Olympic Medal Count 2012: 6 US Teams That Will Add to Gold-Medal Total

The Olympics are far from over.  With the U.S. and China neck and neck in medal totals, the U.S. still has several teams left that will add to its gold-medal tally.

Some of the bigger team events are getting ready to enter into their finals, and others are just starting with quarterfinals matches.

Throughout events like men’s and women’s basketball for example, the U.S. teams have been extremely dominating.

It will be hard for any country to try and step up to stop the U.S. as they add even more gold medals to their count.

As some of these team events come to a close, look for the U.S. to be the ones with gold around their necks once the Games have left London.

Here are six U.S. teams that will add to the gold-medal total in London.

Men's Basketball Team

After beating Nigeria 156-73, it was clear the U.S. men’s basketball team is a force to reckon with.  With all the big names that make this team up, it’s hard to see how any other team can stand in their way.

They were put to the test on Saturday, when they had to come back to barely get a win over Lithuania, 99-94.

Still, even with a close game against Lithuania, the U.S. team was able to bounce back and show how strong they are with a demolishing win over Argentina 126-97 on Monday.

"I think we did a great job of responding from last game," Kevin Durant said over at ESPN.com. "It was a tough game and so was the first half tonight. Guys played together. That second half is how we want to play."

Now the U.S. team will get set as they enter the quarterfinals and take on Australia.  While Australia is 3-2 and the U.S. is 5-0, they should not be overlooked.  If the US team can play like they did against Nigeria and Argentina, though, Australia will have a hard time trying to keep up.

Can this 2012 team match the 1992 Dream Team?  While that could be argued for days, this current men’s team is probably the best in this year’s Olympics, and they prove it every game they play.

Not only did they set records in their game with Nigeria, they have yet to lose a game.

Will this team be able to go down as one of the best U.S. basketball teams ever?

Rest assured, the men’s basketball team will bring home a gold medal for the U.S.

Women's Beach Volleyball Team

What can really be said about both U.S. women’s beach volleyball teams?  We have a solid chance of seeing Jen Kessy and April Ross clash against the extremely dominate Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh.

Both teams are in the semifinals as we move forward into the Olympics.

The bigger of the two teams, May-Treanor and Walsh, have been dominating in the sport for years.  They are going for their third consecutive gold medal and hadn’t lost a set when they earned their first two gold medals.

They eventually lost one set during this year’s Olympic Games, but this team is, without a doubt, a dominate force.  After they beat Italy’s team, Kerri Walsh was quoted over at ESPN.com as saying: "I don't want to let our opponents breathe. I don't want to give them an edge. I don't want them to feel comfortable for one second out there.”

Jen Kessy and April Ross may not be as well-known as May-Treanor and Walsh, but they managed to knock out the Czech Republic team on Sunday and advance into the semifinals.

Ross and Kessy are also the 2009 FIVB World Champions and are looking to earn their first gold medal at this year’s Olympics.

The real question is not if the U.S. will earn a gold medal in women’s beach volleyball, but which team will bring the gold home?

Women's Basketball Team

While the men’s basketball team has taken the entire spotlight when it comes to basketball at the Olympics, make no mistake about it: The women’s team is extremely dominant.  The women’s team played China on Sunday and crushed them 114 to 66. 

They would set a new record with 33 assists in their game against China and match the 114 points they scored against Spain in 1992.

The women’s team is so dominant that six players scored double digits against China’s team on Sunday.

"We've got a lot of good offensive players," said U.S. coach Geno Auriemma via ESPN.com. "When everything is clicking and they're in sync and the ball's moving like it was today, we're a fun team to watch and hopefully everyone who was watching enjoyed it."

The women’s team is also first in their group, and undefeated. On top of being dominating in their pool, their victory against China was their 38th straight in Olympic play.

They are gearing up for their next match, which will be against Canada on Tuesday.  The women’s team is also going for their fifth consecutive gold medal.

The U.S. women’s basketball team hasn’t lost a match in the preliminary round since 1976.  This is clearly a fantastic team and has been for quite some time.  While a lot of focus may be on the men’s team, the women’s team has what it takes to win a gold medal.

