It's win or go home now for Team USA and the rest of the world at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Team USA finished a strong group-stage performance with a disappointing loss to Lithuania 110-104 early Sunday morning. There, facing off against a fellow Round 1 group winner, some of the flaws and challenges Team USA will face in the bracket were exposed. While both the US and Lithuania had qualified for the quarterfinals by virtue of their 4-0 records, the Europeans used their size advantage in the frontcourt to bully the smaller American team. Despite the disappointing finish, Team USA is still in it and will face off against Italy on Tuesday, Sept. 5. Here's everything you need to know about the matchup.
Team USA vs. Italy: When and where?
Team USA losing may be a blessing in disguise, depending on how things shake out on Tuesday. It's already a win for fans, who, instead of having to wake up early again, will get an 8:40 a.m. ET tipoff (5:40 a.m. PT). The Lithuanians have to play four hours earlier, so East Coast fans especially make sure to thank the Lithuanians for your extra sleep. As with the entire championship bracket, the game against Italy will take place at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila.
Team USA vs. Italy: How to watch?
The Team USA vs. Italy game will be broadcast on ESPN2, making it available to watch via most cable subscriptions. For those without cable, it is available on fuboTV without a cable subscription. You can also stream on the ESPN app, ESPN.com, and ESPN+.
*Watch FIBA World Cup games live with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Team USA roster
Mikal Bridges
Jalen Brunson
Tyrese Haliburton
Josh Hart
Brandon Ingram
Jaren Jackson Jr.
Cam Johnson
Walker Kessler
Bobby Portis
Storylines and Expectations
It's almost impossible to keep up with all the storylines for Team USA at the FIBA World Cup at this stage in the competition. For starters, in losing to Lithuania, the Americans managed to avoid Luka Doncic and the Slovenian team, as well as a Canadian team that has had some hot stretches during the tournament via their placement on opposite sides of the bracket. Additionally, in qualifying for the quarterfinals, the US team successfully qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
At the same time, losing before entering the most critical stage of the tournament is far from ideal. It only further raises concerns about the chemistry the Americans have playing together and their lack of size on the inside. For Paris, that could be mitigated by recruiting newly minted US citizen Joel Embiid. However, for now, the Americans are stuck with what they've got. Lithuania out-rebounded them 43-27, including 18 offensive rebounds. So, something has to change going into the game against Italy.
However, it wasn't all bad. Anthony Edwards put together an all-time Team USA performance, finishing with a 35-point eruption. He continued an impressive FIBA World Cup campaign so far, generating hype for his next season with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges will continue to look to provide leadership and solid play from the starting five, but there will need to be more help than there was from the rest of the team against Lithuania. Austin Reaves will be looking to provide a spark more akin to his play against Montenegro after struggling against Lithuania.
But the biggest storyline for both Team USA and Italy going into this knockout game is likely Paolo Banchero. Banchero made waves, spurning Team Italy to play for Team USA this summer, and the Italians will undoubtedly be out for revenge. But Banchero has slowly morphed into a key contributor for this team and will be an X-factor for them against Italy. It would be the most validating and fitting conclusion to his decision saga if he could help eliminate Italy from championship contention. Meanwhile, it would be a massive upset for the Italians and even more validating if they could knock off Banchero and the Americans.
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