Olympic groups chosen--AP report

[Snoopy the Celtics Beagle <snoopy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

MADRID, Spain -- The gold medalist U.S. men's basketball team was placed in 
the same group with European champion Lithuania during Saturday's draw for 
next year's Athens Olympics.

The United States, which is the 2003 champion of the Americas and will 
feature a team of NBA players, and Lithuania are joined in Group B with 
Angola, Australia, Greece and Puerto Rico.

Serbia-Montenegro, the 2002 world champion, and China are in Group A with 
New Zealand, Italy, Spain, and Argentina.

The draw was designed so neither group would have three teams from one 
continent. The United States and Serbia-Montenegro were kept apart.

Besides host Greece, the teams qualified from continental championships. 
After playing each other in the group, the top four teams from each advance 
to the quarterfinals.

Each group winner faces the fourth-place team from the other group in the 
quarterfinals while the second-place team meets the No. 3 finisher from the 
other group. The tournament begins Aug. 15.

At the Sydney Olympics, an NBA-led U.S. team defeated France 85-75 for the 
gold medal.


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