- E.C. Matthews scored 21 points while Hassan Mar

The Boomers have been one of Australias greatest Olympic success stories in Rio de Janeiro, with Australians, basketball fans or not, all marvelling at their success.Australia, the world No. 11 team, so far have achieved victories against teams ranked No. 3, No. 5 and No. 6 while also pushing Team USA to the brink.Considered by many to be no more than an outside chance of a medal, the Boomers have proved everyone wrong.This was supposed to be the what if Olympics for the Boomers. What if they had a full-strength side? What if Andrew Bogut was 100 percent? What if Ben Simmons had been selected?Bogut is the talisman for this team, and his play has shown no sign of the knee injury he sustained in the NBA Finals slowing him down.But he is not the only reason for the Boomers relatively smooth progress to the semifinals.Here are five keys to the Boomers success in Rio de Janeiro.BackcourtMatthew Dellavedova and Patty Mills have been the dominant pairing throughout the Olympics. Mills is the second-leading scorer of all players, averaging 21.2 points, behind only Bojan Bogdanovic from Croatia with an average of 25.3, while Dellavedova leads all for assists, averaging 7.7 per game.Mills has been so good that questions now are being placed whether he should replace Tony Parker as the starting point guard for San Antonio Spurs in the coming NBA season.Championship ExperienceThe Boomers boast four players - Bogut, Dellavedova, Mills and Aron Baynes -- who have tasted the ultimate success in the NBA, the same number as the almighty Team USA.Australians have been involved in the past three NBA titles, and that experience is shining through in Rio. Team leader Boguts maturity within the group has notably been at the forefront of the campaign.Heart Labelled underdogs and given a minimal chance to succeed, the Boomers have played with a chip on their shoulder and wanting to prove they belonged on the contenders list.Dellavedova attacks every contest with the ferocity of a footballer, but he isnt the only player in the squad willing to put his body on the line, as Aron Baynes has shown by drawing multiple charges under the ring, for the good of the team.Back upsDavid Andersen has been the standout off of the bench, and the 34-year-old who signed recently with National Basketball League team Melbourne United has attracted interest from the NBA.Ryan Broekhoff, notably, is also out to prove he deserves his chance on the big stage, and he has provided valuable minutes off the bench while also stepping in to the starting line-up when Mills was rested.Andrej LemanisCoach is never the easiest job: you shoulder the blame when the team struggles, while the players are praised when the team finds success. The playing group has certainly starred in Rio, but Lemanis has been magnificent during the Olympics.His rotations have been perfect, and on-the-fly changes (such as) during games have proved instrumental. With Dellavedova arguably the player of the tournament, Lemanis is a standout for coach of the tournament.No team is perfect, however, and that is true with the Boomers; while they have looked unbeatable at times, there is a weakness.Offensive reboundingOf the four teams remaining, the Boomers average the equal-lowest number of offensive rebounds per game (10.5). They are equal with Spain but below Serbia (11.3) and the U.S. (14.7). And note the lopsided offensive rebounding battle - 21-8 - when Team USA inflicted upon Australia their only defeat to date.The offensive rebounding battle hasnt proved too costly in the other Boomers games, but the battle of the boards will be a focal point against Serbia. With Serbia holding an advantage on the offensive glass, the Boomers will need to ensure theyre not afforded easy second chance looks in what could turn to be a close semifinal battle.The Boomers should go in full of confidence having already beaten Serbia in Rio, and victory will see Australia guaranteed of their first mens basketball medal in Olympic history. Nike Air Zoom Ofertas . Boucher previously coached the Tampa Bay Lightning and had a 97-78-20 record over two-plus seasons. He was dismissed by the team last March after the Lightning struggled in the lockout-shortened season with a 13-18-1 record. Venta De Nike Air Zoom . The Nashville Predators were glad their captain was still on their side. Weber had a goal and two assists, and Roman Josi scored the shootout winner to lift the Predators to a 4-3 win over the Flyers on Thursday night. http://www.nikezoombaratas.es/ . -- Canadian Andrew Wiggins got the ball on the wing, made a nifty spin move and then let go with a soft floater from about 10 feet that swished through the net in Allen Fieldhouse. Nike Zoom España . Nigeria beat surprise package Ethiopia 2-0 in the second leg of their playoff for a comfortable 4-1 aggregate victory. Victor Moses converted a 20th-minute penalty after an Ethiopian