U.S. Gets a Test in Lithuania

Here, in capsule form, are the events that will be highlighted today in Athens:

Men’s Basketball

The U.S. men’s team will get a real taste of the best in international basketball when it faces Lithuania, unbeaten in the same group as the U.S. (2-1). Lithuania, which defeated Puerto Rico -- which crushed the U.S. -- has four players with more than 100 international games experience. The U.S., led by Tim Duncan, ranks fifth overall in the 12-team tournament, which is heading to quarterfinals Thursday.

Bill Dwyre

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Men’s Soccer

Mali must defeat Italy in a quarterfinal match at Athens tonight to keep alive Africa’s chance for a third consecutive gold medal in men’s soccer.

Elsewhere in the quarterfinals, tournament favorite Argentina takes on upstart Costa Rica at Patras; Iraq will try to continue its remarkable run when it plays Australia at Heraklion, and Paraguay plays South Korea at Thessaloniki.

Grahame L. Jones

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Track and Field

The first round of the men’s 100-meter dash highlights the morning session, and tension builds with the second round being contested in the evening. Defending champion Maurice Greene had a solid season -- until he was defeated twice by Jamaica’s Asafa Powell in the last few weeks.

The semifinals and finals of the women’s 100 will take place in the evening. A new champion will be crowned: Sydney gold medalist Marion Jones didn’t make the U.S. team at last month’s Olympic trials.

Helene Elliott

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Swimming

This will be the final day of the eight-day swimming meet, and there are four finals: the women’s 50-meter freestyle, the women’s 400 medley relay, the men’s 1,500 freestyle and the men’s 400 medley relay, which the U.S. has never lost.

-- Lisa Dillman