After surviving a series of uninspired wins and one very close call, the men used a late power surge to shove France aside in the title game. Vince Carter and Ray Allen both put up 13 points for Team U.S.A. in the 85-75 victory.

The U.S. women were supposed to encounter more competition than the men on the road to gold, but it didn't work out that way. Lisa Leslie and Natalie Williams both had 15 points in a 76-54 title game romp over Australia.

U.S. Seeks Double Gold
The medal games are set in men's and women's basketball, and the United States will play for gold in each. But the men barely escaped a semi-final upset. A three-point shot launched by Lithuania's Sarunas Jasikevicius just missed the mark as the final buzzer sounded, giving the Americans an 85-83 victory.

The women had an easier time in their semi-final, defeating South Korea, 78-65.

The men will meet France in the title game Sunday. It's a rematch of an early round game the Americans won 106-94. The women play Australia for the gold.

U.S. Men Top France, Remain Unbeaten
The U.S. men's basketball team was underwhelming for the second time in this Olympics, but had plenty of firepower to drift past France, 106-94, and into the quarterfinals. The Americans will meet Russia on Thursday. The other matchups for the opening of the eight-team medal round are Lithuania and Yugoslavia; Canada and France; and Italy and Australia.

U.S. Men Slip Past Lithuania, 85-76
Conventional wisdom says the U.S. men's basketball team can't lose in Sydney, but a squad stuffed full of NBA stars struggled Thursday to get past Lithuania. The Dream Team trailed 50-49 in the second half before rallying for an 85-76 victory. It was the closest game involving the U.S. men since pros joined the Olympic competition in 1992. In other action, Australia beat Russia, 75-71; Italy topped New Zealand, 78-66; Canada got past Spain, 91-77; France whipped China, 82-70; and Yugoslavia defeated Angola, 73-64.

U.S. Men Rip Italy; Australia Loses
The American men slammed Italy, 93-61, to notch their second easy win of the Olympic basketball competition. The European champions were no match for Team USA's assortment of NBA stars. In the key game of the day, Australia lost to Yugoslavia, 80-66. The Aussies were hoping to stay unbeaten to increase their chances of getting into the medal round without meeting the Americans. In other action, Canada stayed unbeaten by pounding Angola, 99-54; China beat New Zealand, 75-60; Russia topped Spain, 71-63 and Lithuania thumped France, 81-63.

Dream Team Drubs China
The United States made its 2000 Olympic men's basketball debut a convincing one, pounding China 119-72 after being down by as much as six points early in the game. China's "Great Wall" forecourt of 7-foot-5 Yao Ming and 7-footer Wang Zhizhi fell apart under relentless pressure from the faster U.S. squad. Ray Allen led the United States with 21 points.

In other early action, Canada upset Australia, Yugoslavia edged Russia, Italy nipped Lithuania, Spain beat Angola and France topped New Zealand.

American Women Dump South Korea
The U.S. women's team got off to a winning start, beating South Korea 89-75 despite losing star forward Chamique Holdsclaw to a foot injury. Holdsclaw, the former Tennessee star, is expected back in action if the team reaches the medal rounds.

About Basketball
Many of the National Basketball Association's young stars will be on display in the Olympic basketball tournament -- and not just for the United States. Professional stars will dot the rosters of all the medal contenders. But the latest edition of the American "Dream Team" is expected to once again dominate the competition in Sydney.

Olympic basketball can be nearly as rugged as the NBA version, though a wider free-throw lane makes it tougher for the game's giants to clog the area in front of the basket. International rules are similar to those used on U.S. courts.

Angola, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Italy, France, Lithuania, New Zealand, Russia, Spain and Yugoslavia will join the United States in the men's tournament. While the U.S. team is the odds-on favorite for gold, with stars like Vince Carter, Kevin Garnett and Jason Kidd, the silver could go to Yugoslavia, led by NBA stalwart Predrag Stojakovic. The popular Sacramento Kings center Vlade Divacs won't be participating for the Yugoslavs this time around. Host Australia boasts Luc Longley, who won several NBA championships playing with Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls.

The U.S. women's team is also a favorite for gold with stars such as Chamique Holdsclaw, Lisa Leslie and Teresa Edwards. But they'll face a stiff challenge from the Australians, who have an experienced point guard in Michelle Timms, a rising star in Lauren Jackson and a national team that has trained together for nearly a year. Russia and Brazil are also sending strong teams to Sydney. The rest of the 12-team field includes Canada, Cuba, France, New Zealand, Poland, Senegal, South Korea and Slovakia.