London Olympics: USA Basketball Draws Tough Group to Begin Title Defense

Most basketball fans in the United States are currently focused on the NBA playoffs, but the Summer Olympics are right around the corner. The groups were drawn today, and it won't be an easy road for the defending-champion Americans, who will be favored to take gold once again.

Team USA will be in a group that also features third-ranked Argentina, France, Tunisia and the top two finishers in a July qualifying tournament, according to the Daily Mail. Greece and Lithuania, the fourth- and fifth-ranked teams in the world respectively, are the most likely teams to claim those spots.

So that means the United States is probably destined for a group that includes four of the five best teams on the planet and an extremely dangerous French team. Mike Krzyzewski should have no trouble building another amazing roster, but it won't be a cake walk to another title.

The star-studded United States squad of 2008 cruised to a gold medal in Beijing. The Americans won all five of their group games by a combined 161 points (32 PPG) and didn't receive a real test until the title game, but still managed to defeat Spain by 11.

Things should be a little more difficult this time around, especially considering the team will be made up exclusively of NBA players coming off a chaotic season schedule.

Argentina is led by San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili and features a mix of veteran NBA players like Luis Scola and Carlos Delfino and veteran international players that have been battle-tested. The Argentinians also won the gold medal back in 2004.

It would be easy to overlook France based on its No. 12 ranking, but one glance at the team's roster makes it clear that they are far better than that. Tony Parker, a candidate for NBA MVP this season, runs the point and has plenty of weapons at his disposal.

Joakim Noah and Boris Diaw will give the French a reliable presence in the post. The player who should really worry Team USA, however, is Nicolas Batum. The rising star of the Portland Trailblazers played tremendously down the stretch this season. 

As if that wasn't enough, the Americans will face an entirely different test against Greece and Lithuania should those teams qualify as expected. They don't have as much star power as France or Argentina, but they spend a lot more time playing together in tournaments. That means they usually play a more team-oriented style than the United States, which relies on pure talent and athleticism to run past opponents. If either Greece or Lithuania can slow down the pace, an upset isn't out of the question.

Are the red, white and blue still the favorites to come out on top? Absolutely, but they can't afford to get complacent, because every team outside of Tunisia has reason to believe they can hang with the Americans.

Group A

Argentina

France

Tunisia

United States

Qualifier No. 1

Qualifier No. 2

Group B

Australia

Brazil

China

Great Britain

Spain

Qualifier No. 3