PREVIEW – Spike-backed USA ready for Angola; Russia meet Kiwis

ISTANBUL (2010 FIBA World Championship) - Heading into the third day of Eight-Finals action at the FIBA World Championship, there is one certainty.

At least one non-European team will book a place in the Quarter-Finals and join Serbia, Spain, Slovenia and hosts Turkey.

Team USA will square off against Angola in Monday's opening game and surprise package New Zealand will face Russia in the nightcap.

The Americans arrived in Turkey in late August as the favorites to win the gold medal, despite having none of the players that captured gold at the 2008 Olympics.

While the United States do not have Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and all of the other Beijing winners, they still have a star-studded roster.

Why else would American film maker Spike Lee show up to watch games, and practices?

Lee had breakfast with Team USA on Sunday and then watched coach Mike Krzyzewski put the players through their paces in Istanbul ahead of Monday's game.

"I saw the Dream Team in Barcelona and that was the ultimate," Lee said.

"It’s great to be here in Istanbul, my second time here.

"I know a lot of the guys on the team. Coach K was gracious enough to allow me to sit in and have breakfast with the team this morning and then practice, so I love it."

Lee is optimistic about the outcome of the games with the Angolans, and what the United States can achieve overall.

"Ah gold!" he said.

"That’s why everybody’s here, right?

"Let people know once again where the game was invented.

"We know the rest of the world’s caught up, but still, we got this."

Angola are very familiar with American teams, having taken them on in past international competitions.

They met at the 2008 Olympics and that USA side won, 97-76.

One of the players that is sure to earn strong consideration for a spot on the next US Olympic team, Kevin Love, says Angola can't be underestimated.

"They’re very athletic," Love said.

"A lot of their stuff is kind of off one on one.

"We’re going to have to really rebound against them.

"That’s one thing that we’re lacking on that Coach (Krzyzewski) and the other coaches touched on.

"Our defense and our enthusiasm is going to have to step up … and use our youth as a good thing."

One of the danger players for Angola is Olimpio Cipriano.

The 28-year-old forward is averaging almost 15 points per game.

He had 30 in Angola's 92-88 overtime victory over Germany that clinched a place in the Eight-Finals for the second straight time for the African team.

Russia and New Zealand have also had fantastic runs at the FIBA World Championship.

The Russians have overcome the absences of veteran players and grinded out plenty of wins to make coach David Blatt proud, as well as the entire country.

The team clinched second place with a victory of Greece in their last Group C clash and then discovered the Eight-Finals opponents would not be Spain or France but New Zealand.

The Kiwis set up the meeting when they not only upset the French, but did so by 12 points.

That result left Spain, France and New Zealand with 3-2 records, and goal differential in the games between those teams left the Tall Blacks in third place.

While New Zealand have veterans like captain Pero Cameron, Phill Jones and Kirk Penney - members of the team that made a stunning run to the Semi-Finals of the World Championship eight years ago - they also have youngsters like Thomas Abercrombie.

When the New Zealanders enjoyed their finest hour in Indianapolis in 2002, Abercrombie was a young teenager and a huge fan.

Now 23, he has not only fulfilled a dream by making the Tall Blacks roster, but also become one of the team's key members.

In the vital game against France, the 6ft 6in Abercrombie banked in the three-pointer that gave the team the point spread it needed to finish third.

While some people think New Zealand could not have done any better than to set up an Eight-Final with Russia and avoided Greece and Turkey, Abercrombie expects the Russians to be as tough as any side in the competition.

New Zealand met Russia in the build-up to the World Championship and have a good idea of what's coming.

“Russia are a very good team, well coached and they have very smart players," Abercrombie said.

"They troubled us in the warm-ups a little bit when they did a lot of switching defenses.

"We were able to find some ways around it the second time we played them.

"We know they’ll have a game plan ready to defend us and our challenge is to make sure we are able to stick to our game plan which we know works.”

FIBA