Turkey closed the game with a 16-5 spurt and Serkan Erdogan scored 15 of his game-high 24 points in the fourth quarter -including four free throws in the final 14 seconds - to secure a place in the last eight and a date with the Olympic champions.

"We watched tapes of their group games and the Turkey-Slovenia second round game. They are a team with great character and play good defense - very physical defense," Argentina head coach Sergio Hernandez said.

"They take a lot of threes late in the game. It didn't work for them in their group game against Greece (their only defeat in the preliminary round) but it worked against Slovenia as they made some tough three-pointers in the last two minutes. So they can be very dangerous. They showed that by scoring 30 points in the last quarter against Slovenia."

Meanwhile, Argentina are through to the quarter-finals after beating New Zealand 79-62 and are still on track for a possible final showdown with Team USA. But that isn't on anyone's mind just yet.

"We're not looking that far ahead. Before we can even think of the final we have to beat a very tough Turkey side," said Argentina guard Manu Ginobili, who led the way against the Tall Blacks with 28 points.

"This game will be very tough because it's a quarter-final and at this stage of the competition there are no easy games."

"Erdogan is their go-to-guy at the moment, but I haven't played against him yet. I know Ibrahim Kutluay who plays in Europe. The rest is a young team and they all have a lot of desire and play well together."

Ginobili added: "Their game against Slovenia was the usual match up of a group of talented players against a great team who play very well together. Most of the time the team that plays well together is going to win and it happened in that game."

There will be a lot of pressure on Argentina to go through, but Turkey have surpassed the expectations that many had of them.

Tanjevic's men put behind them the nightmare of last year's EuroBasket and, in reaching the last eight of the 2006 FIBA World Championship, have already finished higher than they did in Indianapolis four years ago.

Turkey took second place behind European champions Greece in the preliminary round in what was arguably regarded as the toughest group - one which also included Lithuania, Brazil and Australia - before beating Slovenia in the round of 16 to reach the last eight.

The team's performance so far has been praised by Turgay Demirel, the president of Turkish Baskeball Federation.

¡°We had a goal of making Turkey one of the top ten basketball countries. After coming here with a wild card, the players have been able to show that we are a basketball country," he said.

Demirel is calling for the national team can give their fans back at home more to celebrate.

"I hope we can get another result against Argentina which will give cause for celebration in Turkey. They have made millions in Turkey happy already. I congratulated coach Tanjevic and the players. No player was bad in the win over Slovenia. Several of them played despite being injured and won the game for the Turkish people.¡±

Injuries will be the key for Tanjevic's men. They need to see if Ersan Ilyasova - who has missed the last two games with a calf problem - is available and if not who will replace him.

Also Turkey must hope that Ibrahim Kutlay's ankle is not bothering him anymore, even though he has played through the pain.

There are no injury worries for Argentina even though Luis Scola needed to see a dentist after getting hit in the mouth by New Zealand's Pero Cameron.

The power forward had two incisors broken and the cover of those teeth. But the team doctor, Diego Grippo, confirmed he will be able to play.

"I'll need to see a dentist again but I will play the rest of the tournament with a mouthpiece."