Olympic Basketball 2012: Breaking Down Team USA's Likely Remaining Matchups

The 2012 version of the Dream Team may be a huge favorite to take home gold in London, but things are only going to get tougher from here on out. 

Group play is over, and unfortunately for the Americans, Nigeria didn't quite make the knockout round. That means no more 83-point wins. Well, probably. 

Let's take a look at what countries the United States will likely have to face instead. 

Quarters: Australia

Australia was one of my favorite sleepers coming in, and I was ready to pencil them into the semifinals, but they don't match up well with the Americans. 

That's because the Aussies' strengths are in the backcourt. 

San Antonio's Patty Mills is second in the Olympics in scoring, dropping 20.2 points per game, while Matthew Dellavedova of Saint Mary's, who is averaging 8.2 points and 4.6 assists per contest, has the perfect type of game to "Bobby Hurley" the Americans. 

Highlighted by those two, the Aussies are quick, they can shoot from deep and they can score in a hurry. Unfortunately for them, the Americans have players with the size and athleticism to give opposing guards fits. 

Again, I love Australia as a sleeper, but it just got a bad draw, clearly. 

Semis: Argentina

The Argentinians have a tough quarterfinal matchup with pesky Brazil, but Manu Ginobili and company should squeak by, setting up a Group A rematch.

Coincidentally enough, this battle would take place just four days after the Americans took out Argentina by a score of 127-96. 

However, it's important to remember that matchup was just a one-point game at halftime and, with it being the last game of group play, it wasn't a must-win for either team. This time around, things would be very different.

Argentina has all the pieces for an upset. Veteran point guard Pablo Prigioni can handle USA's pressure and Carlos Delfino—on a good night—can shoot the lights out. Manu Ginobili is one of the best players in the NBA and has had a terrific all-around Olympic showing thus far, and Luis Scola can hurt the Americans on the inside where they are weakest. 

Still, the depth of Argentina is certainly a problem because, well, it doesn't have any. Slowing the game down and stopping the USA fast break will be important.

If Argentina does that, this will come down to the wire. If not, it will be a blowout. 

Finals: Spain

Spain hasn't quite looked like the clear second-best team in the world, and with France, Russia (who beat Spain in group play) and Lithuania all on its side of the bracket, making it to the finals will be no easy task. 

Nonetheless, it's hard to bet against a team that was clearly coasting a little too much during the group stage. 

Spain's obvious advantage against the Americans is on the inside, where the trio of Marc Gasol, Pau Gasol and Serge Ibaka make this team incredibly dangerous. Throw in a pure point guard like Jose Calderon and Rudy Fernandez, who is built for the international game, and Spain is not a team to be taken lightly. 

The Americans did beat the Spaniards by a score of 100-78 during a friendly right before the start of the Olympics, but that was without Marc Gasol and without a gold medal on the line. 

The matchups are right for Spain, and if these countries should meet, it would be surprising to see the margin of victory get to double digits.

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