The FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournamnet continues Saturday, with semifinal games that will punch two country's tickets to the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Nigeria will face Russia and Lithuania will match-up against the Dominican Republic in Caracas, Venezuela, with the winners offically qualifying for London.
While Saturday's winners will not have to play each other in a final game (hey, they're going to the Olympics, so you might as well rest those legs) the two losing teams will play a consolation-type game Sunday for the 12th and final spot in the Olympic field.
With basketball now truly a global game, there are a number of current and former notable NBA players particpating today.
Russia will be led by former Utah Jazz All-Star Andrei Kirilenko and current Denver Nuggets center Timofey Mozgov, while Lithuania will look to advance on the shoulders of Toronto Raptors draft pick Jonas Valanciunas and former NBA point guard Šarūnas Jasikevičius.
The Dominican Republic, coached by Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari, will look for a strong performance from Atlanta Hawks forward Al Horford to advance the country to their first ever Olympic appearance.
A country that's consistently produced talented Division I and NBA players, Lithuania has not medaled in the Olympic Games since 2000, when they captured the bronze medal.
Game 1 between Nigeria and Russia begins at 6 p.m. ET, with Game 2 between Lithuania and the Dominican Republic scheduled to tip off at 10 p.m. ET. You can stream semifinal action by visiting FIBA.com.
To date, nine teams have qualified for the Olympics: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Britain, China, France, Spain, Tunisia and the United States.


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