DONGGUAN, China - The setting, style and colors are all foreign but the nature of FIBA basketball game often falls into the same rhythms as NCAA Tournament games.
It's single elimination, the games are 40 minutes, its five-foul disqualification that amplifies the role of officiating, and there's an unmistakable play-for-country aesthetic that resembles the play-for-college approach.
Team USA was thrashing around Wednesday against France in an 89-79 loss in the World Cup quarterfinals. They were playing unorthodox lineups to try to deal with the best player on the floor, who was on the other team. They were undersized at almost every position and forced to substitute try to win possessions with energy instead of execution.