Olympic Basketball TV Schedule: Women's Quarterfinal Games You Can't Miss

Now the games mean something.

With the group stage over, the women's basketball tournament at the 2012 London Olympics is now for keeps. While traditional powers like the United States and Australia are likely to continue their traditional gold-medal matchup, contenders such as France and Russia won't go quietly into that night.

So which quarterfinal games will be the most intriguing? What matchups will have you glued to the tube?

Let's find out.

Highlighted Games

United States vs. Canada

You aren't watching this one to see if the United States can sneak out a win, or whether the slipper fits for an underdog Canadian team. Chances are, this one is going to be a blowout of epic proportions.

No, you'll be watching to see if the U.S. team can win its 39th straight Olympic game. You'll be watching to see stars like Sue Bird, Candace Parker, Tamika Catchings, Diana Taurasi and Maya Moore in action. Honestly, you'll be watching to see how many points they win by.

It's always been a guilty pleasure of Americans (though on the men's side it has evened out in recent years) to watch how badly our teams win in basketball. And hey, I can add even more excitement—should I take the over or under on the 33.5 points the U.S. women are laying (via Bovada) in this matchup?

I'm going with the over. Honestly, I think you lay the points on this one without a second thought. God bless America.

Australia vs. China

Australia has won the silver medal in three consecutive Olympics, losing to the United States in the gold-medal games. Plus, they have the best player in the tournament, three-time WNBA MVP Lauren Jackson, a dominant forward/center who always gives Australia a chance. 

China probably isn't going to be able to hang with Australia, but you won't be watching this to see a close game, you'll be watching to scout Jackson and the rest of this Aussie squad. 

Then again, Australia is beatable after losing a group-stage game to France. A China upset would knock out the United States' biggest traditional rival and take the most dangerous player out of this tournament. Plus, China's Chen Nan is the tournament's leading scorer at 17.6 points per game, so they won't go down without a fight.

We may be rooting against China in the medal count, but surely we wouldn't mind if they took the liberty of knocking Australia out of this tournament.

Russia vs. Turkey

The matchup between the second-place finisher in Group A (Turkey) and the third-place finisher in Group B (Russia) promises to be a tight affair. Bovada only has the Russians laying three points, so bettors beware—this one promises to be tight.

You shouldn't watch this game for star power. Russia doesn't have a single player averaging double-digit points, while only Quanitra Hollingsworth for Turkey averages in the double digits (10.6 points per game).

So no, this one won't be sexy and you probably won't recognize many of the names on either team. But with the United States, Australia and France all likely to roll in the quarterfinals, this is the one game that could feasibly provide some late-game drama.

The full television schedule for the quarterfinals can be found below: 

Television Schedule

Date	Time	Teams	Channel
August 6	9:00 a.m. ET	United States vs. Canada	NBC Basketball Channel and NBC Sports Network
August 6	11:15 a.m. ET	Australia vs. China	NBC Basketball Channel
August 6	3:00 p.m. ET	Turkey vs. Russia	NBC Basketball Channel and NBC Sports Network
August 6	5:15 p.m. ET	France vs. Czech Republic	NBC Basketball Channel and NBC Sports Network

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