Olympic Men's Basketball: Knockout Seeds Set As Group Play Ends

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Olympic Basketball: Men's Knockout Bracket And Schedule Set, Team USA To Face Australia

The preliminary round of the 2012 Olympic basketball tournament is now complete, and thus, the single-elimination medal round can begin. The quarterfinals were essentially set prior to Team USA's blowout win over Argentina on Monday, and now, they are official. With their victory, Team USA will square off against Australia, the fourth-place team from Group B, at 5:15 EST on Wednesday.

Here is the complete schedule for the quarterfinals, all of which will be played on Wednedsay.

Russia (4-1 in Group B) vs. Lithuania (2-3 in Group A): Russia's magic in last-second finishes ran out on Monday against Australia, but coach David Blatt will take that rather than in the medal round. Lithuania, meanwhile, was very impressive against Team USA, but pretty erratic otherwise. They're always a threat, though, and Russia, while impressive, has played a lot of close games. 9 a.m. EST.

France (4-1 in Group A) vs. Spain (3-2 in Group B): After losing to Team USA in their opener, France looked generally impressive in winning their last four games. Games against Tunisia and Nigeria were a bit too close for comfort, but Tony Parker and company are a formidable threat. Spain's pedigree is obvious, and they have as good a chance as anyone to make the Gold Medal game. However, they need both Juan Carlos Navarro and Marc Gasol to fight off nagging injuries. 11:15 a.m. EST.

Brazil (4-1 in Group B) vs. Argentina (3-2 in Group A): Brazil defeated Spain on Monday to clinch this spot ... and may have made their lives more difficult in the process. Not only does a semifinal matchup with Team USA loom, but so does a difficult quarterfinal against an experienced Argentina squad. Argentina showed their age at times in losses to France and Team USA, but led by Manu Ginobili, they're the kind of team you never want to count out in this kind of tournament. 3 p.m. EST.

Team USA (5-0 in Group A) vs. Australia (3-2 in Group B): Save for their game against Lithuania and their first half against Argentina, Team USA has been dominant thus far. However, Australia, led by point guard Patty Mills, has also been impressive, finishing off a 3-2 record in a strong Group B after Mills' thrilling buzzer beater against Russia on Monday. 5:15 p.m. EST.

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.

Spain Vs. Brazil, Olympics 2012: Brazil Wins 88-82

Brazil wrapped up group play in the men's Olympic basketball tournament with an 88-82 win against Spain.

With the win, Brazil secured the No. 2 seed in Group B. They entered the game tied with Spain for second place in the group. They now move onto the quarterfinal where they will face Argentina, who finished third in Group A.

Leandro Barbosa led the way for Brazil with 23 points. Barboas was one of three Brazilian players in double figures with Marquinhos Vieira Sousa scoring 13 points and Tiago Splitter scoring 11. Brazil played the game without Nene, their starting center, who sat out due to foot soreness.

Pau Gasol led Spain with 25 points while his brother Marc Gasol was second on the team with 20 points. Spain advances to the quarterfinal where they will face either France or the United States in the first round. Their matchup will depend on the result of the United States' game against Argentina Monday.

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.

Great Britain Vs. China, Olympics 2012: Team GB Gets First Olympic Win Since 1948

Entering Monday, the Great Britain men's basketball team hadn't won a game since 1948. Against China, Team GB rectified that, and ended a 64-year drought, with a resounding 90-58 victory.

Kieron Achara led Great Britain with 16 points and six rebounds, but he was just one of five British players in double figures on the day, including 38-year-old Nate Reinking, who scored all 12 of his points on threes. Luol Deng and Pops Mensah-Bonsu, maybe the two most famous British players, were not among those players, scoring a combined six points.

China's only players in double figures were Wang Zhizhi, who had 11 points, and Yi Jianlian, who had 10.

Great Britain outscored China in every quarter, made 13 threes, and and forced 15 turnovers.

