The only thing that surprised the U.S. AmeriCup team in its tournament-opening matchup was the outcome.
By AP News
Sep 04, 2022
Saturday was a regrouping day for the Americans, who opened AmeriCup – the championship of the FIBA Americas region – with a 73-67 loss to México in Group C a day earlier. Play in that group resumes Sunday, with the U.S. (0-1) facing Venezuela (1-0) and Panamá (0-1) meeting México (1-0).
Venezuela and México could clinch quarterfinal berths with wins. There are only three games per nation in group play, with the 12 teams competing in AmeriCup divided into four-team groups. The top two teams in each group, along with the two best third-place teams, go to the knockout round.
“I think it’s what we kind of expected,” U.S. coach Alex Jensen said. “It’s a different game. It’s physical. … I think one thing we’re looking forward to is getting better. As a group, we haven’t had a lot of time together, but this will give us plenty of opportunities for that.”
Turnovers doomed the U.S. in the México game; the Americans – with a roster of players who primarily will be on G League or international teams this coming season – gave the ball away 18 times. But a win on Sunday would put the Americans right back into the mix for a quarterfinal berth.
“It’s a great learning experience,” U.S. guard Jeremy Pargo said. “The goal is to get better each and every game. We slipped up (Friday), but we’ve got to get better. It’s the first experience for a lot of us.”
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Read More: AP News – After loss, US looks to rebound Sunday in next AmeriCup game
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