Though the U.S. has received lukewarm reviews for the win over Puerto Rico,
take a look around the rest of the tournament:
Australia upset Brazil, but only by five, Nigeria beat Serbia and Montenegro,
and France gave Argentina some trouble.
Greece beat Qatar, but only by 20 (let's be real here - Greece has some
players, and Qatar has nothing), and Turkey upset Lithuania by two.
Also of note: European power Italy beat China, with Yao Ming, 84-69.
We can't remember his name, but China has a 17-year-old point guard who's
supposed to be pretty precocious. We'll find out shortly.
What we'll also find out is how much of his Duke template Coach K has managed
to transfer to the national team. With the Phoenix offense as a big part of
things, and Jim Boeheim attacking the zones, that's all good and well, but in
Durham, when Duke plays a bonehead game, or even half, the following game or
half is usually played with much greater intensity. Has he sold everyone
on the level of intensity?
We'll find out early Sunday morning. If he works his magic on short
notice, expect brutal defense and lots of breakaways. If not, well, it's
up in the air.