Olympic Basketball 2016: USA Roster, Jerseys, Schedule, Odds and Predictions

You never know what will happen with teams competing for a gold medal, but few teams at the 2016 Summer Olympics are expected to dominate as much as the United States men's basketball team.

Even without many of the stars who helped Team USA win gold medals at the last two Olympics, the 2016 squad features a loaded group of players with the versatility to play with anyone in the tournament.

Spain, France and host Brazil all have a chance to provide some challenges over the course of the next couple of weeks, but anything less than a gold medal would be a massive disappointment for the Americans.

Here is what you need to know to stay informed throughout the tournament.

Roster

No.	Player	Pos.	NBA Team
15	Carmelo Anthony	F	New York Knicks
8	Harrison Barnes	F	Dallas Mavericks
4	Jimmy Butler	G	Chicago Bulls
12	DeMarcus Cousins	C	Sacramento Kings
9	DeMar DeRozan	G	Toronto Raptors
5	Kevin Durant	F	Golden State Warriors
13	Paul George	F	Indiana Pacers
14	Draymond Green	F	Golden State Warriors
10	Kyrie Irving	G	Cleveland Cavaliers
6	DeAndre Jordan	C	Los Angeles Clippers
7	Kyle Lowry	G	Toronto Raptors
11	Klay Thompson	G	Golden State Warriors

Odds

Team	Odds
USA	1-16
Spain	10-1
France	14-1
Brazil	28-1
Lithuania	28-1
Argentina	28-1
Serbia	22-1
Croatia	50-1
Australia	150-1
China	500-1
Venezuela	500-1
Nigeria	500-1

Jerseys

Chris Chavez of Sports Illustrated shared a look at Team USA's jerseys:

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Time (ET)
Aug. 6	China	6 p.m.
Aug. 8	Venezuela	6 p.m.
Aug. 10	Australia	6 p.m.
Aug. 12	Serbia	6 p.m.
Aug. 14	France	1:15 p.m.
Aug. 17	Quarterfinals*	TBD
Aug. 19	Semifinals*	TBD
Aug. 21	Medal Game*	10:30 a.m./2:45 p.m.

Preview

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Team USA has plenty of offensive firepower available in Rio de Janeiro. Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant are two of the best individual scorers in the world, always capable of creating looks for themselves when a basket is needed.

With elite point guards Kyrie Irving and Kyle Lowry taking turns leading the offense, there is no doubt this unit will be able to score at will.

However, the big difference this summer is the defense, which looks as dominant as ever. Irving explained the mindset of the team on that end of the court, per Kurt Helin of NBC Sports:

"

Basketball is fun when you’re getting stops. The other team’s not scoring. You’re getting out, just playing a free motion basketball. For me, I’m looking forward to it, because I know I’m out pressuring the ball and I know I’ve got Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, Paul George, DeMarcus Cousins and Jimmy Butler — I have all these guys behind me on defense. That’s just an exciting game to watch and play.

"

Thompson and Butler are two of the best on-ball perimeter defenders in the NBA, which should carry over into elite play during the Olympics. However, Irving left out (intentionally or not) two of the best post defenders in the world: Draymond Green and DeAndre Jordan.

These players have different styles on the court, as the 6'11" Jordan is a rim-protector who anchors the defense, while the 6'7" Green has the versatility to defend multiple positions despite being undersized. No matter where they play, Jordan and Green will make it almost impossible for opponents to get buckets inside.

As Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports noted, the size inside might be the team's biggest strength:

Outside of possibly Spain, no one in the world has centers who can match up against Jordan and DeMarcus Cousins down low.

Meanwhile, John Schuhmann of NBA.com noted the team has been even better defensively with Green at center:

With these types of options to either outmuscle opponents inside or spread them out, head coach Mike Krzyzewski can do whatever he wants over the next few weeks and be successful.

With the ability to keep opponents off the scoreboard while adding unstoppable offense from Paul George, Durant and others, no one can hang with Team USA for four quarters.

Brazil is primed for a successful run in the tournament as the host team. Although Leandro Barbosa and Nene aren't as good as they were a few years ago, they can still cause problems on both ends of the court.

Meanwhile, Spain might be the second-most-talented team in the field, with Pau Gasol, Ricky Rubio, Nikola Mirotic and others creating a balanced roster. The Spaniards should at least be able to leave with a medal if they play to their ability.

Still, this is the Americans' tournament to lose, and no team should be able to stay within single digits in any game.

Place	Team
Gold	USA
Silver	Brazil
Bronze	Spain
Fourth	Lithuania

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for year-round sports analysis.