Category Archives: Basketball

Rio 2016 Daily Update – August 10th

Only two golds on Wednesday in the Olympics as the US started the day with an early morning gold in the women’s road time trial thanks to 37-year-old Kristin Armstrong and won a gold to end the day in the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay thanks to 19-year-old Katie Ledecky. While the US won two other medals in swimming they also added their second silvers in both diving and fencing.

SFC Glenn Eller 14th in Rio Games double trap

flickr photo shared by familymwr under a Creative Commons ( BY ) license

Continue reading Rio 2016 Daily Update – August 10th

Rio 2016 Daily Update – August 9th

The US nearly matched their five gold medals from the first three days of the Olympics on Tuesday as some of the biggest names on the team – Gabby DouglasSimone BilesKatie LedeckyMichael Phelps, and Ryan Lochte all added a gold medal to their resumes. There was the first silver medalist in men’s just since 1992 and the oldest member of the US team won a bronze medal in equestrian at the young age of 52.

Capt. Locke helps USA women's rugby sevens to fifth place in Rio Games
Continue reading Rio 2016 Daily Update – August 9th

Rio 2016 Daily Update – August 8th

Sunday was another strong day for the US with US coming close to gold in both fencing and shotgun before picking up medals. Cycling teased the country with a US rider not even a quarter kilometer from gold, and then swimming brought the house down in the evening with four pairs of swimmers reaching tomorrow night’s finals and, two gold medals, and three other medal. The weather was not great in Rio affecting several events and cancelling the rowing entirely for the day. Catch up on it all and preview Monday in our daily update.

Rio 2016 Olympic Games - Day 3
Continue reading Rio 2016 Daily Update – August 8th

Rio 2016 Daily Update – August 7th

Sunday was another strong day for the US with US coming close to gold in both fencing and shotgun before picking up medals. Cycling teased the country with a US rider not even a quarter kilometer from gold, and then swimming brought the house down in the evening with four pairs of swimmers reaching tomorrow night’s finals and, two gold medals, and three other medal. The weather was not great in Rio affecting several events and cancelling the rowing entirely for the day. Catch up on it all and preview Monday in our daily update.

Olympic Megastore had to close due to wind (it's basically a big tent) Rio 2016
Continue reading Rio 2016 Daily Update – August 7th

Rio 2016 Daily Update – August 6th

In a busy day on Saturday US athletes got their Olympics underway in a large range of sports. Medals were up for grabs in a few one-day events and the US didn’t wait long to win their first gold. The first medal of the Olympics for the US was gold and it belonged to Ginny Thrasher, a 19-year-old West Virginia sophomore who had won NCAA championships this spring and ended an incredible six month by winning Olympic gold in the women’s 10m air rifle on the first day of the Olympics. The US would have more chances at gold later in the day but would only take home silver in three swimming events as well as men’s team archery. Continue reading Rio 2016 Daily Update – August 6th

Rio 2016 Daily Update – August 5th

Friday was the end of the three day lead-in to the Olympics where a couple of sports get underway but not very much is happening. From beginning to end the US action on Friday lasted only about six hours with a good break in there was well. On Saturday the action will be nearly nonstop from 7:30 AM to 8 PM with a bonus beach volleyball night cap three hours later.

August 5th Recap:

Archery

On the last day before the Olympics really swing into action there was just one event going on in Rio. The archery competitors all participated in a 72-arrow ranking round to set the seedings for the individual and team events to be held over the next week. The men went first and Brady Ellison was in top form posting a 690 that was second only to a world record 700 from Kim Woo-Jin of Korea. Finishing 15th with a 674 was Zach Garrett while Jake Kaminski ended up 31st with a 660.

Now if you focus on those seeds.. #2, #15, #31… you may quickly realize that they are closely bunched on the bracket. Indeed if Ellison and Kaminski both win their first matches they will face off in the second round. And the winner of that would face Garrett if he wins his first two matches. Unfortunately the US has three of the eight in one eighth of the bracket and thus only one will be able to reach the quarterfinals and try to medal. As far as matchups go it’s Kaminski vs. Marcus D’Almeida on Tuesday at 3:18 PM, Ellison vs. Ali Elghrari on Tuesday at 3:31 PM, and Garrett vs. Haziq Kamaruddin on Wednesday at 3:18 PM. I believe the round of 32 matches for all of them would be later on those days.

In the meantime the three will team up to try and secure a medal in the team event on Saturday. The US is seeded second after posting a score of 2024 and has a bye to the quarterfinals where they will face Chinese Taipei or Indonesia at 2:15 PM. The entire team competition is tomorrow so they will keep competing as the day progress if they advance.

On the women’s side the only one competing is Mackenzie Brown who was up and down at times in her ranking round but finished 19th with a 641 score. She’ll face Claudia Mandia in the first knockout round on Monday at 8:26 AM.

