US men face France in July 29 Olympic hoops opener

By The Associated Press

(AP) -- The U.S. men's basketball team will open Olympic play against France on July 29 and close preliminary-round play against Argentina on Aug. 6.

FIBA, basketball's world governing body, announced game times and pairings Wednesday.

Three of the Americans' five games in pool play will start at 10:15 p.m. local time (5:15 p.m. EDT) and their two weekend games, including their opener, will tip off at 2:30 p.m. (9:30 a.m. EDT).

The defending Olympic champions also will face Tunisia in Group A play. Their remaining two pool opponents will be determined after a qualifying tournament in Venezuela from July 2-8.

The top four teams in each group reach the Aug. 8 quarterfinals. The semifinals are Aug. 10 and the gold- and bronze-medal games Aug. 12.

USA Basketball also announced Wednesday that its men's and women's teams will play an exhibition doubleheader against Brazil on July 16 at the Verizon Center in Washington. Tickets go on sale May 30.

Updated May 23, 2012