COLORADO SPRINGS (2016 Rio Olympics) - The United States are the prohibitive favorites to capture gold at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. That is true even though the final squad has yet to be announced.

No matter which of the 31 finalists make the 12-man side, the Americans will have a sensational team. The lasting memory that everyone has of the all-conquering USA was their dominance at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain.

Despite reaching the top of the podium at the last couple two Olympics and FIBA Basketball World Cups, the No. 1 team in the FIBA World Ranking will be taking nothing for granted in Rio. Experience has taught the coach, Mike Krzyzewski, that no opponent can be taken lightly.

The Greeks upset the USA in the Semi-Finals of the 2006 FIBA Basketball World Cup and Brazil almost won the teams’ Group Phase showdown in 2010. Spain have, at the last two Olympics, pushed the USA to the very end in thrilling Gold Medal Games.

The coach of all those American sides was Krzyzewski. He showed a healthy respect for the teams his side will face at the Olympics after Friday’s draw for the tournament, and also expressed a wariness for the unknown. The USA will go up against Venezuela, China and Australia in Group A, as well as two FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) winners. 

The draw for the 2016 Olympics appears to be extremely balanced, and we know the entire competition will be really competitive. Our group, Group A, features the zone gold medalists from then Americas, Asia and Oceania and will also include two teams that will have won a FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, so we know that they’ll not only be excellent teams, but they will already be on a roll when they get to the Olympics. - Krzyzewski

If, as expected, the USA advance, there will be a break with tradition. The Australians were their Quarter-Final opponents at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.

The team they will face in the do-or-die game will emerge from a Group B that includes Argentina, Spain, hosts Brazil, Lithuania - countries that have given the USA hard games in the past - Nigeria or another OQT winner.

Argentina will this summer have Luis Scola and Andres Nocioni, linchpins in the team beat the USA in the 2004 Olympic Semi-Finals. Since that defeat, the USA have won all 17 games they have played at Olympics.

We know that repeating as gold medalists at the 2016 Olympics will be a challenge, and that’s what makes winning a gold medal such an amazing accomplishment. - Krzyzewski

FIBA