Former Duke basketball star RJ Barrett led the Canadian Olympic team in scoring for the second straight time on Tuesday, a 93-83 win over Australia.
The Canadian men’s basketball team won its second straight Olympic game on Tuesday, and for the second straight time, former Duke basketball star [autotag]RJ Barrett[/autotag] led the team in scoring.
Canada beat Australia 93-83 on Tuesday, and Barrett made eight of his 14 attempts from the floor to finish with 24 points.
The Australians built a 49-45 lead through the first half of the game, but a six-point swing in the third quarter gave Barrett and the Canadians the advantage. Canada then dominated the final quarter, only allowing 13 points en route to the double-digit victory.
Canada also beat Greece, led by two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, for an 86-79 win on Saturday. Barrett finished that game with 23 points, making eight of his 13 attempts. He’s averaging 5.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.5 steals through two games in Paris.
With the top two countries from every four-team group assured of a spot in the quarterfinals, Barrett and his countrymen have virtually locked up their place in the elimination bracket.
Barrett, who put together one of the best freshman seasons in Duke history back in 2018-19, went third overall to the New York Knicks in the 2019 NBA draft. He was traded to the Toronto Raptors back in December.
Former Duke basketball star Elizabeth Balogun helped Nigeria beat Australia 75-62 on Monday, the country’s first Olympic win since 2004.
For the first time in 20 years, the Nigerian women’s basketball team won a game at the Olympics, and former Duke basketball star Elizabeth Balogun played a key role in the massive achievement.
Nigeria defeated Australia 75-62 on Monday, helped by a dominant second quarter to build a 13-point halftime lead.
Balogun, one of Nigeria’s five starters, finished with nine points, four rebounds, two steals, two blocks, and an assist.
The last time Nigeria won an Olympic game, the country defeated South Korea by four points back in 2004.
Balogun played for Georgia Tech and Louisville before transferring to the Blue Devils ahead of the 2021-22 season. She played two seasons with Duke, averaging 10.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game as a senior in 2022-23. She scored at least 15 points in seven different games that season, including a 20-point performance against the Cardinals.
Team USA Basketball started the 2024 Olympics with a 110-84 victory over Nikola Jokic and Serbia, but Jayson Tatum didn’t see the court.
The United States opened the 2024 Olympic men’s basketball competition with a 110-84 victory over Serbia on Sunday, but former Duke basketball star [autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag] never saw the court.
The Americans took down three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, outscoring him and his countrymen 52-35 over the final two quarters en route to victory. NBA legends LeBron James and Kevin Durant combined for 44 points, making 17 of their 22 shots from the floor.
10 different players took the floor for Team USA, but Tatum never left the bench. No explanation was given about his availability before the game.
Despite Tatum leading Boston in points, rebounds, and assists during their playoff run this summer, two of his teammates played ahead of him on Sunday. Jrue Holiday made the starting lineup, and Derrick White (a late replacement for Kawhi Leonard) came off the bench for two points and two steals.
Khaman Maluach and South Sudan erased a six-point halftime deficit for a resounding victory over Puerto Rico, the country’s first Olympic win.
South Sudan has finally won an Olympic basketball game.
[autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag] and his countrymen erased a six-point halftime deficit against Puerto Rico on Sunday for a 90-79 victory, the first South Sudan victory in Olympic basketball history.
Puerto Rico built an eight-point lead in the first quarter alone and led 54-48 at the midway point, but South Sudan held them to 25 points over the final two quarters.
Maluach, an incoming Duke basketball freshman and one of four five-star signees in the 2024 recruiting class, played just six minutes. He scored two points and grabbed two rebounds in his limited time. Carlik Jones led the team with 19 points, and South Sudan outrebounded Puerto Rico 55-37.
The victory represents the start of group play in the men’s basketball competition. South Sudan and Puerto Rico sit in Group C alongside the United States and Serbia, who play each other later on Sunday. Each country plays the other three once with the top two teams in each group guaranteed to advance into the quarterfinals. One more victory should virtually assure South Sudan’s spot in the final eight.
The 2024 Paris Olympics are underway, with men’s basketball taking the floor on Saturday.
The 2024 Paris Olympics are underway, with men’s basketball taking the floor on Saturday. On the tournament’s opening day, one Husker helped his country to victory.
Jack McVeigh scored 13 points for Australia in its opening game against Spain. He shot 4-for-8 from the field and 3-for-6 from beyond the arc. The Aussie also made two free throws.
