Olympics Men’s Basketball Quarterfinals: USA vs Argentina
Team USA have been scared in the Olympics men’s basketball tournament over their last three games, coincidentally against their three toughest opponents yet. If they still are the gold medal favorites, they’re going to have to find another gear. That’ll all begin on Wednesday night as it’ll be USA vs Argentina in the men’s basketball quarterfinals from Rio 2016.
Argentina have been up and down throughout the preliminary round of the Olympics. They’ve looked unstoppable at times and older and worn down at others. However, it’s clear that they have high quality talent with the likes of Andres Nocioni, Luis Scola, Facundo Campazzo, and of course Manu Ginobili. Therefore, it’ll be interesting to see if they can play to their potential (or maybe even above their heads) on Wednesday evening. If they aren’t, it’s going to take a lot to beat this United States team.
On the other hand, Team USA should have the advantage at positions 1-5 on the floor at any given time. However, where they need to focus in this matchup is on the interior with DeMarcus Cousins and DeAndre Jordan. Argentina doesn’t have the size, power, and athleticism in the frontcourt to match up with either of the American big men. If they can take advantage of that while also trying to get Kevin Durant to play like Kevin Durant, it could be curtains on Argentina from Rio.
Details for USA vs Argentina on Wednesday are below:
Date: Wednesday, August 17
Start Time: 5:45 p.m. ET
Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Arena: Carioca Arena 1
TV Info: NBCSN, Olympics Basketball Channel
Live Stream: NBCOlympics.com
NBCSN and the Olympics Basketball Channel will both broadcast this game live. However, live streaming for the Team USA matchup will also be available on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app. Log in using a cable or satellite subscription to access the stream on either service.