The USA Basketball Men's National Team will take a break on Monday before resuming their title defense in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup on Tuesday against New Zealand.
Team USA, who dominated in their first two games, will be a heavy favorite heading into their showdown against New Zealand, who dropped their first two games of the tournament.
The Tall Blacks took a close 76-73 loss against Turkey on Saturday, which was followed by a 76-63 defeat against Dominican Republic on Sunday.
USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski admitted that he has not scouted New Zealand, but the longtime national team mentor is expecting a tough assignment, considering the fact that the Tall Blacks managed to push Turkey to the limit in their tournament opener.
"I have not watched New Zealand. We have a day in between, and I'll watch them," Krzyzewski said via USA Basketball website. "I saw the Turkey game, but I was watching Turkey when I was watching, and it looked like New Zealand should have won, or was in a good position. So if they had a chance to beat Turkey, they must be pretty good. We'll respect them with our preparation."
Stephen Curry, the team's starting shooting guard, also said that there should be no room for complacency for Team USA, especially after suffering a scare in the first half of their 98-77 win against Turkey on Sunday.
"It took Turkey a fortunate comeback down the stretch, so we have to be ready for their energy," Curry said of their upcoming match against New Zealand. "We don't know exactly their system yet, but when they play a team like Turkey tough like they did yesterday, and I know they didn't fare well today, but they'll be a tough opponent. We have to come out focused."
After the match against New Zealand, the Americans, who are looking to defend the title they won in the 2010 World Basketball Championship in Turkey, will go up against Dominican Republic on Wednesday and Ukraine on Thursday.
The tournament favorites are also expected to win against Dominican Republic, whom they dominated, 105-62, in a friendly match on Aug. 20 at the Madison Square Garden in New York.
Below is the complete schedule of Team USA's remaining games:
USA vs. New Zealand - Sept 2, 11:30 a.m. ET
USA vs. Dominican Republic - Sept. 3, 3:30 p.m. ET
USA vs Ukraine - Sept. 4, 11:30 a.m. ET
All games will be shown live on ESPN and via online streaming through WatchESPN and LiveBasketballTV.
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