Sep 29, 2022 - Sports

USA men's basketball in danger of losing No. 1 ranking

Kendall Baker

Kevin Durant in action — Photo: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

USA men's basketball is in danger of losing its No. 1 world ranking for the first time since the FIBA rankings were created nearly 20 years ago.

State of play: The U.S. is just 1.8 points ahead of Spain in the latest rankings thanks to the Americans' third-place finish at the AmeriCup earlier this month and Spain's EuroBasket championship days later.

🇺🇸 USA (760.7 points)
🇪🇸 Spain (758.9 points)
🇦🇺 Australia (741.1 points)
🇦🇷 Argentina (736.1 points)
🇫🇷 France (712.9 points)

Between the lines: Outside of the Olympics and other major events, USA Basketball rosters rarely feature the America's top talent. Their best player at the AmeriCup was Norris Cole, who hasn't played in the NBA since 2017. But losses are losses.

Looking ahead: The U.S. could enter the 2023 World Cup next summer as something other than the No. 1 team, notes The Athletic's Joe Vardon (subscription).

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USA men's basketball in danger of losing No. 1 ranking

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