A first-round exit is probably not what a relatively star-studded French squad pictured when they lined up for the FIBA World Cup.
But on Sunday, an unheralded Latvia team accomplished the unthinkable, knocking off France 88-86 in a stunning upset that eliminated them from the tournament in the first round.
France, the reigning Olympic silver medalists, has a roster headlined by Rudy Gobert, Nicolas Batum, and Evan Fournier, but still blew a 12-point lead to start the fourth quarter to Latvia.
“For us, for sure, it’s a nightmare,” France head coach Vincent Collet said.
The game turned when France’s starting point guard Nando De Colo was ejected for committing a second unsportsmanlike conduct foul with 6:46 left in the fourth quarter.
Latvia then went on a 10-3 run over the next two minutes and eventually took the lead.
France was eliminated from the double-elimination tourney because of another drubbing this week: Canada crushed them 95-65 on Friday.
This follows a 2019 World Cup effort where France left with the bronze medal and knocked Team USA out in the quarterfinals.
The Latvian squad was led by Arturs Zagars, who posted 22 points, while the Thunder’s Davis Bertans scored 15 points.
Fournier, a consistent performer for the international team, led all scorers with 27 points, while Batum added 13 and Gobert mustered just nine.
“It’s very hard,” Fournier said. “Very tough. Not much to say. We didn’t think we would leave the tournament like this. We have to learn from it and come back next year. There isn’t anything else to do.”
France’s hopes for the Paris Olympic Games next summer still look solid, however.
The French will likely return Fournier, Gobert and Batum while potentially adding No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama, and they are also courting Joel Embiid to join the team after he was granted French citizenship.
“I wasn’t really ashamed with that jersey, but that’s the first time I’m really ashamed,” Batum, who intends to retire following the 2024 Olympics in Paris, said after the game, according to Agence France-Presse. “I’m scared to go home because we have let a lot of people down. A lot of people in the country believed in us to do something. They believed in it and we didn’t do it.”
France will end group play by facing Lebanon on Tuesday, but will continue in a losers’ group for an additional two games after.
Latvia and Canada — both of whom will advance to Round 2 — will face each other on Tuesday to determine who will win Group H.