Current:Home > InvestOlympics men's basketball quarterfinals set: USA faces Brazil, France plays Canada -MoneyStream
Olympics men's basketball quarterfinals set: USA faces Brazil, France plays Canada
View
Date:2025-04-14 23:22:27
VILLENEUVE-D'ASCQ, France – Either France or Canada will be out of medal contention after the Tuesday men’s basketball quarterfinal games at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Just brutal. Following group play and the ensuing draw for the quarterfinals, the two teams will play each other immediately in the knockout stage. The loser will exit the Olympics incredibly disappointed.
The top two teams from the three groups plus the next two best third-place teams based on point-differential advanced.
The quarterfinal matchups on Tuesday are:
- Germany-Greece, 5 a.m. ET
- Serbia-Australia, 8:30 a.m. ET
- Canada-France, noon ET
- USA-Brazil, 3:30 p.m. ET
2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.
The U.S. caught a break, too. The USA-Brazil winner plays the Serbia-Australia winner, meaning the U.S. wouldn’t have to face Germany, Canada or France until the gold-medal game.
It’s a formidable eight filled with NBA All-Stars and MVPs, and it went down to the final game of group play between Serbia and South Sudan to determine the quarterfinalists.
2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.
Playing in its first Olympics in men’s basketball, South Sudan just missed a spot in the quarterfinals, losing to Serbia 96-85. Had South Sudan lost by just a point, it would have made the round of eight.
A closer look at the matchups:
USA-Brazil
The U.S. was the top overall finisher at 3-0 at a plus-64 point-differential in Group C. Though Greece was the second-best third-place team, FIBA rules state that two teams from the same group cannot play in the quarterfinals, so that prevented a Germany-Brazil matchup because both were in Group B.
The U.S. did its job in group play, wasn’t really challenged and had several players contribute offensively. They were sloppy with turnovers and gave up offensive rebounds, and those are areas coach Steve Kerr wants to clean up. Anthony Edwards (16.3 points per game) and Kevin Durant (16 ppg) are the top scorers. LeBron James averaged 14.3 points, 7.3 assists and 6.7 rebounds in group play.
Brazil beat Japan and lost to Germany and France in Group B. Vitor Benite, Raul Neto, Marcelinho Huertas and Bruno Caboclo are Brazil’s top players.
Germany-Greece
Giannis Antetokounmpo made it to the knockout stage, and he’s thrilled about the opportunity. But Germany is playing as well as any team in this event. Germany, the 2023 FIBA World Cup champion, clobbered France for the top spot in Group B and has experience and continuity with Franz Wagner (21.7 ppg), Mo Wagner, Dennis Schröder (19.7 ppg, 9.0 assists per game), Daniel Theis and Isaac Bonga. Greece had just one victory (vs. Australia) in Group A but that was enough. Antetokounmpo averaged 27 points on 68.9% shooting in three games.
Canada-France
So much is at stake in this game as both teams came to the Olympics with medal expectations. Canada has been fantastic – 3-0 in Group A – led by RJ Barrett (21.0 ppg), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (19.0 ppg) and Dillon Brooks (14.3 ppg). Can France’s guards handle Canada’s guards? France finished 2-1, but it was an up-and-down effort. It almost lost to Japan (94-90), handled Brazil and was routed by Germany. Yes, France has experience (Nic Batum, Rudy Gobert, Evan Fournier) and the young star (Victor Wembanyama and his 17.0 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.7 steals and 2.0 blocks per game), but it hasn’t put together a complete performance.
Serbia-Australia
Australia finished second in Group A with just one victory – against Spain – but it lost to Canada 93-83 and Greece 77-71. It is competitive with several NBA players, including Josh Giddey (15.0 ppg), Patty Mills, Jock Landale (17.7 ppg), Dante Exum and Dyson Daniels. Serbia is led by Nikola Jokic (18.7 ppg, 11.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists per game), Bogdan Bogdanovic (19 ppg) and a cast of high-level players who star in Europe. Serbia earned silver at the 2023 World Cup, and it is capable of medaling in Paris. Both teams are well-coached.
Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on social media @JeffZillgitt
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
veryGood! (824)
Related
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- Officers shoot armed suspect in break-in who refused to drop gun, chief says
- Israeli military reservist from D.C. suburb is killed in missile attack in Israel
- Mary Lou Retton Discharged From Hospital Amid Long Road of Recovery
- The Louvre will be renovated and the 'Mona Lisa' will have her own room
- Ukraine’s leader says Russian naval assets are no longer safe in the Black Sea near Crimea
- Cyprus police say they have dismantled the third people smuggling ring in as many months
- Off-Duty Pilot Charged With 83 Counts of Attempted Murder After Plane Cockpit Incident
- Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
- Netflix's 'Get Gotti' revisits notorious mob boss' celebrity, takedown of 'Teflon Don'
Ranking
- Who are the most valuable sports franchises? Forbes releases new list of top 50 teams
- Blinken says 'humanitarian pauses must be considered' to protect civilians
- Adolis Garcia, Rangers crush Astros in ALCS Game 7 to reach World Series since 2011
- Qatar becomes a key intermediary in Israel-Hamas war as fate of hostages hangs in the balance
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- Long COVID brain fog may originate in a surprising place, say scientists
- Two ships have collided off the coast of Germany and several people are missing
- Atlanta firefighter and truck shortages prompt the city to temporarily close 3 fire stations
Recommendation
Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
As the world gets more expensive, will employees ever see their paychecks catch up?
Cleveland Browns player's family member gives birth at Lucas Oil Stadium during game
States sue Meta claiming its social platforms are addictive and harming children’s mental health
Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
Bond markets are being hit hard — and it's likely to impact you
Autoworkers strike cuts into GM earnings, company sees further loses if walkouts linger
RHONJ's Lauren Manzo Confirms Divorce From Vito Scalia After 8 Years of Marriage