ACOG - News - IBM

(29 July 1996; Day 10)

Men's Medal Round Set To Begin Tuesday

With the completion of group competition on Sunday, the medal round for the men's basketball competition at the 1996 Olympic Games is set to begin on Tuesday.

The rush for the gold begins at 10:00 in the Georgia Dome as Lithuania, the number-two seed out of Group A, will face Group B's number-three seed, Greece. The second game will feature the winner of Group B, Yugoslavia, and China, which edged Argentina for the fourth spot from Group A. The evening session begins with Australia, which placed second in Group B, and Croatia, seeded third coming out of Group A. The final game of the first night of competition in the medal round has Group A's top squad, the United States, squaring off against Brazil, which placed fourth in Group B.

Following is a capsule look at the eight teams which will be competing for the gold, silver and bronze medals. Included are some notes on the teams' play to this point in the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games.

GROUP A

# 1 SEED: UNITED STATES. With a squad of 12 of the greatest basketball players in the world, the U.S. defeated all comers in Group A's preliminary competition and has a 5-0 record entering the medal round. Team USA, also known as the "Dream Team," has been picked by all as the favorite for the gold medal. Scottie PIPPEN leads a balanced attack with a 13.0-point per game scoring average. Power forward Charles BARKLEY ranks sixth overall in rebounds, averaging 7.5 boards per contest.

# 2 SEED: LITHUANIA. Lithuania posted a 3-2 record in the preliminary round, losing to the United States and Argentina. The Lithuanians gave the United States the toughest game in the opening round before the USA pulled out a 104-82 victory. This squad is led by a pair of NBA players in point guard Sarunas MARCIULIONIS and center Arvydas SABONIS. MARCIULIONIS, who missed the game against the USA with a knee injury, is averaging 5.3 assists per game in the 1996 Olympic Games. SABONIS has been a power inside, ranking second in these Olympic Games in rebounds, averaging 8.8 per contest.

# 3 SEED: CROATIA. Croatia completed the preliminary round tied with Lithuania for second place with a 3-2 record. The Lithuanians took the second seed in the medal round due to a better point differential. Croatia's two losses were to the United States and a 2-point loss to Lithuania in double-overtime. Croatia is led by Chicago Bulls' star Toni KUKOC, who ranks 11th in the Olympic Games in scoring (16.0 ppg), 10th in rebounds (6.4 rpg) and leads in assists (7.8 apg). Dino RADJA of the NBA's Boston Celtics, ranks fifth in rebounding with 7.6 boards per game.

# 4 SEED: CHINA. China earned the fourth spot out of Group A by virtue of its earlier 87-77 victory over Argentina. China and Argentina tied for the final spot with identical 2-3 records, but China's earlier win over the Argentinians was used as the tie-breaker. HU Wei-dong leads China in scoring and ranks 15th in these Olympic Games, averaging 13.4 points per game. China, which has had problems scoring recently, will be facing a Yugoslavian defense which has been one of the toughest so far in the 1996 Olympic Games.

GROUP B

# 1 SEED: YUGOSLAVIA. Like the United States, Yugoslavia also completed the preliminary round with an unblemished 5-0 record. The Yugoslavian squad is the second toughest team defensively in these Olympic Games, allowing just 72.8 points per outing. After winning its five games in Group B by an average of 22.8 points per game, Yugoslavia is expected to advance to the gold-medal game to meet the United States. Yugoslavia is led by Vlade DIVAC, the new center for the NBA's Charlotte Hornets. While not concentrating on scoring, DIVAC has led his squad with his experience and his 7.0 rebounds per game. Zoran SAVIC is averaging 12.8 points per outing to lead a balanced offensive attack.

# 2 SEED: AUSTRALIA. Australia ended the preliminary round with a 4-1 record, losing only to Yugoslavia. The Australians boasts one of the best backcourts in the 1996 Olympic Games as Andrew GAZE and Shane HEAL rank fourth and sixth in scoring, respectively. GAZE is averaging 22.8 points, while HEAL tosses in 20.2 points per game. The problem for the Australians has been their lack of rebounding and a soft defense, which is allowing 87.6 points per game.

# 3 SEED: GREECE. Greece advanced with a 3-2 record in the preliminary round. In Group B, Greece gave Yugoslavia its closest game through the first round; the Yugoslavians, winning all games by an average of 22.8 points, recorded only a 71-63 victory over Greece. Small forward Nikos ECONOMOU leads Greece and ranks fifth overall in scoring, averaging 21.0 points per game. Center Panayotis FASSOULAS is a force inside, averaging 5.6 rebounds per game.

# 4 SEED: BRAZIL. Although 2-3 after the preliminaries, Brazil is the second-highest scoring team in the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games, averaging 99.6 points per game. The problem has come defensively, where Brazil is allowing opponents to tally 98.8 points per game. International scoring superstar Oscar SCHMIDT leads the Brazilian squad and ranks first in the Olympic Games with a 28.0-point per game average. Aristides Josuel DOS SANTOS chips in 13.2 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.

This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by Wayne White.


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The volunteer staff of the 1996 Olympic Games totaled 50,152. They worked an estimated 850,000 shifts.