It all boils down to this: the 2013 FIBA Eurobasket tournament down to four teams, all wanting to be kings of Europe. One has never won a gold medal before; the other won it last in 2013. Both teams are hungry, and they want no less than the crown.

With only four teams left in contention, action will heat up and the desire to win becomes more of a factor than anything else.

Semifinal 2: Lithuania vs. Croatia

Lithuania has been the titleist once in the post-Soviet era, in 2003. Since then, they have gone to the podium just once -- a bronze finish in 2007 -- and have struggled to find their form. With the quarterfinals win against Italy, though, the hoops-crazy Baltic state has found itself in the midst of another frenzy as they prepare for a showdown with another country with a proud hoops tradition. Leading the charge for Lithuania is Mantas Kalnietis, who scored 17 points in a fine all-around game. Much is also expected from Linas Kleiza and Donatas Motiejunas, who struggled in the blowout win. Coach Jonas Kazlauskas is expected to go all-out in an effort to get into the final game against the winner of the France-Spain semifinal match.

Croatia is one team that has a lot of talent, but has never been able to find just the right combination to win the gold in Europe. However, in 2013, they might have just come up with the perfect mix of guards and centers, young players and centers. With six players standing 6'10" and taller, one might be inclined to think that the big men do all the work. However, it has been the guards who have been doing most of the damage offensively. Behind the playmaking skills and perimeter defense of naturalized point guard Dontaye Draper, Croatia eliminated Ukraine in their quarterfinal match-up with a game based on speed and outside shooting. The top scorer for the Ukraine match, Krunoslav Simon, will definitely be someone to watch, and Bojan Bogdanovic is a scorer who can explode anytime.

Friday's match is projected to be a war of attrition, especially because both teams have towering frontlines. However, it may be argued that the Twin Tower combo of Donatas Motiejunas and Jonas Valanciunas might be just a little bit better than their Croatian counterparts. An interesting match-up would be the one between Bogdanovic and Kleiza, as both are tall forwards who can either slash to the basket or score from the outside. While Mantas Kalnietis is taller than Croatia's Dontaye Draper, the naturalized American is much quicker and has active hands on defense. If Lithuania is able to slow down the pace, they should reach the final.