handball, and Victor Obinna made certain of Nigerias place in Brazil with his powerful free kick in the 82nd at UJ Esuene Stadium. Zapatillas Nike Zoom Baratas . Gather a group of friends, or find a league to join online, draft your team, set your lineup and compete in a number of different formats. DURHAM, N.C. -- Grayson Allen scored 16 points and No. 1 Duke opened its season by routing Marist 94-49 on Friday night.Freshman Frank Jackson had 18 points in his debut with the Blue Devils while Luke Kennard added 16 points.Duke shot 44 percent and had an easy time against the Red Foxes despite playing without three big men from a freshman class widely considered the nations best.Chase Jeter finished with 11 points in his first career start and Matt Jones also had 11 for Duke, which pushed its lead into double figures for good before Marist managed its first defensive stop.Khallid Hart had 13 points to lead Marist, which was just 3 of 25 from 3-point range.---No. 2 KENTUCKY 87, STEPHEN F. AUSTIN 64LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Isaiah Briscoe scored 17 points and Derek Willis added 15 in Kentuckys season-opener.Briscoe and Willis combined to make 11 of 18 from the field while their experience offset the newcomers early shooting troubles. Seven-foot sophomore Isaac Humphries had nine and eight rebounds) filled a big inside void with 6-10 freshman Bam Adebayo (five points) hampered by foul trouble.Isaiah Traylor scored 15 points and Leon Gilmore III had 12 for Stephen F. Austin, which lost the debut of coach Kyle Keller.---No. 4 VILLANOVA 88, LAFAYETTE 48VILLANOVA, Pa. -- Jalen Brunson scored 17 points and Kris Jenkins had 16 as Villanova opened defense of its national championship.Jenkins opened his season the same way he ended the last one -- with a 3-pointer. Jenkins hit a buzzer-beating 3 in the title game to lift the Wildcats to a 77-74 win over North Carolina. With a national championship banner hanging in the rafters, Jenkins scored Villanovas first basket of the season on a 3-pointer.Jenkins scored 13 points in the first half and the Wildcats stormed to a 49-17 lead.Nick Lindner led the Leopards with 10 points.---No. 6 NORTH CAROLINA 95, TULANE 75NEW ORLEANS -- Justin Jackson scored a career-high 27 points and No. 6 North Carolina never trailed.Joel Berry II had a career-high 23 points, Isaiah Hicks scored 16, and Kennedy Meeks grabbed 15 rebounds -- including seven on the offensive end -- for the Tar Heels, who led by as many as 21 points.The game marked the college coaching debut for former NBA player and coach Mike Dunleavy.Cameron Reynolds scored a career-high 21 points for Tulane, hitting five of six from 3-point range.---No. 7 XAVIER 84, LEHIGH 81CINCINNATI -- Trevon Bluiett scored a career-high 25 points and led a second-half surge for Xavier.Edmond Sumner set a career high with 24 points as Xavier -- playing with the highest preseason ranking in school history -- rallied after letting a double-digit lead slip away. Lehigh got the ball back with 17.7 seconds left on Sumners offensive foul and missed two 3-point shots.Tim Kempton, the Patriot Leagues two-time player of the year, scored 25 points for the Mountain Hawks.---No. 8 VIRGINIA 76, UNC GREENSBORO 51GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Marial Shayok scored 15 points and Virginia used a 22-0 run to take control.Darius Thompson added 12 points for the Cavaliers, who shot 52 percent from the field and made 8 of 16 3-point attempts. Meanwhile the defense -- the bedrock of Tony Bennetts program -- held the Spartans scoreless for more than 11 minutes spanning halftime as the game turned into a methodical rout.Francis Alonso scored 14 points for UNCG.---No. 9 WISCONSIN 79, CENT. ARKANSAS 47MADISON, Wis. -- Bronson Koenig had 16 points and Nigel Hayes scored 10 of his 14 in the second half for Wisconsin.The Badgers were never seriously threatened after building a 20-point lead with 15:46 left following an 8-0 run. Hayes did all the scoring with two 3s and a layup.Central Arkansas shot 28 percent (15 of 52) from the field and was led by Derreck Brooks 12 points and eight rebounds.---No. 10 ARIZONA 65, No. 12 MICHIGAN ST. 63HONOLULU -- Kadeem Allen took the ball the length of the court and scored with 1.3 seconds left for Arizona in the Armed Forces Classic.Kobi Simmons led the Wildcats with 18 points while Lauri Markkanen scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds. Allen finished with 10 points.The Wildcats won despite playing without guard Allonzo Trier, who is out for unspecified reasons. Trier was Arizonas third-leading scorer last season at 14.8 points per game.Michigan State freshman Miles Bridges wowed the crowd with some impressive dunks and he finished with 21 points and seven rebounds.