Due to a lack of desire to sleep, I’m not going to provide any recap of Day 3 of Olympic Men’s basketball, but Day 4 looks terrific. Let’s look at the games:
Friday Night
Russia (1-2) vs Australia (1-2): Both teams have lost to Croatia, defeated Iran, and lost to one of the two favored teams (Lithuania or Argentina). Although there are some tie-break scenarios where things would cut differently, this looks like an elimination game. The winner will likely get the fourth and final quarterfinal slot in Group A.
Greece (1-2) vs Angola (0-3): In Group B, Spain and the US seem to have the top two slots locked up and Angola is unlikely to advance. The leaves Greece, Germany, and China fighting for two slots in the quarterfinals. Greece has already beaten Germany, giving them the early lead in the competition, but they cannot afford to lose to Angola here.
Saturday Morning (Watch the Replay)
Croatia (2-1) vs Lithuania (3-0): Lithuania tries to maintain its hold on 1st place in Group A as Croatia sits a game back.
Iran (0-3) vs Argentina (2-1): Eh.
Saturday Morning
They somehow saved two of the best games for the morning on the weekend.
China (1-2) vs Germany (1-2): This could very well be an elimination game with the winner likely advancing to the quarterfinals. (China may have a second chance if they lose, since China could still defeat Greece in its final game. Germany ends with the US so they desperately need a win here.)
Spain (3-0) vs USA (3-0): The pretournament favorites, both teams are undefeated in Group B. This is why we watch international basketball.