Andrew Wiggins will look to lead Canada to its first Olympics basketball berth since 2000. (Getty)
For 10 basketball teams, the road to the 2016 Rio Olympics begins Monday in Mexico City.
The top two finishers (not counting Olympics host nation Brazil) at the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship will qualify directly for the Olympics, while the countries that finish third through fifth qualify the “last-chance” World Olympic Qualifying Tournament in July. Making things even more intriguing, the United States (winners of the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup) won’t be participating, creating even more parity throughout the tournament field.
There are four squads that enter with a legitimate chance at gold. Canada has never won this tournament, but with Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett and a host of NBA players, it’s arguably the most talented team. Mexico, led by Jorge Gutierrez and Gustavo Ayon, are the hosts and defending champions. Then there’s Argentina and Brazil, who will both be without superstars of years past (Manu Ginobili, Pablo Prigioni, Tiago Splitter, Leandro Barbosa, Nene, Anderson Varejao) but still have plenty of young talent and are always threats during international competition.
With the Olympics on the line, this should be a thoroughly entertaining competition. Here’s a complete look at the schedule, as well as results as they play out:
Group A
Jorge Gutierrez and hosts Mexico are defending their 2013 FIBA Americas title. (Getty)
Note: CDT is local time, as games are being played in Mexico City
Uruguay 71, Brazil 57
Mexico 84, Dominican Republic 66
Panama 78, Uruguay 71
Brazil 71, Dominican Republic 65
Dominican Republic 83, Panama 66
Mexico 65, Brazil 58
Dominican Republic 90, Uruguay 70
Mexico 82, Panama 68
Panama 89, Brazil 72
Mexico 78, Uruguay 63
Group B
Sharpshooter Nik Stauskas gets his first taste of major international competition for Team Canada. (Getty)
Note: CDT is local time, as games are being played in Mexico City
Venezuela 73, Cuba 52
Argentina 91, Puerto Rico 86
Argentina 94, Canada 87
Puerto Rico 91, Cuba 61
Canada 101, Cuba 59
Venezuela 74, Puerto Rico 63
Argentina 96, Cuba 64
Canada 82, Venezuela 62
Argentina 77, Venezuela 68
Canada 112, Puerto Rico 92
Click here for the Round 2 schedule and results:
