Friday was another action-packed day at the Olympics, and the highlights included a U.S. world record on the Olympic Stadium track and a pair of semifinals in the men's basketball tournament.
At North Greenwich Arena, the U.S. men's basketball team pulled away from Argentina 109-83 to clinch a spot in the gold medal game. In a rematch of the 2008 final, Team USA's opponent will again be Spain, after the Spaniards dispatched Russia 67-59 in the other semifinal.
The American team of Tianna Madison, Allyson Felix, Bianca Knight and Carmelita Jeter teamed up to set a world record in the 4×100-meter relay, outsprinting the Jamaicans for gold in a time of 40.82 seconds. The U.S. men were not as successful, as the 4×400-meter relay squad only managed to take silver behind the Bahamas. The U.S. had won that event in every Summer Games in which it fielded a team since 1956.
With just two days remaining in the Olympics, almost every event is in its final stages, which means plenty of medals will be up for grabs this weekend. The U.S. leads the medal count with 94, including 41 golds, with China second in both categories with 82 medals and 37 golds. Russia is third in the medal count with 66, but Great Britain has more golds, with 26.
Here are the key events to watch Saturday. All times listed are Eastern Standard Time.
10 a.m., NBC Sports Network — Men's Soccer Final, Brazil vs. Mexico
Brazil may be the world's most successful soccer nation, with five World Cup titles, but the Olympic final is one match it has never won. Brazil took bronze in Beijing and will look to upgrade that to gold at Wembley Stadium against Mexico, which is making its first appearance in the gold medal game. South Korea beat Japan 2-0 for the bronze Friday.
1:20 p.m., NBColympics.com (Live stream — will be shown on NBC in primetime) — Women's Volleyball Final, USA vs. Brazil
Head coach Hugh McCutcheon, who led the U.S. men to gold four years ago, will try to do the same with the women's squad in a rematch of the 2008 final against Brazil. The U.S. has never won gold in this event.
1:40 p.m., NBColympics.com (Live stream — will be shown on NBC in primetime) — Track and Field Finals
The final day of track and field at Olympic Stadium will see eight gold medals awarded. The men's events include the 4×100-meter relay, 5,000 meters and javelin throw while the women will contest finals in the 4×400-meter relay, high jump and 800 meters.
A world record could be in the offing in the 4×100-meter relay, as Jamaica ran 37.39 seconds in the preliminaries without Usain Bolt — who will join the team for the final — and the U.S. ran a national record of 37.38 without Tyson Gay or Ryan Bailey, who took fourth and fifth in the 100-meter final.
Hometown favorite Mo Farah will look to become a legend by following up his 10,000-meter victory with gold in the 5,000 meters. Looking to stop him will be training partner Galen Rupp of the U.S., who took silver in the 10,000 meters, and Ethiopia's Dejen Gebremeskel, who is the world leader in 2012 with a time of 12:46.81.
3:00, MSNBC — Men's Field Hockey Final, Germany vs. Netherlands
Including this year, these two nations have combined to win five of the last six gold medals in this event. Germany took gold in Beijing four years ago while the Netherlands is undefeated in the 2012 tournament, including a 3-1 victory over Germany in the group stage.
3:25 p.m., NBColympics.com (Live stream — will be shown on NBC in primetime) — Men's Diving, 10-meter Platform Final
Americans David Boudia and Nick McCrory will look for a medal at the Aquatics Centre. Defending champion Matthew Mitcham of Australia did not advance to the final, opening up the competition for the medals. Great Britain's Tom Daley is also one to watch, while Qiu Bo and Lin Yue of China led the qualifiers from the semifinals.
3:30 p.m., NBC Sports Network — Women's Handball Final, Norway vs. Montenegro
Norway aims to repeat against Montenegro, which will win its first medal at the Olympics as an independent nation. The only question is, will it be silver or gold? Montenegro has the tournament's leading scorer in Katarina Bulatovic, but Norway is the defending champions.
4:00 p.m., NBC — Women's Basketball Final, USA vs. France
The U.S. and France have rolled through the tournament, and both enter the gold medal game undefeated in London. Team USA's victories have been more impressive, as it is outscoring opponents by an average of 34 points per game compared to eight points per game for France. But the gold medal doesn't go to the highest-scoring team — it goes to the winner of this game.
Check out the complete schedule of events here.
Thumbnail via Facebook/Usain Bolt
