The World Basketball Championship tournament has moved to the second round, in Indiana. Four teams are playing for final standings, while the other 12 have a chance to reach the quarterfinal round.
Algeria, Canada, Lebanon and Venezuela are the nations that did not reach the second round. But the teams will still be on the court, as they position themselves for the right to play for the 13th through 16th finishing positions, Tuesday.
Meanwhile, action continues for the remainder of the field, as national teams battle for three more days to fill eight quarterfinal berths.
Despite losing a game to Spain, Friday, defending champion Yugoslavia continues to be one of the top favorites. The team is anchored by two National Basketball Association stars. However, through an interpreter, head coach Svetislav Pesic says the caliber of the officiating may not be up to NBA standards. He is a little troubled that it seems that our NBA players are getting a lot of fouls. He finds it a little bit surprising that Vlade Divac would foul out two games in a row. He is going to suggest different criteria for referees at the World Championships. The games are not organized for the referees. They are organized for the teams that are here to play.
Yugoslavia faces Puerto Rico, Brazil and Turkey in the second round. Host United States takes on Russia, New Zealand and Argentina. Since fielding professional players in 1992, the Unites States came into the tournament with a perfect record of 53 wins and no losses.