With the curtain finally closing on the two-team FIBA Oceania championship this weekend, both Australia and New Zealand have formally qualified for the FIBA World Cup in 2014. Both teams are in the top 20 of the FIBA world rankings, and are always considered top contenders for the title. In 2002, the Tall Blacks placed fourth in the same tournament; the Boomers placed 10th in 2010 and made the quarterfinals four times.

New Zealand paraded a relatively young team in 2013 with three teenagers in the roster. The team is by no means considered their strongest yet, with seven-foot center Steven Adams of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Rob Loe of Saint Louis University opting not to join this year.

On the other side of the strait, Australia did not miss the services of Andrew Bogut and Andrew Baynes as they swept the Oceania series. They did, however, unleash a new weapon in Matthew Dellavedova, formerly of the NCAA's SMC Gaels, and relied on veteran guard Patty Mills of the San Antonio Spurs.

Both teams are expected to bring their best teams to Spain. On the road to the championship, though, five other teams have already qualified for the World Cup. We'll take a look at the opposition and see how the Oceania teams will fare against them.

South Korea

The East Asian squad used a young roster in this month's FIBA Asia Championship, with five players aged under 25. They also have a medium-sized frontline, featuring four players standing 6'8" and taller, including Lee Seung-Jun, an athletic freak, who, at 35, can still leak out and finish the break. The strength of this Korean team, though, lies in their outside shooting. Twenty-two-year-old wunderkind Kim Min-Goo emerged as the top outside shooter in the Manila tournament, making 25 in nine games, including 5 in the semifinal game against the Philippines. He made the same number of three-point shots in the 3rd-place game against Chinese Taipei, helping Korea gain a spot in the FIBA World Cup.

The recent FIBA Asia Tournament also confirmed the logic behind not using Ha Seung-Jin in the 2012 Olympic qualifying tournament - Korea invested in its young players, and it paid off handsomely in 2013.

Match-up with Australia: The Boomers will find this game easy especially if Korea's relatively thin frontline does not bulk up in time. With a healthy Bogut in tow, Australia will bully its way inside the paint. They have to watch out for the Koreans' crisp passing game and outside shooting, though - things that Australia's guards have to develop a defensive strategy against.

Match-up with New Zealand: The Tall Blacks already enjoy a slight height advantage, but if Steven Adams is good as advertised, Korea's deficiencies in the paint will be exposed even further. Again, perimeter defense will be at a premium should New Zealand be grouped with this East Asian team, but in the end, the Tall Blacks should win this by a close margin.