That’s why we should have won against Korea… After the quarterfinal match, we had less than 14 hours of rest, and then we faced China in the quarterfinals, and it’s important to stay healthy.

There’s another reason why the Korean War was so important to win. It was to avoid China’s host nation advantage.

The South Korean men’s basketball team, led by head coach Chu Il-seung, lost 77-83 to Japan in their final Group D game at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games on Tuesday (Feb. 30) at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Gimnazium in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.

South Korea’s pre-tournament gold medal scenario fell apart, as they now face host China in the quarterfinals, a team they should have met in the final. If they can beat China, the next step will be relatively easy, but it won’t be easy as they have never lost an Asian Games title on home soil.

Let’s forget the past and write a new scenario. Thailand will face the winner of Bahrain in the quarterfinals on Sunday. It will take place at 9 p.m. KST. With South Korea’s relative strength in depth, a quarterfinal appearance is not out of the question.

However, the quarterfinals are not the issue. According to the official schedule, South Korea will play at 9 p.m. ET on Day 2 and then meet China, a likely quarterfinalist, at 1 p.m. ET on Day 3. If the game ends at 11pm, they’ll play China 14 hours later.

As the last team to play in the quarterfinals, South Korea would have to play the earliest quarterfinal game the next day. As if that weren’t bad enough, they’re playing a grueling back-to-back schedule and facing the least favorable conditions.

In fact, South Korea doesn’t even get a full 14 hours of rest. There are a lot of things to do after a game, like traveling to and from the hotel, eating, and getting medical attention. That leaves them with even less time than 14 hours, which means they’ll have to face China without the fatigue they’ll need for the quarterfinal match.

Another advantage for the host nation. China will face a depleted South Korea in the quarterfinals, and they too were wary of the Koreans before the tournament, more so than Japan and the Philippines, who were not at full strength. From China’s perspective, the draw couldn’t be better. 무지개토토

South Korea will need to utilize as many players as possible to stay healthy for the quarterfinal match against either Thailand or Bahrain. Of course, neither Thailand nor Bahrain are easy opponents. Thailand has Tyler Lam, who has played against Korea in the past. Bahrain was a close opponent at the Asia Cup a year ago.

Still, Korea will need to utilize as many players as possible to win. Kim Jong-kyu, who played just five seconds against Japan, Byun Jun-hyung, who didn’t even get a chance, and Moon Jung-hyun will have to step up. They also need to give their main players like Heo Hoon and Ra Gun-ah, who have been playing a lot, time to recover their fitness.

A single loss would be the biggest crisis in 17 years after the 2006 Doha disaster. Regardless of the specifics of the match, it was a must-win for South Korea, but they lost helplessly and now have to look to the future.