MANILA, Philippines – Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Al Panlilio hopes to see the day Gilas Pilipinas becomes a top 20 team in the world.

The Nationals gained ground in that quest as it improved one spot in the latest FIBA world rankings, climbing from 38th to 37th place.

Fresh from a sweep of the first window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers where it clobbered Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei by a combined 83 points, the Philippines leapfrogged African nation Nigeria for the 37th spot.

Despite the rise, Gilas Pilipinas still remained the eighth-highest ranked team in Asia-Oceania behind No. 5 Australia, No. 21 New Zealand, No. 26 Japan, No. 27 Iran, No. 28 Lebanon, No. 29 China, and No. 32 Jordan.

Only Australia made a movement after ceding the fourth spot to Serbia as the rest stayed at their respective spots.

World No. 1 USA, No. 2 Spain, and No. 3 Germany kept their places, while Latvia enjoyed the biggest jump among the top 10 teams, improving from No. 8 to No. 6 by surpassing Americas powerhouses Canada and Argentina.

Canada and Argentina fell to No. 7 and 8, respectively, followed by No. 9 France and No. 10 Lithuania to round out the top 10.

The Latvians’ ascent spells trouble for the Filipinos ahead of their clash in the Riga, Latvia leg of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in July.

Aside from Latvia, the Philippines will also face Georgia, which remained at No. 23. – Rappler.com