FIBA this week released its rankings for the senior 5x5 divisions, with the Philippines maintaining its current position after the conclusion of matches in the November window.
In the FIBA World Ranking Men, presented by Nike, Gilas is in 31st place as the sixth-best team in Asia with 340.8 points.
This output is buoyed by their two wins against Thailand in the latest round of Asia Cup qualifying inside the bubble at Manama, Bahrain. They beat them 93-61 last November 27 and 93-69 three days later.
The top twenty nations in the men's division went relatively unchanged, with the United States still at the top spot, followed by Spain, Australia, Argentina, and Serbia. The only changes mainly saw Russia swap spots with Czech Republic at 9th and 11th, while Puerto Rico dropped a couple of spots to 18th, moving both Slovenia and Germany up a slot each.
The Czech Republic dropped both of their matches in EuroBasket qualifying, with Russia managing a split, beating Estonia and losing to Italy.
Slovenia will get a chance to extend their reign as EuroBasket champions as their earned their spot in the Final Round with wins over Ukraine and Austria.
Syria and Saudi Arabia's respective splits in Asia Cup qualifying also reflected their improvements in the rankings, as they each moved up five spots to 90th and 91st overall.
Entering the top 100 nations at 98th overall is South Sudan, whose 2-1 record in AfroBasket qualifying in Rwanda moved them up nine spots. The team is coached its federation president and NBA star Luol Deng.
One spot behind South Sudan is Albania, who moved up seven spots after their results against Portugal and Belarus. A similar rise was seen from Kenya, who are now at 115th overall even with defeats to noted regional powerhouses Angola and Senegal.
Blowout losses to Tunisia, Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo netted a thirty-spot plummet for Madagascar to 124th overall, the biggest drop in the rankings.
Expect more movement on the men's side when action resumes for the upcoming February window.
In the distaff side, the Philippines dropped down a spot to 50th overall as the seventh-best team in Asia with 124.5 points.
Gilas Women recently were in the news with head coach Pat Aquino seeking to bolster the national team pool by adding outstanding young standouts with Filipino ancestry, a group that includes Duke freshman Vanessa de Jesus.
Only teams in Europe seeing action for their Women's EuroBasket qualifying were counted during this window, which makes for relatively minimal movement atop the rankings.
Still keeping their top five spots are the United States, Australia, Spain, Canada, and France.
The only change in the top twenty saw Belgium and Turkey swap spots in sixth and seventh.
Belgium's wins over Ukraine and Portugal moved them up to sixth. The Cats have ensured their spot in the Final Round in the process, becoming the first team to earn a berth for next year's tournament that is set to be co-hosted by France and Spain.
Turkey dropped down a spot due to a double overtime loss to Serbia. At 1-2, they have yet to earn a berth in the final in Group E.
The biggest rise in the women's rankings saw Finland's win over Portugal move the Susiladies up eight spots to 58th, while Bulgaria's win over Iceland moved them up six spots to 44th overall.
FIBA tweaked the algorithm in both rankings as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the suspension of FIBA competitions this year. Calculations for the rankings have to include two Olympic Games at all times, and with the Tokyo 2020 iteration having been moved to 2021, necessary adjustments had to be made.
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