TORONTO - Brazil and Argentina have qualified for the 2012 Olympics.
Argentina, the host of the FIBA Americas championship, was widely expected to make it all along, but Brazil, minus three solid NBA players, was not.
Desperately trying to avoid missing four straight Olympics, the hosts of the 2016 Games in Rio knocked off the Dominican Republic 83-76 on Saturday in the semifinals.
Brazil nailed 10 three-pointers and turned the ball over only six times, to upset the Dominican, which is coached by Kentucky’s John Calipari and boasts Al Horford, Francisco Garcia and Charlie Villanueva in its lineup, along with double-double machine Jack-Michael Martinez.
The Dominican will play in a last-chance qualifying tournament next July.
J.J. Barea missed a desperation three-pointer at the buzzer, allowing Argentina to escape with a two-point victory.
Puerto Rico will also head to the last-chance tourney.
