The Americans were a perfect 3-0 inside the Group Stage and will be back in action on Thursday.
After going 3-0 in the Group Stage at the 2026 FIBA World Cup in Berlin, Germany, the United States women's national team is onto the quarterfinals, which will be played on Thursday.
The USA, which is coached by former Boston Celtics assistant Kara Lawson, will take on Hungary at 5:30 a.m. ET. Other games to follow are China and France (8:30 a.m. ET), Belgium and Germany (11:45 a.m. ET) and Australia and Spain (2:45 p.m. ET).
The winners will advance to the semifinals. The finals are being played on Sunday, which is disappointing from a television ratings and audience perspective. Not only is the championship game up against the US Open men's tennis championship, it's also up against the first NFL Sunday of the year, which means women's basketball won't get the attention it desires and deserves.
The United States is led by the likes of former UConn standouts Breanna Stewart, Paige Bueckers and Napheesa Collier, as well as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.
Team USA was tested in the second game of its Group Stage action, only beating Italy 55-52.
About Kara Lawson's one year in Boston
The Celtics went 48-24 in 2019-20, playing only 72 games in total, with 64 of those coming before the COVID-19 pandemic and eight of them coming inside the "NBA Bubble."
Boston finished the season at third in the Eastern Conference, winning a first round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers and a semifinal round against the Toronto Raptors. They lost in six games to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.
However, Lawson wasn't around for the playoff run.
Teams reported for the NBA Bubble in Orlando, Fla. on July 7, 2020. Lawson was announced as the head coach at Duke on July 11, meaning she left shortly after arriving. She's been at Duke ever since, leading the Blue Devils to the Elite Eight last season.
Boston Celtics guard Carsen Edwards (4) talks with assistant coach Kara Lawson prior to a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at TD Garden. Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY SportsThe Heat advanced to the NBA Finals, losing to LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. That marked the only championship for James in Los Angeles. He signed with the 76ers this offseason and will join former Celtics guard Jaylen Brown there. The 76ers are expected to be one of the best teams in basketball this season. They won a title since 1983.
Up next for Boston
Training camp will begin on Sept. 29 with the preseason opener coming on Oct. 8 and the regular season opener coming on Oct. 20 against the Pistons.
