The 5 Best Olympic Events to Watch Today (Day 1: Saturday, July 28)

You don't wanna miss these.

Jul 28, 2012
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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

The cauldron has been lit, the opening ceremony has taken place, and the 2012 Summer Olympic Games are underway. Old rivalries like USA-Brazil in women's soccer and USA-Spain in men's basketball will pick up where they left off, but new rivalries will be born in London as well. Some teams will be trying to solidify their place in history as the best ever like USA's women's basketball squad, while others will be on the hunt to close out their chapter with a gold medal like Manu Ginobili and his Argentinean teammates. With so many events going on per day, you're not gonna know which ones to watch. Don't worry we got you. We'll be putting up the 5 best Olympic events to watch every day of the Olympics with team and athlete breakdowns so you know you're watching the right event.

Today, Day 1, action kicks off with women's basketball, women's soccer, and more.

 

Women's Basketball: USA vs. Croatia

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Team(s)/Athlete(s) of Interest: USA 

Time: 11:45 a.m. Eastern Time (live)

Station: NBC

Why You Should Watch: Team USA starts what many believe will be a dominant run to a fifth straight gold medal, sixth overall. Winning by an average of 35 points in the 2010 FIBA Worlds, the Americans are looking to extend that margin, and just demolish their opponents. Their first opponent, Croatia, who they beat by 54 points on Saturday, will have a sour taste in their mouths, and will be looking to earn some respect from this American team. Led by Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, and Candace Parker, Team USA will be using this game as a starting block on their way to a gold medal that they feel is rightfully theirs.

Women's Volleyball: USA vs. Korea

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Team(s)/Athlete(s) of Interest: Danielle Scott-Arruda

Time: 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time (live)

Station: NBC

Why You Should Watch: Danielle Scott-Arruda will be playing in her fifth straight Olympics, and will be looking to take home the gold for the first time. This will probably be the last time we see the 6"2 Scott-Arruda in the middle in an Olympic competition; needless to say a gold medal is a fitting end to an Olympic career.  

Swimming: Women's 400m Freestyle Heats

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Team(s)/Athlete(s) of Interest: Rebecca Adlington and Camille Muffat

Time: 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time (taped)

Station: NBC

Why You Should Watch: Great Britain's Rebecca Adlington is looking to repeat her gold medal performance in the Beijing Games. Adlington is the clear favorite going into this heat, and is expected to advance to the finals and defend her gold medal. Adlington has a lot riding on this: she'll be competing in front of her country as the hometown hero, trying to win back-to-back gold medals, and reclaim her number one world ranking from French woman Camille Muffat. As the current No. 1 ranked swimmer in the world, Muffat is on a mission to unseat Adlington from her gold medal throne. These two ladies will be looking for each other in the pool, trying to gain the upper hand, which could make for some intense preliminary heats.

Women's Soccer: USA vs. Colombia

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Team(s)/Athlete(s) of Interest: USA 

Time: 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time (live)

Station: NBC Sports Network

Hope Solo and Co. are on a mission to get the gold medal after coming up short against Japan in the last FIFA World Cup. These ladies are also in pursuit of their third straight Olympic gold medal. They've been killing the competition as of late, word to Fab, with their latest victim being France. Will they win the gold this time around or come up short yet again? Tune in to see how their story unfolds.

Women's Soccer: New Zealand vs. Brazil

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Team(s)/Athlete(s) of Interest: Brazil                

Time: 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time (live)

Station: NBC Sports Network

Brazil continues their march to an Olympic gold medal after claiming silver in the previous two Olympics with losses to the United States in both. Brazil is a force to be reckoned with; spearheaded by striker Marta, they're looking to make easy work of their early matches before going up against the U.S. If you've seen the FIFA World Cup, you'll know that this team is fun to watch, and if you haven't, this will give you a good chance to check them out before they face tougher competition.

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