the briefest of turnarounds. Having played in primetime against Finland on Friday night, there were some tired legs lining out against Sweden at EuroBasket 2025. The result, as has been the case all too often, was predictable.
Hope but no expectation
There was a notable increase in the number of Great Britain fans at the arena on Saturday. I ran into a few of them on the way to the arena. They were in good spirits and reminiscing about past trips to EuroBasket.
Their hopes for EuroBasket 2025 were, justifiably, not high. Marc Steutel’s side was utterly outclassed in its first two games against Lithuania and Finland. This was meant to be the one where they had a shot to win. Great Britain’s EuroBasket was meant to begin today.
By the end of the first quarter, it was clear that it wouldn’t be their day. The long wait for a win at EuroBasket would continue. Great Britain last won a game at this tournament on 8 September 2013. For context on how long ago that was, I took charge of BallinEurope on 10 September 2013. In the entirety of my running BallinEurope, Great Britain are 0-13 at EuroBasket from 3 appearances and one failure to qualify.
A drop in energy
Those seeing Marc Steutel’s side up close for the first time at EuroBasket 2025 might have been more disappointed than they should have been. Great Britain obviously lacks talent compared to the contenders at this level. What they haven’t lacked is effort.
The shorter turnaround however was visibly getting to them. This was the slowest paced game of the group phase in Tampere so far. Sweden however had an extra 7 hours rest on the one back to back weekend. Their defeat was in the early slot to Germany whereas Great Britain had an exhausting battle with hosts Finland in primetime.
That’s not to excuse the result. It’s to explain why the underdogs had less pep in their step than usual. This was a tired side but one that clearly looked more motivated than the one that travelled to Milano in 2022.
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A tough next outing
Great Britain are not formally eliminated yet. It’s mathematically impossible to be at this stage. The next battle however is not one they’ll be expected to win. Germany, the reigning FIBA World Cup champions and second-favourites for this tournament await on Monday.
That last in 2013? It was against Germany. Marc Steutel’s side would be pulling an all-time upset if they pull this one off. The development in Germany since then would make most of Europe envious, let alone the underdogs they will face on Monday.
Up to now, Great Britain has at least been able to run with their opponents in the early going. That’s hard to expect against Germany. The sheer depth of talent and the range of athleticism and speed makes it a daunting challenge.
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Marc Steutel and Great Britain continue to seek an elusive first EuroBasket win since 2013 but there are reasons to be positive.
Yet there is cause for positivity
Great Britain hung about in the game against Sweden for longer than any of their first two outings in EuroBasket 2025. This despite being exhausted from the late game on Friday and the continued absence of Gabe Olaseni.
Having seen the entirety of the campaign in Milano in 2022, this is a night and day scenario in terms of attitude. Getting to actually have a preparation camp clearly benefited Marc Steutel’s men. At its absolute best, Great Britain was always going to enter every game in this competition as an underdog.
The important thing is that they were able to actually see what their best with this roster looked like. The 2022 side couldn’t say the same and what we witnessed was an elongated funeral. Now, with two big games ahead, this Great Britain team knows what it can do and what’s necessary to step up.
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