Twelve teams are set to battle for the right to hold the gold medal. Yep, it is once again time for Olympic basketball.
It shouldn’t come as a shock that Team USA is the favorite to win the men’s tournament at the 2021 Olympics, but the path to the podium will be filled with challenges. Spain and Australia, the No. 2 and 3 squads in FIBA’s world rankings, will be among the teams looking to take down the Americans.
Here is an updated breakdown of the standings for each group, plus a schedule of the upcoming men’s basketball games.
MORE: Full day-by-day Olympic basketball schedule
How does Olympics basketball tournament work?
This year’s competition will split 12 teams into three groups of four. Each team will play the other three teams within its group for a total of three games. The first- and second-place teams from each group and the two best third-place teams overall will advance to the knockout round.
A draw will then determine quarterfinal matchups. The three first-place teams and the best second-place team will be placed in one pot, and the rest of the teams will be placed in another. (Teams from the same original group cannot play each other again in the quarterfinals.)
Once those matchups are set, the tournament follows a typical single-elimination structure.
Group A standings
| Team |
GP |
W |
L |
PTS |
| France |
2 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
| United States |
2 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
| Czech Republic |
2 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
| Iran |
2 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
Group B standings
| Team |
GP |
W |
L |
PTS |
| Australia |
2 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
| Italy |
2 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
| Germany |
2 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
| Nigeria |
2 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
Group C standings
| Team |
GP |
W |
L |
PTS |
| Slovenia |
2 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
| Spain |
1 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
| Argentina |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
| Japan |
2 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
Men’s Olympic basketball schedule 2021
(All times Eastern)
July 24
| Game |
Time |
| Iran vs. Czech Republic |
9 p.m. |
July 25
| Game |
Time |
| Germany vs. Italy |
12:40 a.m. |
| Australia vs. Nigeria |
4:20 a.m. |
| France vs. United States |
8 a.m. |
July 26
| Game |
Time |
| Argentina vs. Slovenia |
12:40 a.m. |
| Japan vs. Spain |
8 a.m. |
July 27
| Game |
Time |
| Nigeria vs. Germany |
9 p.m. |
July 28
| Game |
Time |
| United States vs. Iran |
12:40 a.m. |
| Italy vs. Australia |
4:20 a.m. |
| Czech Republic vs. France |
8 a.m. |
July 29
| Game |
Time |
| Slovenia vs. Japan |
12:40 a.m. |
| Spain vs. Argentina |
8 a.m. |
July 30
| Game |
Time |
| Iran vs. France |
9 p.m. |
July 31
| Game |
Time |
| Italy vs. Nigeria |
12:40 a.m. |
| Australia vs. Germany |
4:20 a.m. |
| United States vs. Czech Republic |
8 a.m. |
Aug. 1
| Game |
Time |
| Argentina vs. Japan |
12:40 a.m. |
| Spain vs. Slovenia |
4:20 a.m. |
Source
