Excitement is building as the men’s and women’s basketball competitions at the 2024 Olympics are well underway. With teams playing their second games, those with 2-0 records are already securing spots in the quarterfinals. Fans of teams with one win are eagerly watching to see if their country still has a chance to compete for a medal.
If you’re looking for more information on Olympic basketball tournament tiebreakers, The Sporting News has all the details you need.
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Understanding Olympic basketball tiebreak rules
In both the men’s and women’s tournaments, teams were divided into three groups of four. Eight out of the 12 teams will advance to the single-elimination Knockout Stage – the top two teams from each group and two wild cards determined by tiebreakers.
First Olympic basketball tiebreaker
The first tiebreaker is head-to-head results. If two tied teams played each other in the Group Stage, the winner moves on to the Knockout Stage.
Second Olympic basketball tiebreaker
If tied teams didn’t face off in the Group Stage or there are multiple teams tied for wild card spots, point differential becomes the secondary tiebreaker.
Point differential often plays a crucial role, motivating teams to play hard until the very end, unlike in the NBA where teams may rest their star players in blowout games.
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Deciphering Olympic basketball Knockout Stage seeding
After breaking ties and narrowing down to eight teams, the Knockout Stage bracket is set. Each team receives a seed from 1 to 8 based on tiebreakers. The bracket typically follows this format:
- No. 1 vs. No. 8
- No. 4 vs. No. 5
- No. 3 vs. No. 6
- No. 2 vs. No. 7
Teams from the same group cannot face each other in the first round of the Knockout Stage. For instance, if the United States is No. 1 and South Sudan is No. 8, they cannot compete in the quarterfinals since they were both in Group C.
Once the bracket is set, it’s a standard single-elimination tournament without re-seeding. Winners of the semifinals move on to the gold medal game, while losing teams play for the bronze.