AUCKLAND (FIBA Basketball World Cup) - New Zealand is still buzzing about Monday's draw for the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Barcelona.

Tall Blacks coaches, players and fans are excited because they have the opportunity to face the defending champions Team USA, a side that will be loaded with many of the NBA's best players, in Group C.

The Kiwis will also square off against the Dominican Republic, Ukraine and wild cards Turkey and Finland.

"It will be privilege to play against the USA and Turkey," said New Zealand coach Nenad Vucinic.

"They were finalists at the last World Cup.

"Every team wants to face the best in the world and test themselves."

Veteran Tall Blacks forward Mika Vukona was among the players to tweet about the draw.

Vukona tweeted: "NZ, USA, TURKEY, FINLAND, DOM REPUBLIC, UKRAINE can't wait!"

Veteran Kirk Penney, a holdover from the New Zealand team that reached the Semi-Finals of the 2002 FIBA World Championship who has played professionally in Spain, was another.

The 33-year-old guard tweeted: "NZ, USA, TURKEY, FINLAND, DOM REPUBLIC, UKRAINE same pool at World Cup!! Exciting times” and "Tall Blacks to Bilbao... Great food, supporters will be happy."

Vucinic was keen to stress that no player has a guaranteed spot in the New Zealand squad.

"Most players have indicated they want to be in the mix so I am expecting fiercely contested trials mid-year," he said.

"Every spot is contestable."

That being said, several players look to good bets to be in Spain.

They are Vukona, Thomas Abercrombie, Tai Webster, Corey Webster, Alex Pledger, BJ Anthony and Reuben Te Rangi.

While Hawaii Rainbows sophomore forward Isaac Fotu has yet to suit up for the senior team, he looks to be a strong possibility bet for the team, as well as Oklahoma City center Steven Adams.

Australia coach Andrej Lemanis, who used to coach the New Zealand Breakers and led the Boomers to a sweep of the Tall Blacks in last year's FIBA Oceania Championship, expects the Kiwis to be dangerous.

He told FIBA.com on Monday: "I think they're, perhaps, a little bit of a sleeper in the world's eyes right now.

"If Steve Adams makes himself available, you add Kirk Penney to that group. You have a couple of kids in college, Tai Webster (Nebraska) and Isaac Fotu and Rob Loe (St Louis), and you put all of those guys together with the ones from the Breakers and they've got something special going there. I think they'll be confident of advancing through their group as well."

Vucinic has a very good understanding of what the World Cup experience is going to be like because he has been in the New Zealand set-up for a long time.

A player in the Tall Blacks side that competed at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Vucinic will remember his team's game against the United States.

The Americans won that encounter, 102-56, and also defeated the New Zealanders two years later at the FIBA World Championship in Indianapolis, 110-62, yet the Tall Blacks rebounded with a win over China and then beat Puerto Rico in the Quarter-Finals.

They finished fourth in that tournament, and the United States sixth.

While Group C has the USA as clear favorites, the other five teams would appear to be evenly balanced.

"It's the World Cup and all teams will bring their A game, including the Tall Blacks," Vucinic said.

Vucinic does not place any value on the fact that New Zealand (No. 19) are higher in the FIBA Ranking Men than the Dominicans (No. 26), Finland (No. 39) and Ukraine (No. 45).

"We need to remember that world rankings can be deceptive," he warned.

"For example, Ukraine is only ranked 45 because they are in Europe and it's tough to make the top eight in that competition.

"They have three NBA players in their team so we will not be taking them, or any team, lightly."

FIBA