2025 Men's NCAA Bracket Predictions: Best Picks for Every Matchup
Canada, Serbia Win Openers As Olympic Basketball Qualifying Tournaments Begin
Andrew Wiggins and Canada survived their first test in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
Wiggins scored 23 points, RJ Barrett added 22 and Canada held off Greece 97-91 in Victoria, Canada, in the first game at that site's qualifier, one of four that began Tuesday.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 18 for Canada, which trailed by as many as eight points late in the first half. The Canadians took the lead for the good midway through the third quarter, then held on at the end.
Canada coach Nick Nurse, the coach of the Toronto Raptors, made clear that his team doesn't expect any game to be easy.
"We're not under any illusions of how good these teams are that we're playing, and how experienced they are, and what traditions they have," Nurse said. "It never entered our minds that it wasn't going to be really hard. I think winning any game is really hard, and then when you're playing in meaningful competition, a good team, a physical team, a big team and a well-coached team, you're going to be put under some duress."
There are four qualifying tournaments -- hosted by Canada, Serbia, Lithuania and Croatia -- to determine the last four spots in the 12-team field for the Tokyo Olympics. Those four spots will all be determined Sunday.
Greece had five players in double figures, led by Konstantinos Mitoglou's 14 points. Kostas Sloukas and former Florida guard Nick Calathes had 12 for Greece.
"I can't ask any more out of these guys," said Greece coach Rick Pitino, the Basketball Hall of Fame coach now at Iona College. "We're all disappointed in losing, but we're hoping we can see Canada again."
Canada next faces China on Wednesday, while Greece plays China on Thursday.
TURKEY 95, URUGUAY 86
Cedi Osman scored 27 points and Turkey won a back-and-forth nightcap in Victoria, ending the game on a 31-14 run.
Alperen Sengun scored 15 points for Turkey, which wasted an 11-point early lead and then rallied in the final minutes.
Omer Yurtseven scored the last seven points of a 10-0 run that gave Turkey a 37-26 lead, its biggest of the game, midway through the second quarter. Uruguay chipped away and led by as many as eight in the fourth, before Osman's 3-pointer with 4:01 left rattled in to put Turkey ahead to stay.
Jayson Granger had 25 points and 10 assists for Uruguay, which got 16 points from Mathias Calfani.
Turkey (1-0) next faces the Czech Republic on Wednesday. Uruguay (0-1) plays the Czech Republic on Thursday.
Other brackets were in play on Tuesday as well:
BELGRADE, SERBIA BRACKET
Serbia's quest to return to the Olympics got off to a good start.
Boban Marjanovic scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and the silver medalists from the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games opened their Olympic Qualifying Tournament with a 94-76 win over the Dominican Republic.
The game was tied at 69-all early in the fourth quarter; Serbia, which is playing host to the qualifier in Belgrade, outscored the Dominicans 25-7 the rest of the way.
"Of course, we're proud," Marjanovic said. "Everybody who comes here wants to make the Olympic Games, the main thing. Everybody's fighting for that spot, everybody plays tough, good, and I'm proud of my team because we didn't give up in this game."
Filip Petrusev scored 17 points and Vasilije Micic added 16 for Serbia.
"As expected, it was a difficult game," Serbia coach Igor Kokoskov said.
Michael Torres Cuevas and Victor Liz each had 16 points for the Dominican Republic.
Serbia now faces the Philippines on Wednesday, while the Dominican Republic plays the Philippines on Thursday.
KAUNAS, LITHUANIA BRACKET
* LITHUANIA 76, VENEZUELA 65: Jonas Valanciunas had 20 points on 8 of 9 shooting, plus 11 rebounds for Lithuania. Domantas Sabonis and Mantas Kalnietis each scored 12 for Lithuania, which closed the first half on an 8-0 run to break a tie and kept the lead the rest of the way. David Cubillan scored 11 points for Venezuela.
* POLAND 83, ANGOLA 64: Mateusz Ponitka scored 22 points in 23 minutes, A.J. Slaughter added 16 and Poland had little trouble in its opener. Angola led 19-18 late in the opening quarter; Poland took control by scoring 28 of the game's next 40 points. Yanick Moreira had a game-high 27 points for Angola.
