After the men 

We're nearly there: It's almost time for quarterfinal day in the Olympic men's basketball tournament, with four dynamite matchups on tap from Accor Arena in Paris. Some of the biggest names in the world are taking the court, names like Giannis, Wembanyama, Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander, while Team USA hopes to move one step closer to a historic fifth straight gold medal. The waiting is almost over; here's everything to look forward to on a jam-packed Tuesday.

Can Nigeria topple Team USA?

One of these teams has won seven straight gold medals and 58 straight games in Olympic play. The other is about to make its continent's first appearance knockout appearance by any team, men's or women's, in Olympic history. The narratives write themselves as the U.S. gets set to take on underdog Nigeria, but how will the game play out? Nigeria will look to follow the playbook that got it here, forcing bundles of turnovers, turning things into a track meet and refusing to back down from anyone — even, perhaps especially, the big, bad U.S. 

Team USA is the far deeper and more talented team, but this is exactly the sort of game that can jump up and bite them if they aren't locked in from the opening tip. The U.S. offense showed a tendency to bog down a bit at times in group play, getting sloppy with the ball and trying to force things rather than staying patient. That's death against this Nigeria team, and it will take a full effort from everyone — not just A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart — to move on comfortably to the semifinals. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET.

Satou Sabally vs. Gabby Williams

This is about as box-office an individual matchup as you're going to find in a game that doesn't feature the U.S. A two-time WNBA All-Star, Satou Sabally has been a one-woman wrecking crew for Germany, second in the tournament in scoring at 21.7 points per game while getting to the foul line more than just about anyone. Gabby Williams, meanwhile, is France's Swiss army knife, averaging 13.7 points, six assists, four rebounds and an Olympics-high four steals per game. You could make the argument that these are the two best non-U.S. players remaining in the tournament, and they're likely to be matched up against each other for a good portion of this game. Can Williams, one of the best defenders on planet Earth, turn off Sabally's water? Can a German team that leads the tournament in three-point shooting stay hot against an elite defense? This is one you won't want to miss, a quarterfinal that could just as easily be happening in the medal round. Tipoff is set for noon ET.

Is Belgium a potential dark horse?

If Sabally and Williams aren't the best non-U.S. player in Paris, then Emma Meesseman definitely is. The Belgian forward enters the knockout stage as the leading scorer in the tournament, even putting it on the U.S. in a competitive loss in group play. With guard Julie Vanloo feeling it from deep, the reigning EuroBasket champions are far more dangerous than their third-place finish in Group C would suggest; this team has firepower for days, and it would not surprise at all to see it make a run to the gold-medal game. The first step on that journey is Spain, a team that overachieved a bit in group play thanks to some bonkers luck in close games. Former Iowa star Megan Gustafson is a force on the block, but the Spanish are on full upset alert here. Tipoff is set for 8:30 a.m. ET.