USA vs. Argentina: Pre-Olympic Matchup Is a Great Test for American Squad

As Team USA gets ready for what promises to be a challenging road to another gold medal, they will continue their pre-Olympic schedule against Argentina on Sunday in a tough test for Coach K's squad.

The game will take place in Barcelona and will feature two of the top contenders for the gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London.

Argentina has a deep and talented squad that includes many NBA players, including Luis Scola, Manu Ginobili, and Carlos Delfino. The Argentina roster has players who can shoot well from the outside, play strong perimeter defense and defend the paint. They are a complete team.

If Scola and the other Argentina frontcourt players can get Tyson Chandler to pick up some early fouls, then the Americans will be in trouble. One of the Americans' most glaring weaknesses is their lack of depth and talent at the center position.

The United States has issues in the frontcourt, and if Argentina can expose those weaknesses, it has a good chance to pull off an upset.

Defending Ginobili, however, will be the key to victory for the United States. The San Antonio Spurs star is a clever player who will test how far the Team USA defense has come since it started practicing as a full team. He is one of the best perimeter players the Americans will face in their games as an Olympic squad.

Being able to play a contender like Argentina before the Olympics is very helpful to a team's growth. The United States has a much different roster than it did in 2008, so there are still some chemistry issues to work out. Having the opportunity to be tested by one of the world's best teams and make adjustments before the real games begin will be very beneficial for Team USA.

Argentina will be the fourth of five opponents that the United States will play before the Olympics commence, so how the Americans perform on Sunday will tell fans a lot about their gold medal chances.