Nigeria’s D’Tigers will be aiming to keep their quest for a second continental crown alive when they face Senegal in the quarterfinals of the ongoing FIBA Afrobasket 2025 at the Pavilhão Multiusos de Luanda, Angola, later today.
Unbeaten so far, D’Tigers topped Group B to reach the last eight, while Senegal, who finished second in Group D, advanced via the qualification round after defeating South Sudan 78–65.
Both sides are chasing a place in the semifinals as they look to reclaim their place at the summit of African basketball. Nigeria last lifted the Afrobasket trophy in 2015, while Senegal’s most recent triumph dates back to 1997, when they defeated Nigeria in the final.
Senegal, however, hold recent bragging rights, having beaten Nigeria in their last two encounters, at the 2023 FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament and during the 2019 FIBA World Cup African qualifiers. Despite that, Nigeria maintain a 6–2 record against the Lions in their last eight meetings dating back to 2001.
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D’Tigers will be eager to avenge those defeats, especially as they came in competitions where Nigeria were unable to parade their strongest squad.
To do so, they will need to contain Senegal’s Brancou Badio, who is averaging 18.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game, along with Jean-Jacques Boissy, who has been equally impressive with 13.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per outing.
For Nigeria, Josh Okogie and Caleb Agada remain the driving forces. Okogie is averaging 18 points, four rebounds, and 4.3 assists in three games, while Agada is close behind with 14.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and two assists per game. Their performances, however, will require strong support from the rest of the team to overcome Senegal’s challenge.
Head coach Abdulrahman Mohammed, who served as an assistant under William Voigt during Nigeria’s historic 2015 triumph, will be aiming to write his own history by becoming the first indigenous coach to lead D’Tigers to an Afrobasket title.
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