Just two days of pool play remain in both the men's and women's 3x3 basketball competition, and with each team playing two games across four total sessions, Friday will go a long way to determining which teams advance to the semifinals and play-in games this weekend and which teams go home. Both the U.S. men and women have plenty of ground to make up to avoid elimination after a rough start to their respective tournaments — though the women finally got in the win column — while several titanic clashes are on tap. Here's everything to watch for from Place de la Concorde.
What to watch for in Olympic 3x3 basketball: August 2
U.S. women need to make up ground
It took four tries, but the U.S. women finally picked up their first win of the Paris Games on Thursday night, knocking off a tough Spain side in a defensive battle. Even at 1-3, everything is still in front of the defending gold medalists: Only the bottom two teams are sent home at the end of pool play, and a win over fellow 1-3 squad France in Team USA's first game on Friday would go a long way to ensuring that it makes the play-in round.
Wounded U.S. men still seek first win
Everything that could go wrong, has gone wrong for the men's squad in Paris, from losing star guard Jimmer Fredette to a groin injury — Fredette missed both games on Thursday, and his status for the rest of pool play remains unclear — to several heartbreaking losses in which the Americans had every opportunity to emerge victorious. The latest loss was the cruelest, holding a 19-15 lead on defending gold medalist Latvia only to allow six unanswered points. Escaping the bottom two will be tough, but this team has played better and harder than its record suggests, and seventh-place China is one of the opponents on tap for Friday.
Which women's sides will make it to semis?
The women's draw could not be more wide-open right now: Germany, Canada and Australia all sit at 3-1, and none of them play each other on Friday. Which two teams will avoid pool play and get an automatic pass to the semifinal round?
Serbia-Latvia showdown
The headliner on the men's side, on the other hand, is obvious: Defending gold medalist and 4-0 Latvia against current world No. 1 and 3-1 Serbia, with the winner almost assuredly claiming the top spot in pool play while the loser runs the risk of not moving automatically to the semis. These are the two best 3x3 teams around right now, and watching them finally square off will be a treat. Tip off is set for around 3 p.m. ET.