Team USA's Brady Ellison in action

August 6th Preview:

All times ET!! All events should be available online via NBC’s Olympic website and apps (assuming a cable package that gives you access). What is live in ET/CT is often tape delayed in MT/PT. Yell at NBC for their ridiculous decision to tape delay an Olympics happening one hour east of ET, it’s insane.

Archery

As mentioned previously, Brady EllisonJake Kaminski, and Zach Garrett will begin the men’s team event at 2:15 PM against Indonesia or Chinese Taipei. Semifinals and a bronze or gold medal final will follow if the US advances. The archery matches should be live as part of MSNBC’s coverage from 2:15-5 PM.

Basketball

The first of many beatdowns of the Olympics is expected on Saturday when the US men face China at 6 PM. This matchup doesn’t feature much intrigue as these two sides met twice in warmups for the Olympics with the US winning by 50 and 49 points. The game will be shown live on NBCSN.

Beach Volleyball

It won’t be until 3:30 PM before beach volleyball gets underway for any Americans when Jake Gibb and Casey Patterson take on Jefferson Pereira and Cherif Younousse to open up their pool play. The sport will keep us up late on several occasions though and Saturday is one of them as April Ross and Kerri Walsh Jennings won’t hit the sand until 11 PM when they face Mariafe Artacho and Nicole Laird. The Gibb/Patterson match will air live on NBC as will Ross/Walsh Jennings later in the evening.

Boxing

Two Americans will enter the ring for round of 32 matches on Saturday. Carlos Balderas starts the lightweight division with a match against Berik Abdrakhmanov at 11:15 AM while Nico Hernandez has a late afternoon 4:30 PM matchup with Manuel Cappai in the light flyweight division. You might be able to catch the Balderas fight live on Telemundo while NBCSN will have them tape delayed as part of their coverage from 9 PM-12 AM.

Cycling

Cycling will begin on Saurday with the men’s road race, only 150.1 miles. Brent Bookwalter and Taylor Phinney will be racing for the US and the race will include Tour de France winner Chris Froome of Great Britain. It begins at 8:30 AM. The road race will be covered live by NBC during their coverage from 8-10:30 AM and by NBCSN in their coverage between 10:30 AM and 3 PM.

Equestrian

The start of the eventing competition will take two days to get through all of the dressage programs but two Americans are in the ring tomorrow. Boyd Martin is the first American out at 10:36 AM while Clark Montgomery goes at 3:14 PM. You’ll be able to catch the equestrian coverage on USA between 3 and 4 PM. One would think they might get Montgomery’s on live, but that’s not certain.

Fencing

The first gold of Rio in fencing will be handed out on Saturday in the women’s individual epee event and two American sisters are in contention. Courtney Hurley will start in the round of 32 at 9:45 AM against Yana Shemyakina while Kelley Hurley faces Nathalie Moellhausen at 10:15 AM in the same round. The other American is Katharine Holmes and she takes on Erika Kirpu at 9:45 AM as well. The round of 16 and quarterfinals proceed pretty quickly after the round of 32 before the semifinals and finals come later in the day. You won’t get much fencing coverage on TV tomorrow as the only scheduled coverage is the final on tape delay during CNBC’s coverage from 5-8 PM.

Field Hockey

Competing in the third straight Olympics for the first time the US hopes to build on a competitive showing in London as they open up with a must win matchup against Argentina at 4 PM. The US has defeated them in the Olympics four years ago as well as in the Pan American games so it’s a winnable matchup and with the top four in the group of six advancing a win in this one could be a difference maker in the quest for the quarterfinals where anything could happen. This one will be shown live on USA.

Gymnastics

While there isn’t really and drama about how the US team will do in qualifying for the men’s event (hint – they’ll make it) the real question on Saturday is how individuals do overall and in each event because Saturday’s qualifying round is what will determine who gets to compete for individual all-around titles as well as individual event titles. The US competes in the second group to take to the apparatus at 1:30 PM. Chris BrooksJake DaltonDanell LeyvaSam Mikulak, and Alex Naddour make up the team this year. Looking to watch it live? Your only chance will be online as NBC will delay their coverage until the evening telecast from 8 PM-12 AM.

Rowing

No medals at stake in rowing tomorrow as all we will see is the opening heats of several events. Gevvie Stone is in the second heat of the women’s single sculls which begins at 8:30 AM. In the men’s pair at 9:30 AM Nareg Guregian and Anders Weiss are in the first heat. Meghan O’Leary and Ellen Tomek will be in the second heat of the women’s double sculls at 10 AM while Anthony FahdenEdward KingTyler Nase, and Robin Prendes in the men’s lightweight four will have to wait to the third and final heat of the 11 AM event. Finally in the 11:50 AM women’s quadruple sculls Tracy EisserMegan KalmoeGrace Latz, and Adrienne Martelli will be in the second heat. Rowing will be covered in two places tomorrow, live on NBC between 8 and 10:30 AM and delayed on NBC between 3 and 4:15 PM.

