BASKETBALL Preview: U.S. women favored for third straight World Cup title

One of the most dominant teams in international sports is the United States women’s national team in basketball, which is assembled to try for its 10th title in the FIBA World Cup, the new name for what used to be called the women’s “World Championship.”

Since the competition began back in 1953, the U.S. women have won nine times, including the first two editions in ‘53 and ‘57, then again in 1979-86-90-98-2002-10-14. Since a semifinal loss to Russia in the 2006 tournament, the U.S. has won 16 straight games in “World Cup” competition.

This year’s event will be played in the Canary Islands of Spain, in the 5,100-seat Tenerife Sports Pavilion Santiago Martin in San Cristobal de La Laguna and the 3,600-seat Palacio Municipal de Deportes in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. There are 16 teams in four groups (with current world rankings):

Group A: Korea (16), Greece (20), Canada (5), France (3)
Group B: Australia (4), Turkey (7), Argentina (15), Nigeria (34)
Group C: Japan (13), Puerto Rico (22), Belgium (28), Spain (2)
Group D: Latvia (26), United States (1), Senegal (17), China (10)

The group phase will be played from 22-25 September. The U.S. will play Senegal on Saturday (22nd), China on Sunday (23rd) and Latvia on Tuesday (25th).

The top three teams in each group will qualify for the playoffs. The group winners will advance directly into the quarterfinals, with the second- and third-place teams playing among themselves to get into the quarters. The play-in games will be held on the 26th, quarters on the 28th, semis in the 29th and the finals in 30 September.

The main question is whether anyone can beat the U.S. In the most recent major international tournament – the 2016 Rio Games – the U.S. won its eight games by an average score of 102-65 and swamped Spain in the final, 101-72.

The U.S. squad for 2018 looks just as formidable, with nine members of the 2018 WNBA All-Star Games on the team:

∙ G Sue Bird (Seattle)
∙ C Tina Charles (New York)
∙ F Elena Delle Donne (Washington)
∙ C Brittney Griner (Phoenix)
∙ G Jewell Loyd (Seattle)
∙ F Nneka Ogwumike (Los Angeles)
∙ F Breanna Stewart (Seattle)
∙ G Diana Taurasi (Phoenix)
∙ F A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas)

Six players – Bird, Charles, Delle Donne, Griner, Stewart and Taurasi – return from the Rio team. USA Basketball noted the pedigree of the U.S. roster:

∙ Olympic gold medalists include Bird (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016), Charles (2012, 2016), Delle Donne (2016), Griner (2016), Stewart (2016) and Taurasi (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016).

∙ World Cup gold winners include Bird (2002, 2010, 2014), Charles (2010, 2014), Griner (2014), Ogwumike (2014), Stewart (2014) and Taurasi 2010, 2014). Bird and Taurasi also took home bronze from the 2006 World Cup.

The American squad will be coached by Dawn Staley of South Carolina, herself a three-time Olympic gold medalist in 1996-2000-04. She has some personal history with the World Cup as well, winning a bronze medal as a player in 1994 and was an assistant coach on the 2006 bronze-medal winners in Brazil. She very successfully coached the U.S. women to the FIBA U-18 Americas Championship in 2014 and to the U-19 World Championship in 2015 in Russia.

Amazingly, Staley played with two members of the 2018 team on the gold-medal winners in Athens in 2004: Bird and Taurasi!

Only four nations have ever won this tournament: the U.S. has nine golds, followed by the Soviet Union (6) and Brazil (1: 1994) and Australia (1: 2006). The U.S. has won six of the last eight.

The schedule of matches and scores are here.