Duro Ikhazuagbe

After two wins from two games, Nigeria’s senior men’s team, D’Tigers, will battle Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions with similar results this afternoon in Group B of the ongoing 2025 Afrobasket Championship in Luanda, Angola.

The winner of this top-of-the-billing clash will earn the Group B ticket to the quarterfinals while the loser will  be forced to take the longer route through the playoffs to reach the knockout phase. The odds however favor the Nigerian men who are desirous of emulating their female counterparts who won the women’s version of the continental basketball showpiece a month ago in Côte d’Ivoire.

D’Tigers’ route to this third game has been brilliant. They kicked off with a 77-59 mauling of Madagascar before another emphatic 87-66 win over Tunisia. In the clash with the Indian Ocean Island nation, Caleb Agada’s brilliance shone through as the D’Tigers turned a slim halftime lead into a dominant second-half display.  Agada led the charge with 22 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals, while Stan Okoye and Ike Nwamu added 13 and 12 points respectively.

Against Tunisia, NBA star and Houston Rockets’ latest signing, Josh Okogie, who makes a return to the national team after almost five years absence, clocked 33 points in that game. He  not only energised the squad but also signaled that Nigeria may be peaking at the right time for a possible shot at the trophy they won last 10 years ago.

With depth across positions, a versatile bench, and the ability to switch gears mid-game, the D’Tigers have shown they are not just here to compete but to reclaim glory. 

A win against Cameroon would send a powerful message to the rest of the field that Nigeria is a front-runner for the title they last won in 2015.

On the other hand, these Cameroonians  has also proved they are not in Luanda to make up the numbers. 

The Lions roared into AfroBasket 2025 with a commanding 86-65 victory over defending champions Tunisia, ending the North Africans’ remarkable decade-long unbeaten run in the tournament. Williams Narace led with 20 points, while Jeremiah Hill, Yves Missi, and Fabian Ateba provided vital support.

Cameroon’s squad is buoyed by the presence of three NBA players, namely Yves Missi and Ulrich Chomche of the New Orleans Pelicans and Christian Koloko of the LA Lakers, marking a resurgence of Cameroonian basketball at the continental stage. 

Their second game tested their resolve, as they narrowly escaped a Madagascar upset, edging 80-77 thanks to Jeremiah Hill’s late-game heroics. That result kept their record unblemished but also exposed areas they must tighten against a stronger Nigerian side.

Sunday’s matchup is more than just a group-stage clash, but it’s a battle for supremacy. 

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