SPLIT, CROATIA BRACKET
* GERMANY 82, MEXICO 76 Germany used an 18-3 run in the fourth quarter to pull off a come-from-behind win, forcing Mexico into 10 consecutive misses from the field during part of that stretch. Joshiko Saibou led the Germans with 17 points. Francisco Cruz led all scorers with 30 points for Mexico.
* BRAZIL 83, TUNISIA 57: Vitor Benite scored 15 points, and Brazil pulled away steadily over the final three quarters to an easy opening win. Oussama Marnaoui scored 13 for Tunisia. The game was tied 21-21 after the opening quarter, and Brazil outscored Tunisia 62-36 the rest of the way.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Team USA Announces Loaded Men's Basketball Roster For Paris Olympics
Twelve of the NBA's biggest stars will be wearing stars and stripes in Paris this summer.
USA Basketball officially announced its 12-man roster for the men's tournament at the 2024 Paris Olympics, headlined by LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant.
Here is the full 12-man roster:
James is back with Team USA for the first time since the 2012 London Olympics. The NBA's all-time leading scorer is a three-time Olympian, earning bronze in 2004 and back-to-back golds in 2008 and 2012.
Durant, meanwhile, has a chance to become the first men's basketball player to win four Olympic gold medals. He debuted in 2012 and became the face of Team USA during gold medal runs at the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Curry will be making his Olympics debut in Paris with Warriors head coach Steve Kerr taking the reins of the men's team. At 36 years old, Curry will seemingly step in as the starting point guard for the 2024 competition.
Embiid, Haliburton, Edwards, and Leonard are also representing Team USA at the Olympics for the first time. Embiid, the 2022-23 NBA MVP, was also eligible to play for France or Cameroon on the international stage but committed to Team USA in October.
Tatum, Holiday, Adebayo, and Booker all won gold in their Olympic debuts in Tokyo. Davis is also a one-time gold medalist, earning his in 2012 before he even made his NBA debut.
As part of Wednesday's roster announcement, USA Basketball also gave a glimpse of new jerseys for the Paris Olympics.
Team USA will be going for its fifth straight and 17th overall gold medal in men's basketball. The team also has a silver medal (1972) and two bronzes (1988 and 2004) in its history.
The team will open Paris Olympics play on July 28 against Serbia before playing South Sudan on July 31 and the winner of the Puerto Rico Olympic Qualifying Tournament on Aug. 3.
Team USA Basketball Roster Announced: See The Men's Team For 2024 Paris Olympics
Time will tell if it's another Dream Team, but the roster for the United States men's basketball team at the upcoming 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris was officially revealed Wednesday on "TODAY."
The men's team has a decorated history at the Olympics, and this year's squad is seeking to defend the gold medal that Team USA won at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
The U.S. Has a stranglehold on the gold: It has won 16 gold medals and has been the top team at each Games dating back to 2004, when Argentina stunned the U.S. In the semifinals en route to claiming the gold medal.
Here's a look at who will represent the red, white and blue in Paris, along with which team they play for in the NBA.
LeBron James — Los Angeles Lakers
Stephen Curry — Golden State Warriors
Kevin Durant — Phoenix Suns
Joel Embiid — Philadelphia 76ers
Anthony Davis — Los Angeles Lakers
Devin Booker — Phoenix Suns
Anthony Edwards — Minnesota Timberwolves
Jayson Tatum — Boston Celtics
Bam Adebayo — Miami Heat
Tyrese Haliburton — Indiana Pacers
Jrue Holiday — Boston Celtics
James will be playing in his fourth Olympics. He won a bronze medal in 2004 and gold in 2008 and 2012.
Curry, meanwhile, has enjoyed a decorated career, but this will mark his first appearance in an Olympics.
Durant has the chance to make history when he takes the court in Paris. He's one of two players, along with Carmelo Anthony, to win three gold medals in men's basketball, and could be the first to win a fourth.
Who will coach the team?Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who has led his team to four NBA titles, will man the sidelines in Paris. He was an assistant on the 2021 team that won gold in Tokyo.
When does the team play?Here's a look at the team's Olympic schedule as it currently stands:
July 28 — Serbia
July 31 — South Sudan
Aug. 3 — Qualifying team from the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament that runs from July 2 until July 7 and features Mexico, Ivory Coast, Lithuania, Italy, Puerto Rico and Bahrain.
How can I watch the team's games in the Olympics?The Olympic matchups will be televised by NBC and streamed on Peacock.
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