Canada has been one of the best teams in the Olympics for men’s basketball, and they are led by former Wildcat Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has turned into one of the best players in the entire NBA. Now playing for Canada in the Olympics, Gilgeous-Alexander has kept his impressive play going. On Friday, he led Canada to a win over Spain.
Gilgeous-Alexander not only just helped Canada defeat Spain, but now Spain has officially been eliminated from the event now that group play has concluded. Canada also had a clean sweep in group play, going 3-0 in Group A, which has been deemed “the group of death.” It didn’t seem to phase Canada, as they cruised to a perfect record. Spain didn’t go down without a fight, though, inching back and only trailing by two in the 4th quarter. But, Gilgeous-Alexander free-throws helped seal the win for Canada. Now, Canada will get a guaranteed top 3 seed in bracket play. Right now, USA, Canada, France, Germany, Brazil, and Australia are some of the quarterfinalists confirmed, which is when bracket play begins. Only two spots remain to be filled in the quarterfinals.
In Canada’s win over Spain, the former Wildcat was impressive once again. He had 20 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal. He also shot 5-11 overall, just 1-4 from three-point range, and an impressive 9-13 from the free-throw line. He got to the line at will on Friday, and it paid off. Another former Wildcat is also representing Canada. Jamal Murray, who hasn’t seen as big of a scoring role as Gilgeous-Alexander, had 4 points on 2-5 shooting, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds. He has certainly been showing off his skills as a facilitator.
Now, the former Wildcats will await to see who their opponent is in the quarterfinals. So far, they have shown to be one of the best teams in the event, and they will look to keep their impressive play going.