The win is also a bit of revenge for the Brits: the team that began that losing streak 64 years ago was China, which spanked Great Britain 54-25 at the 1948 Olympics.

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.

France Vs. Nigeria, Olympics 2012: Nicolas Batum Shines In Another French Victory

France was certainly the favorite in Monday morning's game at the 2012 London Olympics against Nigeria, but Africa's other qualifier -- Tunisia took Africa's automatic qualifying berth -- refused to go down without a fight. It ended in a loss, but Nigeria was able to keep it close for its last game in London before France pulled away for the 79-73 victory.

The French national team rested San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker for the duration of the fourth quarter, leading to a rather underwhelming three points and seven assists in the victory. France could afford to rest Parker, however, as Nicolas Batum came up huge with 23 points and six rebounds -- and the two connected on an all-too-easy alley-oop, too:

Fellow NBA player Boris Diaw filled the box score with 10 points, six rebounds and four assists while Mickael Gelebale contributed 11 points despite missing all four of his three-point attempts, but it was Nigeria's Chamberlain Oguchi who stole the show before Batum's fourth-quarter magic.

Oguchi, commonly referred to as Champ, has bounced all around the world during his basketball career (since going from Oregon to Illinois State during his college career, Oguchi's spent time in France, the D-League, the Philippines, Lebanon, Iraq and Venezuela). He likely earned himself a bit of a better job following Monday's momentous game in the Olympics, however, as "Champ" carried his team to a near-victory with 35 points -- 8-of-14 from beyond the arc.

Nigeria is now headed home while France awaits the results of Monday afternoon's game between Team USA and Argentina. Tom Ziller broke down the scenarios the French are awaiting in an earlier column:

France, which plays Nigeria in its final group game, has locked up a bid to the knockouts, but could enter as either the No. 2 or No. 3 seed. It would prefer the No. 2 seed, because that would estrange the team from Team USA in the elimination bracket. To win No. 2, France needs a win over Nigeria and a Team USA win over Argentina.

Alternately, France could get the spot with a win and an 49-point win by Argentina over Team USA. We would not recommend holding your breath for that result.

So France is either hoping for the USA to win by any amount of points or lose by 50 points. Whoa.

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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Olympic Basketball: Team USA Needs Win To Clinch No. 1 Seed

The top three seeds in Group A of the Olympic men's basketball tournament remain in the air. Team USA is in the pole position for the No. 1 spot and a quarterfinal match against Australia on Wednesday. But to guarantee that seed, the United States needs to beat Argentina in the final game of group play on Monday.

France, which plays Nigeria in its final group game, has locked up a bid to the knockouts, but could enter as either the No. 2 or No. 3 seed. It would prefer the No. 2 seed, because that would estrange the team from Team USA in the elimination bracket. To win No. 2, France needs a win over Nigeria and a Team USA win over Argentina.

Alternately, France could get the spot with a win and an 49-point win by Argentina over Team USA. We would not recommend holding your breath for that result.

To claim No. 1, Argentina either needs a France loss or needs to beat Team USA by at least 17. Again, we do not encourage you to hold your breath.

The intrigue continues in Group B, where Brazil and Spain each have incentive to lose their finale, as doing so will estrange them from Team USA in the knockout bracket.

Tunisia Vs. Lithuania, Olympics 2012: Balanced Effort Lets Lithuania Pull Away For 76-63 Win

Tunisia might have lost its first four games of the Olympic basketball tournament, but it came out looking ready to defeat a Lithuanian squad that had just put some fear into the United States. But Lithuania's superior talent shone through as a dominant defensive performance in the second half earned them a 76-63 win.

Tunisia showed its first-quarter prowess by leading early against the Americans, but it looked even better to start Monday, leading 18-7 after 10 minutes of play, ending the period on an 11-0 run. Lithuania wouldn't come back until late in the third quarter, when its defense turned on and virtually stopped Tunisia's scoring. The Lithuanians went on a 22-2 run and outscored the Tunisians by 17 in the final quarter.

