The penultimate day of Rio competition will see a dozen medals awarded as Team USA continues to press Ukraine for the No. 3 spot in the overall medal count. Today offers a few more opportunities -- primarily team sport showdowns -- to close the gap. If you’re looking for the “what to watch from Rio,” this is the place for the Games' final three days. The action can be viewed live on TeamUSA.org and broadcast on NBC and NBCSN. Click here for a full viewing schedule. (All times below are ET.)
Saturday, Sept. 17
Wheelchair Rugby
The penultimate day of Rio competition is crossover day for Team USA. Since the tournament began for the United States on Sept. 14, it had been playing in Group B, going undefeated against France, Sweden and Japan. Today, Team USA plays one-loss Canada in the semifinal round (11:45 a.m.), with the winner advancing to Sunday’s gold-medal match (11:30 a.m.). Keep an eye out for Minneapolis native and two-time Paralympian Chuck Aoki, who is responsible for 56 of his team’s 162 overall points and should figure prominently this morning.
Wheelchair Basketball
Team USA’s women won gold on Friday, and the men will play for gold today in the men’s wheelchair basketball final against Spain (4:30 p.m.). After outscoring their seven opponents by a score of 546-297, the U.S. men enter undefeated, and scoring has come from all over the roster. Four-time Paralympian Matt Scott, three-time Paralympian Steve Serio, Brian Bell and Jake Williams have all led Team USA in scoring at the end of at least one of those games, and they will face a team in Germany that has lost only one game in Rio.
Sitting Volleyball
The only loss on the U.S. women’s ledger in Rio came back on Sept. 12, and it was to international rival China — which has won three consecutive Paralympic gold medals, but Team USA had won all three meetings in 2016 until Monday. China, to date, is undefeated in Rio, having lost only two games — both to Team USA — along the way. This evening, it’s a showdown between the world’s best, when the United States and China play for gold in women’s sitting volleyball (6 p.m.). Team USA is led by four-time Paralympian Lora Webster and captain Heather Erickson, a three-time Paralympian.
Broadcast Schedule (ET)
On TV:
| NBCSN | 12-3 a.m. | Women's Wheelchair Basketball medal rounds, Wheelchair Rugby, Sitting Volleyball semifinals |
Live Stream:
| Track and Field Track and Field 2 Track and Field 3 |
8:50-12:15 p.m., 4:20-7:30 p.m. 8:50 a.m.-12:00 p.m., 4:20-7:30 p.m. 8:50 a.m.-12:00 p.m., 4:20-7:30 p.m. |
| Swimming |
8:25-10:45 a.m., 4:25-8:30 p.m. |
| Table Tennis |
8:55 a.m.-2:00 p.m., 3:25-8:30 p.m. |
| Sitting Volleyball |
3:20-9:00 p.m. |
| Wheelchair Basketball |
8:20 a.m.-12:30 p.m., 2:05-6:45 p.m. |
| Wheelchair Rugby |
9:20 a.m.-1:15 p.m., 2:50-4:30 p.m., 6:05-7:45 p.m. |
| Highlight Show | 9:00-9:05 p.m., 3:00-4:00 p.m., 10:00-11:00 p.m. |