The men's world basketball championships get under way Thursday in Indianapolis, Indiana, with the host United States hoping to re-capture the championship currently held by Yugoslavia.
The 16-team field is divided into four groups of four teams each, with the U.S. in the same group as China, Algeria and Germany. The American team plays Algeria in its first match tonight at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis.
Defending champion Yugoslavia is grouped with Angola, Canada, and Spain, while Argentina is in the same first-round group as Russia, Venezuela and New Zealand. The last group has Brazil, Lebanon, Puerto Rico and Turkey.
The top three finishers in each group advance to the second round. The quarterfinals are scheduled for September 6 and the finals are Sunday, September 8.
This is the first time the United States has hosted the championships.