Rugby Sevens

Rugby makes its return to the Olympics on Saturday with the beginning of the women’s event. The US will compete twice on Saturday, opening at 12 PM against Fiji and closing the day against Colombia at 5 PM. The Fiji match will be shown live on NBCSN while the Colombia match will be live on CNBC.

Shooting

The shooting events get underway with two events beginning and being decided on Saturday. Sarah Scherer and Virginia Thrasher will take part in the women’s 10m air rifle qualification round at 7:30 AM with hopes of advancing to the final at 9:30 AM. The other event being held is the men’s 10m air pistol with the qualification round at 12 PM featuring Will Brown and Jay Shi and that event’s final at 2:30 PM. The women’s rifle final will be live on NBCSN but there is no planned TV coverage of the men’s pistol event.

Soccer

Having already secured a win over New Zealand on Wednesday the US could more or less lock up the group by beating France on Saturday in their 4 PM game. The matchup of the #1 and #3 teams in the world according to the FIFA rankings could be a final four preview and was a great contest in 2012 when the US went down 2-0 early but rallied for a 4-2 win. NBCSN will be your destination for this game.

Swimming

Six events begin on Saturday with four of those ending later in the day and two more moving into evening semifinals. Things start off at 12:02 PM with Chase Kalisz and Jay Litherland in the fourth and final heat of the men’s 400m individual medley. Next up is Dana Vollmer in the fourth heat and Kelsi Worrell in the fifth heat of the women’s 100m butterfly at 12:28 PM. Starting at 12:48 PM Connor Jaeger takes part in the sixth heat with Conor Dwyer in the seventh heat of the men’s 400m freestlye. That’ll take a little while and it’s not until 1:32 PM that we’ll see Maya DiRado in the fourth heat and Elizabeth Beisel in the fifth heat of the the women’s 400m individual medley. The final individual event to start is the 2:04 PM men’s 100m breaststroke where Kevin Cordes and Cody Miller are together at the center of the fourth heat. The afternoon will wrap up with the US 4x100m freestyle relay team competing in the second heat of that 2:15 PM event.

In the evening we’ll see finals of men’s and women’s individual medley events as well as the men’s 400m freestyle and the women’s 4x100m freestyle. With no semifinals in those events swimmers will need a top eight time in the heats. In the other events it’ll be an evening semifinal so the heats in the afternoon only require a top 16 time to advance. The swimming events will all be live for ET and CT with afternoon heat coverage on NBC as well as the evening coverage.

Table Tennis

One of the more interesting potential storylines on Saturday will be that of 16-year-old Kanak Jha in the table tennis event. He starts the men’s singles competition with a matchup against Nima Alamian at 9:30 AM and would expect to have one more match later in the day if he wins. Jha is supposed to be a potential star but this is certainly not the Olympics where he will be in his prime. Lily Zhang opens her women’s singles competition by taking on Gremlis Arvelo at 10:15 AM while Jennifer Wu faces Eva Odorova at 11 AM. Much later in the day Yijun Feng is the last of the individuals to start as he faces Zhiwen He in the first round of the men’s singles event. NBCSN is planning to show the Zhang match on delay during their coverage from 1-4 PM while Jha’s and Wu’s matches will be on delay on MSNBC’s coverage from 2:15-5 PM. Any second round matches the US athletes would compete in would be shown on delay on NBCSN between 9 PM and 12 AM.

Tennis

It’s hard to talk about exact start times in tennis since matches do vary in length quite a bit and they don’t make any promises that you won’t be on an hour after the match before you started if it goes quickly, but we do know that Madison Keys will lead off the day with her singles match against Danka Kovinic. It’s a busy day for the US on the tennis court as in addition to Keys we’ll see Jack Sock take on Taro Daniel around 11:30 AM, Sloane Stephens take on Eugenie Bouchard in a tantalizing North American matchup around 2:30 PM, and three men’s matches around 1 PM: Brian Baker against Yuichi Sugita, Steve Johnson against Darian King, and Denis Kudla against Andrej Martin. Later in the day, not before 5:45 PM, Venus Williams will face Kirsten Flipkens. If it’s tennis you want it’s all live and on Bravo, though you’ll only get a single match at a time of course.

Volleyball

The US will start their quest to take home gold for the first time by battling potential 51st state Puerto Rico in their Olympic opener at 4:05 PM. Puerto Rico has never been to the Olympics so this will be a big moment for them. Telemundo will have coverage from the start while NBC will have most of it live but won’t have the very start.

Water Polo

Water polo will get underway with the US men taking on defending gold medalists Croatia at 9:20 AM. With four of the six teams in the group moving to the knockout round it’s certainly no must win for the US but it would be a great way to start their Olympics. The match will be live on NBC.

Weightlifting

The US only has four athletes competing in weightlifting in Rio and one of them will get it over with on the very first day. Morghan King will take part in the women’s 48kg competition at 6 PM. There is only one group of competitors in that weight class. Coverage of the event will be delayed on NBCSN between 8 and 9 PM.

