Facing Slovenia in World Basketball Championship, Turkey could make history tonight

The "12 Giant Men," the popular nickname for the men's Turkish national basketball team, are set to take on Slovenia in the quarterfinals of the 2010 FIBA World Championship this evening at Istanbul's Sinan Erdem Dome. Turkey, which finished sixth at the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan, has never made it to a Worlds Final Four, so the 12 Giant Men could make history today by eliminating the Slovenians and advancing to the semis. The Turks first defeated African representative Cote d'Ivoire (86-47) in the group stage, followed by Russia (65-56), Greece (76-65), Puerto Rico (79-77) and China (87-40) to emerge as the Group C leaders. The 12 Giant Men continued in the same vein in the Round of 16, trouncing France 95-77 on Sunday night and sending the French team home.