The first phase of qualifiers in Groups B and D will be staged in Bamako, Mali and Maputo, Mozambique from February 22-25 respectively.
Ahead of the games in Bamako, Malian Forward Ibrahim Djambo has cautioned teammates to avoid complacency and take every game seriously irrespective of their pedigree.
“We can’t overlook our opponents just because we play at home. Anybody can beat anybody on our group” he said in an interview with FIBA.com
His comments touches on the shock loss to Guinea in last year’s FIBA African Championship (AfroBasket) in the opening game at home.
Despite recovering to beat Cape Verde and Senegal following the loss, the West Africans might not be so lucky this time.
Mali plays Nigeria, Rwanda and Uganda in Group B; Nigeria placed second at the 2017 AfroBasket losing in the final to host Tunisia.
By Yaw Adjei-Mintah
@YawMintYM on Twitter
