Canada's Andrew Wiggins (middle) (Photo : Reuters)
Powerhouse national basketball teams Canada and Argentina is set to clash in the second game of the September 1 schedule of the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship held at the Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City.
The Canadians, billed to capture the gold medal in this year's competitions, boast off a group of young NBA talents led by last season's NBA Rookie of the Year awardee Anthony Wiggins, including other household names such as Cory Joseph, Anthony Bennett, Kelly Olynyk, and Nik Stauskas.
Under former Toronto Raptors head coach Jay Triano, they completed a four-game sweep of the 2015 Marchand Continental Championship Cup, a warm-up tournament held in Puerto Rico, defeating Argentina, Brazil, Dominican Republic, and the host nation in the process, as reported by the FIBA Americas official website.
Canada finished sixth during the 2013 FIBA Americas with a 4-4 win-loss card.
Argentina continues to be one of the top and fearsome teams of the region even if popular mainstays Manu Ginobili, Fabricio Oberto, Pablo Prigioni, and Carlos Delfino are no longer included in the squad this year.
The only remnants of the recent Argentina championship teams would be Luis Scola and Andrés Nocioni.
Sergio Hernandez's squad placed third two years ago in Venezuela with a 6-4 record and was the champion of the 2011 edition in the tournament that the nation have hosted.
Argentina fell to eventual champions Mexico, 76-70, via Scoresway, in the semifinals, but defeated the Dominican Republic, 103-93, in the battle-for-third to capture the bronze.
Prediction: Canada wins, 93-87
Canada starting five: Kelly Olynyk (C), Anthony Bennett (PF), Andrew Wiggins (SF), Nik Stauskas (SG), Cory Joseph (PG)
Argentina starting five: Marcos Delía (C), Luis Scola (PF), Andrés Nocioni (SF), Selem Safar (SG), Facundo Campazzo (PG)
