After losing to France in the FIBA World Cup quarterfinals, the best the USA Basketball Men’s National Team can do is compete in the consolation rounds for a chance at fifth place.
The good news for the Americans is that they clinched a bid to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics earlier in the tournament. The bad news is that they won’t make the medal stand for the first time since 2006, with their streak of consecutive wins snapped at 58 games.
The USA Basketball Women’s National Team won gold at the FIBA World Cup in September 2018, preserving a 60-game winning streak.
Against France, Team USA was outscored 26-13 in the fourth quarter — France’s defense effectively stifling the Americans’ already lackluster offense. Donovan Mitchell got the memo, though. After averaging just over 10 points per game in the tournament, Mitchell turned in a game-high 29 points.
His efforts weren’t enough for a team that was outplayed in every aspect of the game, with France taking a few pages from Team USA’s book of defense.
Just how badly was Team USA outplayed by France?
USA — France
Rebounds: 28 — 44
2-point shooting: 49% — 55%
3-point shooting: 35% — 35%
Free throws: 67% — 84%
Fouls: 27 — 17
Points from turnovers: 11 — 22
Second-chance points: 10 — 16
To clinch fifth place and secure the best seeding possible at the Olympics, Team USA needs to get through Serbia on Thursday and the winner of Poland-Czech Republic on Saturday. As with the whole tournament, Team USA’s ability to finish the tournament with more wins isn’t guaranteed, starting with a Serbia team that has lost to consecutive games (Spain, Argentina), but otherwise has outperformed the U.S., against quality competition to boot.
The main concern for Team USA remains its offense. Serbia and the U.S. are about equal on defense, but the U.S. is not in the same league as Serbia on offense.
How Team USA compares to next opponent at FIBA World Cup
USA — Serbia
2-point shooting: 53% — 64%
3-point shooting: 33% — 39%
Free throws: 74% — 82%
Brew a strong shot of espresso and tune in on Thursday, Sept. 12, at 7:00 a.m. ET on ESPN+.
