LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 06: Tony Parker #9 of France drives in the first half against Ike Diogu #6 of Nigeria during the Men's Basketball Preliminary Round match on Day 10 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Basketball Arena on August 6, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The quarterfinal round of the Olympic men's basketball tournament begins on Wednesday. Team USA will face Australia.
The Olympic men's basketball tournament moves into the knockout round on Wednesday with the quarterfinals. The eight qualifiers from group play have been seeded and will be paired off to halve the field. At this point, two wins will land your team a medal ... but one of those wins needs to be on Wednesday.
Here's the schedule for Wednesday.
Lithuania (A-4) vs. Russia (B-1), 9 a.m. ET
Lithuania, the team that gave Team USA its closest call in group play, ended up with Group A's No. 4 seed. That earns the team a date with Russia, Group B's dominant team. The Russians beat both Spain and Brazil, but missed an unbeaten group run by one shot: a game-winning three-point by Australia's Patty Mills on Monday. A Lithuania win here would be stunning.
Spain (B-3) vs. France (A-2), 11:15 a.m. ET
Spain, the superpower who landed silver in 2008 and serves as the reigning European champ, wasn't terribly impressive in group play, losing narrowly to Russia and falling to Brazil in a game that meant little on Monday. France, on the other hand, was quite strong after getting smacked by Team USA in the tournament opener. As such, it'll be little surprise if the French, led by Tony Parker, pull out a victory. But Spain remains the favorite.
Brazil (B-2) vs. Argentina (A-3), 3 p.m. ET
The South American rivals should put on a show in their quarterfinal. This could be the last Olympic tournament for most members of Argentina's Golden Generation, including Manu Ginobili and Luis Scola. Meanwhile, young Brazil is looking to make an international statement. There'd be no better way than the beat Big Brother on the Olympic stage.
Team USA (A-1) vs. Australia (B-4), 5:15 p.m. ET
Australia has a good deal of pluck; witness the last-second win over Russia on Monday. Unfortunately, Team USA's games are where pluck goes to die. We'll see if the Americans keep up the pace set in that absurd second half against Argentina, or if Team USA will continue to pace itself with eyes toward an Argentina rematch or Brazilian battle in the next round.
You can find a complete medal tracker at SI.com.
For more on the Olympics, check out SB Nation's London 2012 Olympics Hub. For more on Olympic Basketball, follow the 2012 Olympic Basketball section.
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