Early Saturday morning, the United States finished its worst showing at an international tournament in its history, even worse than the sixth-place finish at the 2002 World Championship hosted in the United States.
The team’s 87-74 win against Poland feels inconsequential. The United States will officially finish seventh place in the tournament.
They accomplished their primary goal, earning an Olympic berth thanks to a top-two finish among the FIBA Americas teams. The team will get a chance for redemption next summer in Tokyo.
No competition the U.S. enters is considered a success unless the U.S. wins it.