Rio 2016 – Basketball Preview

Basketball at the Olympics began in 1936 (don’t worry even then we won the first seven) and the women’s game was added in 1976. This year’s competition will be held in the Carioca Arena in the Barra zone. The US qualified in the men’s and women’s events by winning the last world championships in 2014.

The Team:

The US teams are made up of twelve men and twelve women. The women’s team leans heavier on returning players with nine Olympic veterans including five three-time Olympians and three four-time Olympians. On the men’s side only two are returners though one is a four-time Olympian. Tamika Catchings is the oldest member at 37 while Breanna Stewart is the youngest at just 21.

Links are to twitter accounts for the athletes.

USA Basketball
Men:
Carmelo Anthony***
Harrison Barnes
Jimmy Butler
DeMarcus Cousins
DeMar DeRozan
Kevin Durant*
Paul George
Draymond Green
Kyrie Irving
DeAndre Jordan
Kyle Lowry
Klay Thompson

Women:
Seimone Augustus**
Sue Bird***
Tamika Catchings***
Tina Charles*
Elena Delle Donne
Sylvia Fowles**
Brittney Griner
Angel McCoughtry*
Maya Moore*
Breanna Stewart
Diana Taurasi***
Lindsay Whalen*
* – Was on team in 2012 – London
** – Was on team in 2012 and 2008 (Beijing)
*** – Was on team in 2012, 2008, and 2004 (Athens)

Format:

In the Olympics the basketball competitions take the form of a six-team group stage followed by an eight team tournament. The top four teams in each group will advance. Head-to-head results are the tiebreaker.

Carmelo_Anthony_USA_vs_GBR_in_Manchester

Schedule:

All Times ET
Saturday, August 6th
6 PM – Men’s Group Stage – USA vs. China

Sunday, August 7th
11 AM – Women’s Group Stage – USA vs. Senegal

Monday, August 8th
11 AM – Women’s Group Stage – USA vs. Spain
6 PM – Men’s Group Stage – USA vs. Venezuela

Wednesday, August 10th
2:30 PM – Women’s Group Stage – USA vs. Serbia
6 PM – Men’s Group Stage – USA vs. Australia

Friday, August 12th
2:30 PM – Women’s Group Stage – USA vs. Canada
6 PM – Men’s Group Stage – USA vs. Serbia

Sunday, August 14th
11:15 AM – Women’s Group Stage – USA vs. China
1:15 PM – Men’s Group Stage – USA vs. France

Tuesday, August 16th
10 AM/1:30/5:45/9:15 PM – Women’s Quarterfinals

Wednesday, August 17th
10 AM/1:30/5:45/9:15 PM – Men’s Quarterfinals

Thursday, August 18th
2/6 PM – Women’s Semifinals

Friday, August 19th
2:30/6 PM – Men’s Semifinals

Saturday, August 20th
10:30 AM – Women’s Bronze Medal Game
2:30 PM – Women’s Gold Medal Game

Sunday, August 21st
10:30 AM – Men’s Bronze Medal Game
2:45 PM – Men’s Gold Medal Game

Past Results:

The US gold streaks are two on the men’s side (and five of six) and five on the women’s side (and seven of eight). Any of the women who have been before won gold in those appearances totaling 17 golds among the nine veterans. On the men’s side the two who were there in London have golds with one holding two golds and a bronze from 2004. Overall the US has seven of the 10 women’s golds and 14 of the 18 men’s golds. The US has never failed to medal.

The Melting Pot: Lowell Bailey 3rd at Biathlon World Cup in Sprint Event, Jessica Jerome 8th at Ski Jumping World Cup

Biathlon World Cup – Kontiolahti, Finland

The Biathlon World Cup held some great results for the US on Saturday. Lowell Bailey was the main noisemaker as he was perfect in shooting in the men’s 10km sprint and finished with the bronze! He was only a second back of grabbing the silver. Tim Burke was also strong as he finished 19th, 1:10 back, while Leif Nordgren was 27th, 1:23 back. All three will now be in the men’s 12.5 km pursuit on Sunday with a real chance for another medal as they will all be starting near the front.

In the women’s 7.5km sprint Susan Dunklee was 21 spots better than on Thursday as she finished eighth, within 36 seconds of the winner and 24 seconds of the bronze. Hannah Dreissigacker was 41st with Sara Studebaker in 58th and Annelies Cook in 76th. Dunklee, Dreissigacker, and Studebaker will all be in the women’s 10km pursuit on Sunday with Dunklee in good position to challenge for a medal.

