Slovenia vs. Australia: Free live stream, TV, how to watch FIBA World Cup

Luka Doncic will try to lead his country past the second round of the FIBA World Cup starting on Friday with a tough matchup against an experienced Australia squad. Slovenia enters the game undefeated after group play but they will be underdogs against an Australia roster that is heavy on NBA talent. It will take an MVP effort from Doncic to overcome the talent discrepancy across the remainder of the roster for Slovenia.

What time will the game start? What TV channel will it be on? – Friday’s game will start at 7:55 a.m. ET. The game will air on TV via ESPN+

How to live stream: Sling | Peacock | DirectTV | fuboTV | ESPN+ – Fans can watch Friday’s game streaming without cable by signing up for a free trial of fuboTV or DirectTV.

MORE COVERAGE FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

There is a real chance that this Basketball World Cup might see a first-time medalist when it’s all over on Sept. 10.

Of the 16 teams that are still in medal contention, nine have never had a top-three finish at the World Cup. Those nine nations: Australia, Italy, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Montenegro, Georgia, Slovenia, Latvia and Canada.

The other seven have all medaled at least once. The U.S. has medaled 12 times, Brazil six times, Spain twice and the other four still in the field — Greece, Germany, Lithuania and Serbia (under that name since 2006) — have all medaled once in the World Cup or its predecessor, the FIBA world championships.

SECOND-ROUND SCHEDULE

The second round starts Friday. The 16 advancing teams have been placed into four groups of four, and their group-stage records will carry over into Round 2. The top two teams in each of the new groups move into the quarterfinals that start Tuesday.

The Friday slate:

Group I (at Manila): Dominican Republic (3-0) vs. Puerto Rico (2-1), Serbia (3-0) vs. Italy (2-1)

Group J (at Manila): U.S. (3-0) vs. Montenegro (2-1), Lithuania (3-0) vs. Greece (2-1)

Group K (at Okinawa): Slovenia (3-0) vs. Australia (2-1), Germany (3-0) vs. Georgia (2-1)

Group L (at Jakarta): Canada (3-0) vs. Brazil (2-1), Spain (3-0) vs. Latvia (2-1)

The Sunday slate:

Group I (at Manila): Italy vs. Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic vs. Serbia

Group J (at Manila): Greece vs. Montenegro, U.S. vs. Lithuania

Group K (at Okinawa): Australia vs. Georgia, Germany vs. Slovenia

Group L (at Jakarta): Brazil vs. Latvia, Spain vs. Canada

Teams will play two games in Round 2, with the final matchups of that round happening on Sunday — when the field is pared down to eight quarterfinalists.

HOW TO WATCH THE BASKETBALL WORLD CUP

— In the U.S.: The next two U.S. games (Friday and Sunday) are on ESPN2. The U.S. plays Montenegro on Friday at 4:40 a.m. Eastern. The Americans will play Lithuania on Sunday at 8:40 a.m. Eastern.