Five men’s basketball teams in FIBA’s top 10 have already qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Team USA won’t have to face any of the other four in group play.
Here are the groups, which were drawn today, with each team’s FIBA ranking:
Group A
- 1. United States
- 11. Australia
- 14. China
- 22. Venezuela
- Olympic Qualifying Tournament winner
- Olympic Qualifying Tournament winner
Group B
- 2. Spain
- 3. Lithuania
- 4. Argentina
- 9. Brazil
- 25. Nigeria
- Olympic Qualifying Tournament winner
Each team in each group will play each other. The top four teams in each group advance to the knockout stage.
The Olympic Qualifying Tournament winners will be slotted after those events this summer. They could produce Team USA’s toughest competition in the group stage – with the possibility of both No. 5 France and No. 6 Serbia joining Group A.
The Americans were always going to be heavily favored to advance from the group stage (and go much further). This draw just makes it a little more certain.