Schedule:

  • March 16th
    • 4:45 AM ET – Men’s 12.5km Pursuit
      • Lowell Bailey
      • Tim Burke
      • Leif Nordgren
    • 6:15 AM ET – Women’s 10km Pursuit
      • Hannah Dreissigacker
      • Susan Dunklee
      • Annelies Cook
      • Sara Studebaker

Nordic Combined World Cup – Falun, Sweden

The final team event of the season was supposed to be held at the Nordic Combined World Cup today but plans changed and instead of the team event the individual event was held today with the team event pushed until Sunday. It was no matter for Taylor Fletcher and Bryan Fletcher as they both knew they would be in action today either way. Taylor Fletcher had the better day of the two with a 24th best jump leaving him 54 seconds back and then a 12th best cross-country time that gave him an 11th place finish for the day, one minute behind the winner. Bryan Fletcher was 44th in the ski jumping and a 17th best cross-country time meant he finished 28th overall.

The team event tomorrow will feature both Taylor and Bryan along with Nick Hendrickson and Brett Denney representing the US.

Schedule:

  • March 16th
    • 7 AM ET – Team Ski Jumping Round
      • Taylor Fletcher
      • Brett Denney
      • Nick Hendrickson
      • Bryan Fletcher
    • 11:45 AM ET – Team 4x5km Cross-Country Round

Freestyle Skiing World Cup – Ski Cross – Are, Sweden

The first of two ski cross events to wrap up the year were held on Saturday. John Teller and Joe Swensson were competing for the US with both advancing from qualifying. Teller kept up the momentum by winning his 1/8 final while Swensson finished last in his heat and was eliminated. Teller won his quarterfinal as well but finished last in the semifinals to end up in the small final. A second place finish in the small final gave him a final finish of sixth place.

The two will try to improve on their Saturday results when the second event is held on Sunday to wrap up the season.

Schedule:

  • March 16th
    • 7 AM ET – Men’s Ski Cross Qualifying
      • John Teller
      • Joe Swensson
    • 9:20 AM ET – Men’s Ski Cross Round of 32
    • 9:52 AM ET – Men’s Ski Cross Quarterfinals
    • 10:12 AM ET – Men’s Ski Cross Semifinals
    • 10:29 AM ET – Men’s Ski Cross Final

2014 FIBA World Championship for Women Draw – Turkey

The draw was held today for this year’s FIBA World Championship for Women. The tournament will be held from September 27th through the 5th of October in Turkey. The US was drawn into Group D with Serbia, China, and Angola. The US is currently ranked #1 in the world with China 8th, Angola 20th and Serbia 29th. The US won the event in 2010 with only Australia coming within single digits of the US in nine games played. Serbia and Angola were not part of the event in 2010 with China going 0-3 in the group stage before two wins placed them 13th.

The US will start things off with China on September 27th with Serbia to follow the next day and Angola on the 30th. The top team in the group gets a bye into the quarterfinals while the next two teams will be in the first elimination round. The US is on the same side of the bracket with Australia and assuming both won their groups and quarterfinal games they would meet in the semifinals on October 4th.

Schedule:

  • September 27th – USA vs. China – Group D – TBD
  • September 28th – USA vs. Serbia – Group D – TBD
  • September 30th – USA vs. Angola – Group D – TBD

Women’s Ski Jumping World Cup – Falun, Sweden

Jessica Jerome is the only one representing the US this weekend at the Women’s Ski Jumping World Cup and she had a strong day on Saturday. Jerome had a 7th best first jump score of 100.8 and followed it up with a 12th best second jump score of 100.7 as she totaled 201.5 to finish eighth in the overall standings. She’ll compete again on Sunday in what will be the second to last event of the year.

Schedule:

  • March 16th
    • 5 AM ET – First Round/Final Round (Separate Event)
      • Jessica Jerome

Olympic Review – August 10th

Athletics

Things started with the men’s pole vault final on Friday. Brad Walker skipped the 5.50m height but then went 0-3 at the 5.65 meter height to finish in 13th with no mark in the final.

In the women’s 4x400m relay 1st round the US put up a time of 3:22.09 in the 2nd heat which was the best of the round. The US has now qualified for Saturday’s final. The team on Friday consisted of Keshia Baker, Francena McCorory, Diamond Dixon and DeeDee Trotter.

In the men’s 4x100m relay 1st round the US set a national record with a time of 37.38 and were the fastest in the round by .01 seconds over Jamaica.  Things will be different tomorrow when Usain Bolt steps into the team, but the US will have a stronger team as well. The 1st round team consisted of Jeffery Demps, Darvis Patton, Trell Kimmons and Justin Gatlin.

In the women’s 5000m final Molly huddle finished in 11th (15:20.29) while Julie Culley finished 14th (15:28.22).

Next in the women’s 4x100m relay the US team of Tianna Madison, Allyson Felix, Bianca Knight, and Carmelita Jeter smashed the world record enroute to a gold medal winning 40.82!!

In the women’s 1500m final Shannon Rowbury finished in 6th with a time of 4:11.26. Morgan Uceny had a heartbreaking night as she tripped with a lap to go and did not finish the race.

