Gilas Pilipinas landed in Group B of the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship elimination round after the draw was completed Saturday night (Manila Time).
The Philippines, runner-up in the 2013 edition of the tournament held in Manila, joins Kuwait, Palestine, and a qualifier from East Asia in Group B, a relatively easier competition compared to the rest of the field.
Reigning gold medalist Iran was drawn in Group A alongside Japan, Malaysia, and the South Asia qualifier.
Host squad China is in Group C with Korea, Jordan, and Singapore while in Group D are Chinese Taipei, Lebanon, Qatar, and Kazakhstan.
Teams play a single round robin within their groups in the preliminaries, with the top three teams in each group advancing to Round 2.
Advancing squads from Group A and Group B shall be merged into a group of six and shall play another round robin. The same method will be used for Groups C and D. The top four teams in each of the two groups make the final eight or quarter-finals.
At stake in the competition to be held in Changsa, China from September 23 to October 3 is the lone Asian slot in the 2016 Olympic Basketball Tournament in Rio de Janeiro.
