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August 2016
16/08/2016
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Wednesday's Games: Quarter-Finals

RIO DE JANEIRO (Rio 2016 Olympic Games) - Here are the four Quarter-Finals to look forward to on Wednesday at the Olympic Basketball Tournament in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Click here to watch the games.

Australia v Lithuania

Australia have enjoyed an excellent Rio de Janeiro Games campaign with four wins in five games but they will have to beat a team that has caused it problems at the Olympics before when it goes up against Lithuania in Wednesday's first Quarter-Final. The Baltic side beat the Boomers in the Bronze Medal Games at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics. The second of those setbacks was the most painful because that contest was played in Sydney. Lithuania won their first three games in Rio but have since lost to Spain and Croatia.

Spain v France

European rivals Spain and France meet in the Quarter-Finals of the Olympics for the second time in a row, with the former having edged their encounter in 2012, 66-59. The two sides know each other well and played some unforgettable games. Since London, France beat Spain in the EuroBasket 2013 Semi-Finals before capturing the title. The following year in Madrid, the French shocked Spain in the Quarter-Finals of the FIBA Basketball World Cup and last year, Spain defeated France in the EuroBasket Semi-Finals that were staged in Lille before reaching the top of the podium.

USA v Argentina

Argentina and the United States have had many intriguing encounters over the years, including at the Olympics. The USA will be favorites as they go after a third consecutive Olympic gold medal but the South Americans are sure to have the home-court advantage as they have had for most of their games in Rio since their country neighbors borders Brazil. 

Croatia v Serbia

The teams renew the Balkan rivalry and play against each other at the Olympics for the first time. Not since 2010 have the teams met in a major tournament. Serbia won that encounter at the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Istanbul, 73-72. Both teams had to win FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments (OQTs) to make it this far and Croatia may be more battle tested because they had to travel to Turin to play theirs and beat Greece and Italy. Serbia had the luxury of hosting an OQT in Belgrade and they have also had an easier pool in Rio to advance from. Their only victories have come against Venezuela and China, although Serbia did play Australia, France and the USA tough.

FIBA