In the men’s 4x400m relay final the US had a season best time of 2:57.05 but the team of Bryshon Nellum, Joshua Mance, Tony McQuay and Angelo Taylor came in 2nd to a surprising Bahamas team.

Basketball

The US reached the final on Friday when they defeated Argentina 109-83. The US will now face Spain on Sunday for their second consecutive gold medal.

Canoeing

In the men’s K-1 200m competition Tim Hornsby advanced out of the heats with a 36.560, the fastest time among the three sixth-place kayaks. In the semifinals he finished last in his heat, just 1.5 seconds out of 4th. He will be in the B Final on Saturday.

Carrie Johnson was in the women’s K-1 200m on Friday and finished 6th in her heat as well to move into the semifinals. In the semifinals she also finished last, ending her Olympics.

Cycling

In the women’s BMX semifinals Brooke Crain used a 5th, 4th, and 5th place finish to propel her into 3rd overall in her heat and into the final while Alise Post crashed on the last run and missed out on 4th by three points, finishing 6th overall.  In the one-run final Crain finished last. Still this was a result she never could have imagined when the Olympics started.

In the men’x BMX semifinals Connor Fields got 4th on his 1st run but won the next two to move into the final.  David Herman started off well with a 3rd place finish but two 6th place finishes after that, including getting taken out on the last run, left him in 5th with 15 points, four behind fourth. In the men’s final Connor Fields crashed and finished 7th, 25 seconds after the leader.

Diving

In the preliminary round on Friday Nichols McCrory finished in 8th with 480.90 while David Boudia had to sweat it out and finished in 18th with 439.15. Both qualify for the semifinal on Saturday.

Field Hockey

The US women ended their Olympics with more disappointment as they couldn’t hold an early 1-0 lead and fell 2-1 to Belgium in the 11-12 Classification match. The US finished the Olympics in 12th.

Gymnastics

Julie Zetlin scored 24.250 with the ribbon and 24.225 with the clubs to score a 96.675 for the competition and finish in 22nd.

Sailing

Amanda Clark/Sarah Lihan finished last in the women’s 470 medal race, but still ended the Olympics in 9th place.

Swimming

Alex Meyer had a good swim in the men’s 10km open water swim and finished 10th in 1:50:48.2, less than a minute behind the winner.

Taekwondo

The US had disappointment early in taekwondo on Friday when Steven Lopez lost 3-2 to Ramin Azizov of Azerbaijan in the 80kg preliminary round. Azizov lost in the quarterfinals so Lopez did not get a chance at bronze. Paige McPherson started things off with a 5-1 win over Sarah Stevenson of Great Britain in the 67kg preliminary round. She then lost 6-1 to Nur Tartar of Turkey in the quarterfinals, but got a repechage chance when Tartar made the final. In the repechage McPherson beat Andrea St. Bernard of Grenada 15-2 and then defeated Franka Anic of Slovenia 8-3 to win a bronze medal!

Water Polo

In men’s water polo the US lost a tight match to Spain 8-7 in the 5-8 semifinals and will now face Australia on Sunday to determine the 7-8 classification.

Wrestling

Samuel Hazewinkel started Friday vs. Daulet Niyazbekov of Kazakhstan in the 55kg round of 16.  Hazewinkel suffered a tough 3-1, 2-0 loss and was eliminated when Niyazbekov failed to make the final.  In the 74kg round of 16 Jordan Burroughs beat Francisco Daniel Soler Tanco of Puerto Rico 4-0, 6-0 to move into the quarterfinals. The quarterfinals were a bit more challenging but Burroughs beat Matthew Gentry of Canada 2-1, 1-1 to move into the semifinals. In the semifinals Burroughs faced a real challenge in two-time world champion Denis Tsargush of Russia. The match went three rounds but Burroughs pulled it out 3-1, 0-2, 2-1 to reach the final.  In the final Burroughs claimed a gold with a tight 1-0, 1-0 victory over Sadegh Goudarzi of Iran.

Olympic Preview – August 10th

The day will get started at 3:30 AM when the women’s field hockey team faces Belgium in the 11-12 classification match. It ends with the men’s basketball team taking on Argentina in a 4 PM game that won’t end til after 5:30 PM, the time that Steven Lopez hopes to be going for a gold medal in taekwondo. Lopez could be looking at a long day since he starts at 4:15 AM.

As always follow me on twitter for the most current information and coverage.  If you have any questions feel free to shoot them my way and I will attempt to help you!

It appears almost everything is available LIVE online at nbcolympics.com.

All times mentioned from now on are ET.

Athletics

Friday’s athletics competition will start with the men’s pole vault final at 2 PM.  Brad Walker, who cleared 5.60m in the qualification round, is the only American in the final and his 5.90m season best puts him in 4th. His 6.04m personal best is the 2nd best in the competition. Walker is a definite medal candidate int he final.

