As the host and therefore having the homecourt advantage, Turkey had an easy time dispatching all of its opponents to make it to the semifinal round of the 2010 FIBA World Championship.

On September 11, 2010 at 2:30 PM EST, the 12 Dev Adam (12 Giant Men) from Turkey will battle it out with  the Serbian national team at the Sinan Erdem Dome, Istanbul, Turkey for a chance to win a ticket to the 2010 FIBA World Championship Final on September 12, 2010.

Turkey as the host country, is the favorite to win aside from Team USA. This is only the third world championships for its team placing 9th in 2002 and 6th in 2006.

Serbia despite the only team who made it this far with a loss is historically one of the best international basketball teams having won 5 world championships to its credit winning 3 straight gold medals in the 1990, 1998 and 2002 editions.

The host Turks are known for their vaunted zone defensive schemes. There’s also the presence of Hedo Turkoglu, a walking match-up nightmare with the ability to handle the ball, lead the team’s offense and shoot. Meanwhile, Ersan Ilyasova possesses the athleticism needed to test defenders, while seven-footer Omer Asik provides size up front.

Serbia, for their part, produced the shocker of the tournament to date, ousting the defending champion and No. 1 ranked Spain 92-89 on a long-range three-pointer by Milos Teodosic with 3.1 seconds left. Teodosic is the key player on a rising young club that will have the opportunity to grow together and improve as a unit. The Serbs are a guard-heavy squad with one central frontcourt anchor. Nenad Krstic has provided a veteran presence on an unproven frontline who can battle in the paint against the NBA’s best. Around him, Teodosic has served as the go-to scorer and guard Milenko Tepic has emerged to establish an elite backcourt for the next decade or so. The depth is there, as is the speed, energy and shooting ability.

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UPDATE: Turkey won a very close game against Serbia 83-82 to advance to the World Championship Finals for the first time.

Watch Serbia vs Turkey replay highlights below:

Serbia and Lithuania will battle it out for third place at the Sinan Erdem Dome, Istanbul, Turkey on September 12, 2010 at 12:00 PM EST / 16:00 GMT.

The 2010 FIBA World Championship Finals between USA and Turkey will be held at the Sinan Erdem Dome, Istanbul, Turkey on September 12, 2010 at 2:30 PM EST / 18:30 GMT.

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Tags: 2010 FIBA world championship, serbia, turkey