Coming into the 2016 Olympics many experts had Spain pegged as the top challenger to Team USA. Spain's national team boasts a number of current and former NBA players such as Pau Gasol (one of the greatest international basketball players of all time), Ricky Rubio, Rudy Fernandez, Sergio Rodriguez and Juan Carlos Navarro.
Olympic basketball schedule 2016: Spain looks to bounce back
Pau Gasol, Ricky Rubio and Co. take on host Brazil on Day 4.
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And yet in its first game of the tournament, Spain, despite being heavily favored, fell to Croatia 72-20 after a floater from Gasol just before the buzzer was rejected by Croatia's Dario Saric. Now Spain faces an uphill climb and things won't get any easier on Wednesday when it's forced to take on host Brazil, a team that boasts a number of NBA players (Leandro Barbosa, Anderson Varejao, Nene) as well. That game will be first of three men's games on Wednesday. It should be the best, too.
Meanwhile on the women’s side of things, Wednesday’s slate will give us another look at Australia, widely assumed to to be the top challenger to Team USA. The Opals have one of the world’s top centers in Elizabeth Cambage, a 6’8 stud who dropped 22 points and 11 rebounds in just 23 minutes of action in Australia’s win over Turkey in its first game of the tournament.
Australia will take on France on Wednesday morning, while host Brazil faces Belarus in the afternoon.
2016 Rio Olympics men’s basketball coverage for Saturday
All times Eastern
Men
Events: Spain vs. Brazil (1:15 p.m), Lithuania vs. Nigeria (6:00 p.m.), Argentina vs. Croatia (9:30 p.m.)
TV: NBC Sports Network (1:15 p.m.), Basketball Specialty Channel (6:00 p.m.), Basketball Specialty Channel (9:30 p.m.),
Streaming: NBC Sports Stream (1:15 p.m.), NBC Sports Stream (6:00 p.m.), NBC Sports Stream (9:30 p.m.)
Women
Events: Australia vs. France (11:15 a.m.), Brazil vs. Belarus (2:30 p.m.), Turkey vs. Japan (4:45 p.m.),
TV: Basketball Specialty Channel (11:15 a.m.), Basketball Specialty Channel (2:30 p.m.), Basketball Specialty Channel (4:45 p.m.),
Streaming: NBC Sports Stream (11:15 a.m.), NBC Sports Stream (2:30 p.m.), NBC Sports Stream (4:45 p.m.)
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