At 2:21 PM the women’s 4x400m relay competition will begin and the 2nd heat of the 1st round features the US. The US has a season best of 3:21.18 and national record of 3:15.51. A top three finish will move them into the final on Saturday.

At 2:53 PM the men’s 4x100m relay will get underway with the US in the 2nd heat of the 1st round.  The US has a season best of 38.30 and a national record of 37.40.

Next at 3:05 PM the women’s 5000m final will be held. Molly Huddle (PB 14:44.76, SB of 15:02.26) and Julie Culley (PB and SB of 15:05.38) will be in the field for the US as they look to pull of a big upset and medal.  Huddle ran her season best 15:02.26, 8th in round 1, while Culley ran her season best 15:05.38 to qualify in 12th.

At 3:40 PM the women’s 4x100m relay final will take place. The US ran a season best 41.64 in the 1st round to finish in 1st. The national record is 41.47.

At 3:55 PM the women’s 1500m final will be held with Morgan Uceny (PB 4;00.06, SB 4:01.59) and Shannon Rowbury (PB 4:00.33, SB 4:05.11) representing the US. Uceny was 13th in the semifinals with a time of 4:05.34 while Rowbury finished 15th with a time of 4:05.47.

Finally at 4:20 PM the men’s 4x400m relay final will take place. The US was tied with the Bahamas with a time of 2:58.87 in the 1st round, a season best. The national record is a 2:54.29, also a world record.

The women’s 5000m final will be shown LIVE (ET/CT) on NBC from 3-3:30 PM. The rest of the events will be shown on NBC in primetime from 8 PM – 12 AM.

2 PM – Men’s Athletics – Pole Vault – Final
2:21 PM – Women’s Athletics – 4x400m Relay – Round 1 – Heat 2
2:53 PM – Men’s Athletics – 4x100m Relay – Round 1 – Heat 2
3:05 PM – Women’s Athletics – 5000m – Final
3:40 PM – Women’s Athletics – 4x100m Relay – Final
3:55 PM – Women’s Athletics – 1500m – Final
4:20 PM – Men’s Athletics – 4x400m Relay – Final

Basketball

The US is two wins from gold and will try to reach the final when they face Argentina in the semifinals at 4 PM. The US got here by beating Australia 119-86 while Argentina beat Brazil 82-77.  This was the matchup in the final group stage match with the US winning 126-97.

The basketball game will be on the NBC Sports Network LIVE from 3:30-6 PM.

4 PM – Men’s Basketball – Argentina – Semifinals

Canoeing

Tim Hornsby is the US competitor in the K-1 (Kayak, one man) 200m sprint event. He will take part in the heats at 4:37 AM in heat 2. If he finishes in the top five in his heat or with the best sixth place time he’ll make the semifinals at 6:16 AM. In the semifinals he’ll need to finish in the top four to make the A Final, otherwise it’ll be the B Final for him.

Carrie Johnson will also be going in the women’s K-1 200m. She’ll be in heat 1 at 5:19 AM with the top four moving into the semifinals at  6:51 AM.

Canoeing will be shown from 11-11:30 AM and 11:45 AM – 12:30 PM on NBC.

4:37 AM – Men’s Canoeing – Sprint – K-1 200m – Tim Hornsby – Heats – Heat 2
5:19 AM – Women’s Canoeing – Sprint – K-1 200m – Carrie Johnson – Heats – Heat 1
6:16 AM – Men’s Canoeing – Sprint – K-1 200m – Semifinals
6:51 AM – Women’s Canoeing – Sprint – K-1 200m – Semifinals

Cycling

The Cycling semifinals and finals are on Friday. In the semifinals the heats will have three runs with the top four combined scores from the runs (1 for 1st, 2 for 2nd, etc.) moving into the final. In the final it will be a single race to determine the medals. Brooke Craine and Alise Post are in the women’s semifinals, 1st heat, at 10 AM. Connor Fields is in the 1st men’s heat at 10:08 AM while David Herman will be in the 2nd men’s heat at 10:12 AM.  The women’s final will be held at 11:30 AM with the men’s final following at 11:40 AM.

The cycling will be shown in the primetime coverage on NBC from 8 PM – 12 AM.

10 AM – Women’s Cycling – BMX – Brooke Craine and Alise Post – Semifinals – Heat 1
10:08 AM – Men’s Cycling – BMX – Connor Fields – Semifinals – Heat 1
10:12 AM – Men’s Cycling – BMX – David Herman – Semifinals – Heat 2
11:30 AM – Women’s Cycling – BMX – Final
11:40 AM – Men’s Cycling – BMX – Final

Diving

The final men’s diving event will get underway on Thursday with the men’s 10m platform starting the preliminary round at 2 PM.  Nicholas McCrory and David Boudia will be the two US competitors. If they reach the top 18 of the 32 divers they’ll advance to the semifinals on Saturday morning.

The diving will be shown in the primetime coverage on NBC from 8 PM – 12 AM.