McVeigh’s 13 points helped Australia start the tournament off strong. They defeated Spain 92-80, going up 1-0 in Group A. Australia faces off against Canada on Tuesday and Greece on Friday. The top eight following the group stage will advance to the quarterfinals.
McVeigh played for Nebraska from 2015 to 2018. Last season, McVeigh led the Tasmania JackJumpers of the NBL with 17.3 points per game, helping them to the NBL championship and earning himself Grand Final MVP. He recently signed with the Houston Rockets.
Strong Olympic start for @theJackMcVeigh in Australia’s 92-80 win over Spain. 💪🇦🇺
The Blue Devils social media team asked every player currently in Durham for their top three, and all but one of them said the United States would win gold.
The lone holdout? [autotag]Tyrese Proctor[/autotag], who of course picked his home country of Australia.
A couple of his American teammates tried to get a rise out of Proctor with the segment as well. [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] and Mason Gillis both went out of their way to say Australia wouldn’t medal. Flagg clarified he was only messing with his point guard, but Gillis simply smiled.
The only Blue Devil not with the team right now, incoming freshman [autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag], will play for South Sudan in Paris. Many of his teammates decided to support him with their predictions. Gillis, Maliq Brown, and Cameron Sheffield all gave their silver medals to South Sudan.
Wemby winning a gold medal in France would be pretty cool, right?
When the Olympics begin, it’s easy to root for Team USA. But let’s dare to be different. It’s fun to be a contrarian sometimes, right?
USA Basketball enters the tournament in Paris as the favorite to win the gold medal on both the men’s side and the women’s side. That doesn’t leave us with a lot of room for imagination, though. Go ahead and support the Red, White and Blue if you would like. But know there are other options!
Even though many of the players you will recognize from the NBA and WNBA will represent the United States, there are still some exciting players hailing from other nations as well.
Let’s give you a rooting guide if you’re having trouble deciding.
Men’s basketball
(Photo by MAXIME GRUSS/AFP via Getty Images)
Australia: The world would be better if Australia won the gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Think of the content. THINK OF THE CONTENT. — Cory Woodroof
Brazil: It was 2014 when ESPN famously said that former first-round draft pick Bruno Caboclo was two years away from being two years away. Folks, do you know what that means? Based on my calculations, that suggests that Caboclo — who won a championship in German in 2023 and multiple MVP awards in 2022 — has finally arrived. I can’t wait to watch him in the pick-and-roll with former Lakers guard Marcelo Huertas. Força Brasil. — Bryan Kalbrosky
Canada: Our neighbors to the north have SUCH A FUN TEAM! You’ve got SGA, Lu Dort, RJ Barrett, Dillon Brooks and Jamal Murray. This is, theoretically, a team that can make a medal run and make some noise. I’m here for it. O Canada! — Charles Curtis
France: If I have to pick a country, I guess I’d root for France. The host country winning would give Alex Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly some good national pride, which hopefully translates to them playing well for my Wizards. — Prince Grimes
France: I’m still upset Joel Embiid decided to play for the U.S. instead of France, but I guess packing the paint with Victor Wembanyama, Bilal Coulibaly and Rudy Gobert will do. FIBA rules should give this large French team quite a boost, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they win the whole tournament. Lengthy athletes who can shoot well will cover up a lot of deficiencies. — Blake Schuster
Greece: Since I’ll be rooting for France a ton during the NBA’s regular season, I guess I’ll stomp a bit for Greece here. The people are sleeping on Giannis Antetokounmpo, who should still be considered 1B as the best player in the world to Nikola Jokic. I’m excited to watch him ball this summer (plus I’d love to go to Greece someday soon). — Mike D. Sykes
Serbia: I want to make clear that I’m rooting for Team Serbia first. Why would I root for Team USA, the Celtics or Lakers of international basketball? They’re so dominant that it’s always more interesting to see someone else win. That aside, Serbia has the best player in the world right now, Nikola Jokic, surrounded by a battle-tested group with plenty of chemistry that won silver at the last FIBA World Cup… without Jokic. Serbia plays together and it plays hard. I’m all in, baby. — Robert Zeglinski
South Sudan: In 1992, a country that had recently won its independence rallied all the way to an Olympic silver on the hard wood (please do not check the final score). South Sudan isn’t in nearly the same situation as Croatia, but its struggle for recognition in a country without an indoor court made it one of the most inspiring competitors at this year’s games. How could you not support that? — Christian D’Andrea
