France vs. Argentina Olympic Basketball: Start Time, Live Stream, TV Info & More

After suffering a devastating blowout loss to the United States on Sunday, France's national team will attempt to bounce back with a win over Argentina on Tuesday. 

France dropped a 98-71 decision to the Americans on Sunday and must recover in time to salvage its Olympic quest with a win over Argentina on Tuesday.

First and foremost, that means a stronger effort from injury-addled NBA star Tony Parker, who managed just 10 points in the loss. It also means a much better defensive performance from the entire French squad, which was out-rebounded 56-40 in its first game of the Olympics. 

Winning its second matchup will be no easy feat for France, with Argentina coming off a 102-79 blowout win over Lithuania on Sunday. As expected, the charge was led by dominant performances from Luis Scola and Manu Ginobili. 

If France is going to have any chance of salvaging this summer's Games, it starts on Tuesday with a  more unified, defense-first approach.

Where: London, England

When: Tuesday, July 31 at 3 p.m. ET

TV: NBC  

Live Stream: NBCOlympics.com

Key Players to Watch

France: Tony Parker

The Spurs' point guard sported some ugly yet necessary eye wear during France's opening game versus the U.S., but they didn't do much good. Just a few weeks after getting caught in the middle of a Chris Brown-Drake brawl at a New York City nightclub and suffering a serious eye injury, Parker debuted without as much of an impact as France would have preferred.

Going up against a handful of his NBA counterparts, Parker—who almost lost his eye during the nightclub melee, according to the New York Daily News—went 4-for-11 against the Americans, with 10 points, a turnover and an assist. And yet, he was still France's second-leading scorer.

Clearly, something needs to change if the French are going to have any hopes of continuing on in the Olympics past the group stage. Parker's preparation may have been limited leading up to the Games, per the Daily News, but it's time to shake out the kinks and set the tone for this team. If he doesn't, the rest of the roster is going to continue to crumble. 

Argentina: Manu Ginobili

The Spurs' guard had the opposite effect from Parker in Argentina's opening game against Lithuania, sparking his team en route to a win with 21 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in a stellar effort.

Though Ginobili wasn't the leading scorer on Sunday—that honor goes to Luis Scola, who had 32 points—he is the veteran of this squad. He's 35, and he has 10 professional seasons under his belt, not to mention three NBA titles. Manu knows how to commandeer a winning basketball team, and if there's anyone who knows the ins and outs of Tony Parker's game—including his weaknesses—it's his Spurs teammate.

Not only can Ginobili set the tone for Argentina on Tuesday, but he can also help neutralize Parker's impact, which is one of the most significant keys to an Argentina win.

Prediction: Argentina wins

Objectively, Argentina has just as much talent on its roster as France, and it is playing with more unity and control. Plus, coming off that big win against Lithuania, it has confidence too, and that's something France is sorely missing. 

This isn't the right team for the French to run into when they're hoping to turn around their Olympic quest. Argentina will present too much of a challenge, and the simple truth may be that France's chances of doing damage during this summer's Games went out the window as soon as Parker got caught in the middle of that brawl.