FIBA World Championship 2010, In Progress: USA Begins Preliminary Round Vs. Croatia

The 2010 FIBA World Championship, which is now in the preliminary stage of the tournament, features 24 teams from around the world. A brief crash course: in the preliminary stage, the teams are divided into four groups of six teams. Each team plays five games, one against every other member of the group, and the group's top four finishers advance to the knockout stage. In other words, it's a tournament structure similar to that of soccer's World Cup.

The United States is in Group B, along with Slovenia, Tunisia, Brazil, Croatia, and Iran. Team USA plays its first preliminary match on Saturday against Croatia, the team it defeated in the gold medal game of the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.

Here is Team USA's roster:

C Tyson Chandler
G Chauncey Billups
G Derrick Rose
G Russell Westbrook
G Andre Iguodala
G Stephen Curry
G Eric Gordon
F Kevin Durant
F Rudy Gay
F Danny Granger
F Kevin Love
F Lamar Odom

The game, which tipped off at 12:00 Eastern, can be seen on ESPN Classic and, if your internet service provider offers it, ESPN3. Stay tuned to this StoryStream for updates.