After sweeping through the group stage, Team USA couldn’t have asked for a better start to the tournament portion of the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup.
On Wednesday in Switzerland, the Americans won their Round of 16 matchup in convincing fashion, cruising past Jordan from start to finish en route to a 140-67 victory. After Jordan took an early 3-2 lead, it was nothing but the United States the rest of the way, the fourth quarter turning into a literal dunk contest for the red, white, and blue. 140 points marked a single-game scoring record for Team USA in this event.
Kentucky freshman guard Jasper Johnson was solid during his 15 minutes, posting eight points, two rebounds, one assist, and one block. He shot 3-6 from the field, including a 2-5 mark from long range, soaking up most of his playing time in the first half. This comes after Johnson dropped 11 points in Tuesday’s final group stage win, but appeared to suffer a minor injury to his shooting wrist in the third quarter.
That clearly wasn’t an issue for him against Jordan, though. Johnson, who did not have a wrap or bandage on his wrist, looked comfortable and confident on Wednesday. His top highlight was a steal at halfcourt that he turned into a beautiful bounce-pass for a transition score by his teammate. The 6-foot-5 guard also drilled a deep three-pointer from well beyond the line.
Jasper Johnson from way downtown
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With the win over Jordan, Team USA advances to Friday’s quarterfinals, setting up a showdown against Canada. The Canadians, which feature Florida’s 7-foot-8 big man Olivier Rioux, beat Mali 100-75 in their tournament opener.
Team USA was able to share the love against Jordan in a game that quickly turned into a blowout. All 12 players scored at three points, led by 19 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, and seven steals from class of 2026 forward Tyran Stokes — a major Kentucky recruit. He wasn’t the only Wildcat high school target putting up numbers, though. Five-star prospects Caleb Holt, Jordan Smith Jr., and Brandon McCoy all scored 13 points each against Jordan.
After failing to medal at the 2023 FIBA U19 World Cup for the first time since 2011, Team USA is on a revenge tour thus far in 2025.
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