U.S. Advances to Semis. United We Rise Soldier II Debut.

In a game that some thought was a cause for worry, the U.S. Men’s Senior National Team beat Australia by just 11 in an Aug. 5 exhibition in Shanghai. Fifteen days later, in a game that counted, the U.S. gave a performance more indicative of their ability, trouncing Australia 116-85 in the Olympic quarterfinals at the Wukesong Culture and Sports Center. And they did it with a slightly different formula than they had used in their five pool play wins. The U.S. had forced an average of 22.8 turnovers per game against Group B, but Australia committed just 11 on Wednesday. And while the U.S. had outrebounded their pool play opponents by just over two boards per game, they destroyed Australia on the glass, 57-28. Next up is Argentina, who defeated Greece 80-78 in a thrilling nightcap, in Friday’s semifinal (10:15 a.m. ET, NBC). It’s a rematch of the 2004 semifinal in Athens, won by Argentina 89-81. The bronze finish in ’04 is why the U.S. turned to Jerry Colangelo, and why he put together the three-year commitment program led by Krzyzewski. After wearing the United We Rise Street Map PE and the Friendlies Zoom Soldier II throughout the first five games, LeBron James broke out the well known United We Rise Tribal edition. Probably this special shoe required some special crowd and intensity of the elimination round. Also, visit the updated 2007-08 Timeline and be sure to check back tomorrow for an extensive coverage of the UWR Zoom Soldier II. As always plenty of pictures from today’s game after the jump. Info via NBA.com.

Photos Copyright Notice: Copyright 2008 NBAE via Getty Images. Photos by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images, Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images, Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images, Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images, Bob Donnan-US PRESSWIRE.