TIANJIN, China - Iran easily defeated Uzbekistan in the 25th FIBA Asia Championship for men on Friday.

Iranians, who had beaten Taiwan on Thursday, thrashed Uzbekistan 82-61.
The reigning champion is scheduled to play Kuwait on Saturday in Group B.
A total of 16 teams are divided into four groups of four teams, in which the top three from each group will qualify for the next round.
Eventually, the tournament’s top three teams will automatically qualify for the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey, while at least three more can be selected as wild cards by FIBA to complete the 24-team cast.