---No. 13 LOUISVILLE 78, EVANSVILLE 47LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Jaylen Johnson had 17 points and 14 rebounds while Donovan Mitchell added 15 points and five rebounds to lead Louisville.Mangok Mathiang added 11 points and eight rebounds as the Cardinals played 14 players with 10 scoring. The Cardinals stared slow but got rolling late in the first half, holding the PPurple Aces without a field goal over the last 9:05 of the half to take a 43-27 halftime lead.ddddddddddddSenior Jaylon Brown led the Aces with 19 points.---No. 14 GONZAGA 92, UTAH VALLEY 69SPOKANE, Wash. -- Silas Melson scored 17 points and Jordan Mathews had 16 for Gonzaga.Nigel Williams-Goss added 14 points for Gonzaga.Conner Toolson scored 19 points and Kenneth Ogbe added 13 for Utah Valley.Gonzaga outshot the Wolverines 52 percent to 36 percent and dominated the rebounding 52-30.---No. 15 PURDUE 109, McNEESE ST. 65WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Caleb Swanigan had 23 points and 20 rebounds, and Vince Edwards added 19 points and 11 rebounds for Purdue.The Cowboys led 19-14 with 10:16 remaining in the first half when Swanigan and Edwards fueled a 22-3 run that turned a five-point deficit into a 36-22 lead.Seven-foot-2 center Isaac Haas finished with 22 points and six rebounds for Purdue.Richard Laku scored 16 points for McNeese State.---No. 16 UCLA 119, PACIFIC 80LOS ANGELES -- Bryce Alford scored 30 points and led a 3-point barrage with six of the Bruins school-record 18.Four starters scored in double figures for UCLA, including highly touted freshmen Lonzo Ball and T.J. Leaf. Ball finished with 19 points and 11 assists, while Leaf had 22 points and a game-high 15 rebounds in their college debuts.Aaron Holiday added 18 points, including four 3-pointers, and Isaac Hamilton had 17 points in UCLAs run-and-gun offense.Pacific was led by T.J. Wallace with 21 points. Former NBA player Damon Stoudamire lost his college coaching debut.---WAGNER 67, No. 18 UCONN. 58STORRS, Conn. -- Mike Aaman and Romone Saunders scored 15 points each to lead Wagner to the upset.Corey Henson added 10 points for the Seahawks, who handed the Huskies their first loss in a home opener on campus. UConn came in 27-0 in such games.Transfer Terry Larrier had 19 points and freshman Alterique Gilbert had 14 to lead the Huskies.---No. 19 SYRACUSE 83, COLGATE 55SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Tyler Roberson scored 18 points, fifth-year transfers Andrew White and John Gillon had 17 and 13, respectively, for Syracuse.Frank Howard added 11 points and a career-high nine assists for Syracuse, which shot 55 percent from the field.Malcolm Regisford led Colgate with 10 points.---No. 20 WEST VIRGINIA 87, MOUNT ST. MARYS 59MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Nathan Adrian scored 13 points to lead West Virginia which cruised to its fourth straight season-opening victory.Freshman Sagaba Konate finished with 11 points and six rebounds during his 12 minutes on the court for West Virginia.Greg Alexander led Mount St. Marys with 15 points.---No. 21 Texas 78, INCARNATE WORD 73AUSTIN, Texas -- Kendal Yancy made two late free throws, then followed with a tough layup in the final minute for Texas.Texas led by 16 points early in the second half before Incarnate Word rallied to lead 67-66 on Sam Burmeisters 3-pointer with 2:30 to play.Yancy got to the line for the lead, then made it 70-67 with a twisting layup around two defenders with 49 seconds left. He finished with 19 points.Freshman Jarrett Allen added 16 points and 12 rebounds for Texas.Shawn Johnson scored 24 points for Incarnate Word.---No. 22 CREIGHTON 89, UMKC 82OMAHA, Neb. -- Marcus Foster scored 19 points and Maurice Watson Jr. added 17 for Creighton, which withstood UMKCs late run.The Bluejays led by double digits less than 4 minutes in and by 28 midway through the second half. The Kangaroos cut that lead to single digits before Creighton secured its 19th win in the past 20 season openers.Martez Harrison had 15 of his 17 points in the second half for the Kangaroos.---No. 23 RHODE ISLAND 84, DARTMOUTH 60KINGSTON, R.I. -- E.C. Matthews scored 21 points while Hassan Martin and Jared Terrell added 12 points each for Rhode Island.Matthews missed all but the first 10 minutes of last season because of a torn ACL in his right knee.Evan Boudreax scored 14 points for the Big Green.---No. 24 IOWA ST. 113, SAVANNAH ST. 71AMES, Iowa -- Monte Morris had his seventh career double-double with 21 points and 11 assists for Iowa State.Naz Mitrou-Long had 18 points with 10 rebounds and seven assists in his debut following a redshirt season for the Cyclones, who won their opener for the 19th year in a row.Joshua Young had 12 points to lead Savannah State.---No. 25 MARYLAND 62, AMERICAN 56COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Melo Trimble scored 22 points and freshman Anthony Cowan added 12 for Maryland.American led 47-43 with 7:34 remaining before Maryland finally played to form. Trimble -- the lone returning starter -- made two baskets in the lane to spark a 7-0 run.Mark Gasperini scored 14 points for the Eagles. ' ' '