RIO DE JANEIRO (2016 Rio Olympics) - The week of the Olympic Test Event is finally upon us. The host city is buzzing about basketball.

Brazilians are excited about finally having an opportunity to venture into the Arena Carioca 1, where the Olympic tournaments will be staged.

There is a lot of excitement about the home nation's teams, although without a doubt there is more cause to be optimistic in the Australian camp than Brazil's heading into this week's games. The upbeat attitude for the Opals? It emanates from a long streak of excellence, one that currently has the team holding the No. 2 spot in the FIBA World Ranking Women. 

Brazil, meanwhile, are No. 7. They have struggled to achieve good results in the major tournaments for a decade. Yes, they won back-to-back FIBA Americas Women's Championships in 2009 and 2011, yet they did not make it to the Quarter-Finals at the last two Olympics, nor at the last couple of FIBA Women's World Championships.

Australia are on a roll. In 2012, they defeated Brazil, 67-61, in the Preliminary Round of the London Games before capturing a bronze medal. In 2014, Australia capped their terrific FIBA Women's World Championship campaign by beating hosts Turkey in the Third-Place Game and reaching the podium.

The Opals then qualified for Rio last year and did so in convincing fashion. Playing their usual relentless, stifling defense, Australia defeated the New Zealand Tall Ferns in the FIBA Oceania Women's Championship.

Brazil have question marks above them. They not only finished fourth at the 2015 FIBA Americas Women's Championship, but only recently had a change at the helm. Head coach Luis Augusto Zanon stepped down for health reasons and veteran Antonio Carlos Barbosa, who had two previous stints holding the reins, reclaimed them.

If Australia play caller Brendan Joyce has travelled to Rio for the Olympic Test Event to experiment and cast an eye over two or three players that are fighting for spots on the roster, Brazil are searching for an identity.

Argentina and Venezuela are also at the test event. Each will be aiming to claim a berth in the Summer Games via the 12-team FIBA Women's Olympic Tournament (WOQT), which is to be staged 13-19 June in either France or Spain. Five places in the women's Olympic basketball competition will be claimed at the WOQT.

The national teams are not waiting for the test event to get underway to start playing games. Brazil beat Argentina in a warm-up game earlier this week, 81-39, a friendly that was held at the Escola de Educacao Fisica do Exercito in Rio.

Australia and Brazil then squared off on Wednesday in a practice game and the hosts prevailed, 61-53. Neither those results, nor the ones in the test event, will figure in the standings of the Olympics.

But they do have value and especially for Brazil. Each player is not only looking to improve her self-belief, but to bond with her teammates.

I think winning against Australia is always a very good thing. It was a workout, but one in which everyone was seriously engaged. It was one that I did not want to lose. Brazilian basketball needs to regain self-esteem and confidence. - Antonio Carlos Barbosa

For Joyce, there is plenty of value in taking part in the test event. He is keen to have games, but also get a feel for Rio.

There's no doubt when you get to play in a venue (beforehand), you don't get as overawed. - Joyce

"We've got a good feel as coaching staff now for what we need, but this is an opportunity for this group to go away and put their hand up and say 'hey, I'm pretty good, I can play international basketball,'" he said. "I can tell you that we'll be doing different things. I'll be experimenting. That's what you play these games for, to test people out. Test our players out, test your team out, test yourself out."

Every practice and warm-up game is pivotal for Argentina ahead of the WOQT. Last summer, they enjoyed the high of reaching the podium at the FIBA Americas Women's Championship in Edmonton by beating Brazil in the Third-Place Game.

The same can be said for Venezuela as they look ahead to the WOQT. Oscar Silva's team stayed in the hunt for a spot in the Olympics when they upset Puerto Rico in the battle for fifth place in Canada last August.

Women's Olympic Test Event schedule
Friday:  Argentina v Australia; Venezuela v Brazil
Saturday: Venezuela v Australia; Brazil v Argentina
Sunday: Argentina v Venezuela; Australia v Brazil

FIBA