USA Rolling Through Olympic Qualifying
With the United States’ latest beat down in the FIBA qualifying tournament of a short-handed Canadian team, the U.S. moved to a record of 3-0, and are averaging 116 points per game in the tournament. So far, the victories over Canada, Venezuela, and the Virgin Islands have come with the team of U.S. superstars barely breaking a sweat. The competition should get a bit tougher for the next game though.
Beating Canada without all-everything guard, Steve Nash, is one thing, beating an undefeated Brazilian team sprinkled with NBA talent is another. While the U.S. will no doubt be a heavy favorite against the Brazilians, the South American squad is a quality team. On the Brazilian’s roster is Leandro Barbosa of the Phoenix Suns, Nene Hilario from the Denver Nuggets, and Marcus de Souza of the New Orleans Hornets. Also on the team is Tiago Splitter, a recent draft pick of the San Antonio Spurs, who is playing for Tau Ceramica in Spain.
The Brazilians are 2-0 so far, with a close 75-67 victory over the Canadians, and a blowout 101-75 win over Venezuela. When the two square off Sunday night, the winner will likely gain the top seed in the second round, which will begin the next day.
The top two teams from the tournament will automatically qualify for the Olympic games in Beijing, and the teams that finish 3-5 will be able to qualify at the pre-Olympic trials which take place a month before the Olympics begin.
For all the scores and schedules of the current tournament, the FIBA website contains info on all the teams, players, plus rankings and results.
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