NBA washouts Darius Songaila and Sarunas Jasikevicius led the way for Lithuania with 13 points apiece, as well as five assists for Jasikevicius. Tunisia's Amine Rzig led all scorers with 17 -- including three-for-three shooting from downtown -- and Salah Mejri had a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds.

The game was Tunisia's last of the Olympics regardless. Lithuania will go on to face the top team in Group B, Russia, after finishing 3-2 in group play -- a loss could have seen them fall out of the quarterfinals should Nigeria have been able to earn a win Monday against France.

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.

Olympic Basketball: Lithuania Win Eliminates Nigeria, Tunisia, Sets Date With Russia

On account of beating Tunisia, Lithuania has clinched the No. 4 seed in Group A of the Olympic men's basketball tournament and will now face Russia, who had clinched the No. 1 seed in Group B despite falling to Australia early Monday. The two teams will face off on Wednesday in the quarterfinals. That is as yet the only quarterfinal match set.

Lithuania's win completed the eight-team knockout field, as well, by eliminating Tunisia and Nigeria. The Tunisians, who won their Olympic bid on account of being named the champions of Africa a year ago, finished the Olympics without a single win. One of China and Great Britain will also finish winless after the teams, each 0-4, face off on Monday.

If Team USA wins, it will face Australia in the quarterfinals. Australia edged Russia with a Patty Mills three-pointer in Monday's first game, two days after a comeback win over Britain.

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.

Australia Vs. Russia, Olympics 2012: Patty Mills Drills Game-Winning Three

Patty Mills ended Russia's hopes of going unbeaten in Group B by drilling a last-second buzzer beater to give Australia an 82-80 win.

The St. Mary's product and current San Antonio Spur has not-so-quietly been having a great tournament for Australia. He put up a tournament-high 39 points against Great Britain and is fourth in scoring average with 20.2, but had been having a mediocre game with only 10 points when he got the ball at the top of the key on Australia's final possession. Mills has always been a gunner, and had no qualms about nailing the look to give the Boomers the win.

Here's video of Mills' shot on Australian TV:

As you can see, it's a nicely drawn-up play by Brett Brown, Australia's head coach and an assistant for the Spurs. Mills inbounds the ball to Joe Ingles, comes off an off-ball screen to receive a very nice cross-court feed from the post by Ingles for the open look.

Australia took the early lead with a 29-point first quarter and entered the half up one on the strength of 5-for-5 combined three-point shooting by David Andersen and St Mary's player Matthew Dellavedova, who scored all 10 of his points before the break. But its leader was Ingles, who plays for Real Madrid, who had a team-high 20 points including seven straight in the third quarter. A team effort had Australia up 79-73 with minutes to play, but Russia ran off seven straight, including an and-one for Andrei Kirilenko and two clutch free throws by Vitaly Fridzon, who was foolishly fouled with 4.1 seconds. That had the Russians up one with 4.1 seconds left.

Russia was undefeated thanks to a thrilling finish of its own against Brazil -- Shved had actually missed two free throws to leave the Russians in need of a Fridzon three to give them a 75-74 win -- but wouldn't have the same luck here, as Mills calmly put away the game with the clock expiring.

Ingles led the Aussies with 20 points, while Mills and Andersen had 13 each. On the Russian side, former Kansas center Sasha Kaun led the team with 18 points, while the Timberwolves' pairing of Kirilenko and Alexei Shved each had 13 points and six rebounds.

Unfortunately for Australia, the win doesn't mean a great deal: at 3-2 with losses to both 3-1 teams in Group B, the team was guaranteed to finish fourth and heads toward a quarterfinals matchup with the No. 1 team -- that would be the United States. But the thrilling win can't hurt their morale and showed they could earn a W against top competition. The story is similar for the Russians, who were guaranteed the top spot in the group after winning all four of their games to start the tournament -- with the loss, Team USA has the opportunity to be the only undefeated team in group play.