Will the U.S. women’s basketball team be able to get their fifth consecutive gold medal?

If they continue to dominate like they have been, they will leave London with the gold.

Men's Volleyball Team

The U.S. men’s volleyball team saw their 11-match win streak come to an end on Saturday against Russia. 

While the U.S. would recover and still manage to clinch the top seed spot in their pool with a three-set victory over Tunisia, losing to Russia was a valuable lesson.

Spiker Sean Rooney was quoted over at ESPN.com as saying, "Something you can never do against Russia is relax. When they're firing on all cylinders they're tough to beat."

The men’s team won three straight matches to open up the Olympics.

Should their loss to Russia be something to worry about?  Maybe, but hopefully the defending Olympic champions can learn from their defeat and come out even more dominate once the quarterfinals begin.

"I think that it's good that this happened in pool play," middle blocker David Lee said (also via ESPN.com). "We'll regroup against Tunisia and clinch our pool and go on from there."

The U.S. ended up in one of the hardest pools at the Olympic Games.  With other top competitors like Brazil, Russia, Serbia and Germany, clinching the top seed was no easy challenge.

The U.S. team wasn’t considered one of the favorites to medal in London but managed to win the silver medal in the World League tournament before heading to the Olympics.

Now, as they sit atop their pool, it’s clear that the U.S. team is the one to beat.

Will they be able to learn from their upset at the hands of Russia as we get set for the quarterfinals?

The U.S. men seem ready to take the gold, so look for them to dominate the competition as the volleyball games progress.

Women's Volleyball Team

In Beijing, the U.S. women’s indoor volleyball team walked away with a silver medal.  While that is a great accomplishment, the women’s team this time is looking for much more.

Not only are they undefeated, but this women’s volleyball team also managed to wrap up preliminary pool play on Sunday with a straight-set victory over Turkey.

While team captain Lindsey Berg left the game early with an ankle injury, the rest of the group was able to hold it together and pull off a win without their captain.

Though they may have finished second in 2008 under coach Lang Ping, the U.S. women’s volleyball team has picked up coach Hugh McCutcheon, who helped lead the men’s team to gold in Beijing.

"To me, one of the important characteristics of a great team is how you perform when there's nothing on the line," said McCutcheon over at ESPN.com after the team's dominant victory over Turkey.

The U.S. team has never won a gold in indoor volleyball, but this could definitely be the year.

The women’s team is preparing to take on the 11th-ranked Dominican Republic on Tuesday in the quarterfinals match.  Of all the teams left in the tournament, the second-ranked Brazil team looks to be the toughest challenge.

Will the U.S. women’s volleyball team have to face off against the team that upset them in 2008?  That’s a good possibility; expect this time the US women’s team will be the ones who walk away with the gold.

Women's Soccer Team

The U.S. women’s soccer team had a scare on Monday, when they were taken to their limit by Canada’s team.

Before this semifinal match though, the U.S. soccer team was dominating.  They managed to sweep their pool, beating every team in it and going undefeated.

The semifinals match against Canada was a true test and showed that this U.S. team has what it takes to win the gold.

The Americans had to take the lead back from Canada on three different occasions and then took the match into overtime where Alex Morgan would score the game-winning goal.

What this match proved was that not only can the U.S. team handle themselves, but they also  can stage a major comeback.

"I know I've said this before," co-captain Abby Wambach said over at ESPN.com. "But it really does just take one moment and one chance, one moment of brilliance for somebody to do something individually spectacular."

The U.S. team is going to be put to their limit in the finals on Thursday.  They go up against the Japan team who beat the U.S. last summer on penalty kicks at the World Cup final.

Will the U.S. women’s team be able to handle their rivals?  Will they be able to overcome a strong Japan team to take home to gold?

On Thursday, the U.S. team will battle it out with Japan at Wembley Stadium.  Look for this to be a re-match for the ages and, with the U.S. team being so dominant, another gold medal for the U.S.A.