2 PM – Men’s Diving – 10m Platform – Preliminary Round

Field Hockey

After a disappointing finish to the group stage the US will be hoping to avoid finishing last in the field hockey competition when they take on Belgium on Friday at 3:30 AM.  Belgium didn’t get a win in the group stage but did draw twice while the US only got one win, that being over Argentina, who will be in the gold medal match.

The US game will be shown on delay on NBC Sports Network from 8-9:20 AM.

3:30 AM – Women’s Field Hockey – Belgium – 11-12 Classification

Gymnastics

Sitting in 22nd after the first day, Julie Zetlin will complete her Olympics by competing with the ribbon at 7 AM (6th up) and the clubs at 8:18 AM (5th up).

No scheduled coverage of the gymnastics.

7 AM – Women’s Gymnastics – Rhythmic – Individual All-Around – Qualification – Rotation 3
8:18 AM – Women’s Gymnastics – Rhythmic – Individual All-Around – Qualification – Rotation 4

Sailing

Amanda Clark/Sarah Lihan are in the women’s 470 medal race where they enter in 9th position. If they do well in the 8 AM race they could theoretically finish as high as 5th, though 6th-8th is a more likely goal.

No scheduled coverage of the sailing.

8 AM – Women’s Sailing – 470 – Medal Race

Swimming

The final swimming event in London will be the men’s 10km open water swim. Alex Meyer will represent the US in this event.

The swimming will be covered on NBC from 11:30-11:45 AM, 12:30-12:45 PM and 1:15-1:30 PM.

7 AM – Men’s Swimming – 10km Open Water

Taekwondo

The first one up in taekwondo on Friday is Steven Lopez who will face Ramin Azizov of Azerbaijan in the 80kg preliminary round at 4:15 AM. Paige McPherson will start next at 5:30 AM when she faces Sarah Stevenson of Great Britain in the 67kg preliminary round. If either wins they’ll move into the following rounds which start at the times listed below.

Taekwondo will be covered from 10:20-10:45 AM on NBC Sports Network and will be included in coverage on CNBC from 5-8 PM.

4:15 AM – Men’s Taekwondo – 80kg – Steven Lopez vs. Ramin Azizov – Preliminary Round
5:30 AM – Women’s Taekwondo – 67kg – Paige McPherson vs. Sarah Stevenson – Preliminary Round
10 AM – Women’s Taekwondo – 67kg – Quarterfinals
10:15 AM – Men’s Taekwondo – 80kg – Quarterfinals
12 PM – Women’s Taekwondo – 67kg – Semifinals
12:15 PM – Men’s Taekwondo – 80kg – Semifinals
3 PM – Women’s Taekwondo – 67kg – Repechage & Bronze Medal Finals
3:15 PM – Men’s Taekwondo – 80kg – Repechage & Bronze Medal Finals
5:15 PM – Women’s Taekwondo – 67kg – Gold Medal Final
5:30 PM – Men’s Taekwondo – 80kg – Gold Medal Final

Water Polo

In men’s water polo the US will now face Spain in the 5-8 semifinal to determine if they finish 5th/6th or 7th/8th. The match at 9:20 AM features the Americans who finished 4th in their group with the Spanish who finished 3rd in their group.

The water polo match will be LIVE on NBC Sports Network from 9:20-10:20 AM.

9:20 AM – Men’s Water Polo – Spain – Semifinal 5-8

Wrestling

The men’s freestyle competition starts Friday with Samuel Hazewinkel facing Daulet Niyazbekov of Kazakhstan in the 55kg round of 16.  In the 74kg round of 16 Jordan Burroughs will face Francisco Daniel Soler Tanco of Puerto Rico at 9:10 AM.  If either wins they’ll move into the following rounds at the times listed below.

There will be wrestling coverage from 10:45-11:45 AM on NBC Sports Network and 2:15-3 and 3:30-4 PM on NBC.

8:20 AM – Men’s Wrestling – Freestyle – 55kg – Samuel Hazewinkel vs. Daulet Niyazbekov – Round of 16
9:10 AM – Men’s Wrestling – Freestyle – 74kg – Jordan Burroughs vs. Francisco Daniel Soler Tanco – Round of 16
9:10 AM – Men’s Wrestling – Freestyle – 55kg – Quarterfinals
9:10 AM – Men’s Wrestling – Freestyle – 74kg – Quarterfinals
10 AM – Men’s Wrestling – Freestyle – 55kg – Semifinals
10:20 AM – Men’s Wrestling – Freestyle – 74kg – Semifinals
12:45 PM – Men’s Wrestling – Freestyle – 55kg – Bronze Finals
12:54 PM – Men’s Wrestling – Freestyle – 74kg – Bronze Finals
2:03 PM – Men’s Wrestling – Freestyle – 55kg – Gold Final
2:50 PM – Men’s Wrestling – Freestyle – 74kg – Gold Final