According to the schedule released by FIBA on their website on Sunday, Philippines will be facing South Korea on February 18 and 22 at Clark, Pampanga under a bubble setting.

Moreover, the national team will be going up against Indonesia on the 20th giving them a day’s rest between its games.

Aside from giving Gilas Pilipinas a favorable draw for the schedule, the team will also have an advantage on its home ground.

South Korea, on the other hand, will be carrying a tight schedule with them for they have opted to not participate in the Manama bubble citing health and safety reasons amid the coronavirus scare.

They will be playing four games in five days in the Clark bubble which included rescheduled games initially slated on the second window of the qualifiers.

Aside from the games against Philippines, they will also face Indonesia on February 19 and Thailand the day after.

For seven years, the Koreans have beaten Filipinos in their last five consecutive matches namely during the 2014 and 2018 Asian Games, 2015 and 2017 Jones Cup, and 2017 FIBA Asia Cup.

It was during the 2013 FIBA Asia Cup semifinals that Philippines claimed its victory over South Korea, 86-79, that booked their ticket to the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain.

At the end of the three windows of the FIBA qualifiers, the top two teams in the group will advance to the continental meet.

Gilas Pilipinas holds the top spot for group A with six points over their 3-0 win-loss record and will be needing just one win to seal its entry on the main stage of the qualifiers in Lebanon the following year.

The all-cadets team will again be reinforced with PBA players in the Clark bubble.