Spain: ALL ABOARD THE SPAIN TRAIN! This strategy worked for me in Euro 2024, so I’m carrying it over to the Olympics. Sure, it’s a different sport and competition, but I still like Spain’s chances to compete for a medal. They have a good mix of NBA talent with one of the strongest domestic leagues outside the NBA. — Andrew Joseph
Women’s basketball
(Photo by ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP via Getty Images)
Australia: Have you seen the roster? IT’S LOADED. Former Seattle Storm great Lauren Jackson leads a roster full of sleepers that will block your shot into oblivion and then rain buckets of fury down upon you. Ezi Magbeor. DAWG. Alanna Smith. DAWG. Isobel Borlase. DAWG. Are we serious? Don’t say I didn’t warn you about their potential. — Meghan Hall
Belgium: If you’re new to the WNBA this season, let me introduce you to Julie Vanloo: She’s the 31-year old ROOKIE point guard for the Washington Mystics who, at the Olympic break, is top 10 in the league in assists and 3-pointers made per game. Last year, she and former WNBA Finals MVP Emma Meesseman led Belgium to the gold in the EuroBasket. Vanloo and Meesseman are among the most fun duos to watch at the Olympics. — Mitchell NorthamÂ
Canada: Go, Aaliyah Edwards! — Prince Grimes
France: Prince stole my pick. Aaliyah Edwards is my rookie, so of course I’m rooting for her and Canada. But France is super fun, too. I’ve missed watching Marine Johannes in the W this season. Seeing her ball out for her home country is going to be awesome.— Mike D. Sykes
Germany: Likewise, no disrespect to the American women, but they are such a juggernaut that it would be more intriguing to see anyone else pull off the upset. On this side, I’ll go with the Germans. Leonie Fiebich and the Sabally sisters (Nyara and Satou) give the Germans an underrated core trying to make its first real run at an international tournament in well, ever. — Robert ZeglinskiÂ
Japan: The Japan women’s national team got close to the gold in 2021, and it’d be awesome to see it actually make it all the way this year. — Cory Woodroof
Serbia: While I love that Yao Ming is an assistant coach for China this year, Angela Dugalić has played college basketball for my two favorite schools: Oregon and UCLA. She missed all of the 2022-23 NCAA season after tearing her ACL while representing Serbia during the 2022 FIBA World Cup. I’m looking forward to seeing her redemption this summer. — Bryan Kalbrosky
Spain: The SPAIN TRAIN keeps on going. While Spain lacks WNBA talent, it has consistently competed for a medal since 2010. Nobody is beating the U.S. — let’s be real. But Spain could absolutely contend for silver. — Andrew Joseph
You won’t find these 10 great WNBA players competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
This year’s United States women’s national basketball team is loaded with some of the best basketball players on the planet, including A’ja Wilson, Sabrina Ionescu, Kelsey Plum and Kahleah Copper.
However, there are some fantastic WNBA players who aren’t on Team USA or any other Olympic team this year who are worthy of a roster spot.
Let’s take a look at 10 of the best WNBA players who won’t be competing in Paris this summer, all of whom are on this year’s Team WNBA at the 2024 All-Star Game.
Now, he’s gearing up for his second run at Olympic gold with Team USA. After he won a gold medal in Tokyo three summers ago, he’s set to play for the American squad again. He actually started for the United States team during a Wednesday exhibition game against Serbia.
More than a dozen Blue Devils have represented their country in the Olympic Games, but none have multiple gold medals on their resume. Can Tatum set another Duke benchmark?
Here are the best photos from his time in Tokyo three summers ago.
Record audience tuned in to watch Micah Potter play for USA Basketball
A record audience of 1.162 million viewers tuned in to watch former Wisconsin Badger Micah Potter see game action for USA Basketball earlier this week.
Maybe the entire audience didn’t tune in to see Potter specifically, but instead to watch USA Basketball’s Olympic exhibition match against Canada. Then Potter saw game action to close the contest and even hit a corner three-pointer.
The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand shared the view count on Thursday afternoon. He also noted that it is the most-watched basketball game in Fox Sports 1 history. The total is more than any college basketball broadcast on the network — which are mostly Big Ten and Big East contests.
USA Basketball defeated Canada 86-72 in the Olympic warm-up on Wednesday. Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards led the scoring with 13 points, while Steph Curry, Jrue Holiday and Anthony Davis added 12, 11 and 10 points respectively.
Potter joined the scoring with a late three-pointer. He was 1/2 from the field during the contest in only two minutes of action.
The United States' Men's Olympic team win over Canada drew 1.162M viewers, making it the most watched basketball game in FS1 history.
Obviously, the record viewership number is mostly thanks to the starpower of LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Devin Booker, Joel Embiid and others. It is not to watch former Badgers Potter and Nigel Hayes-Davis see action in garbage time.
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