Format
- Two groups of eight teams are formed, where the top two from each group compete for the medals in a knockout round.
- The remaining places are defined as follows:
- Fifth through eighth places are decided in a separate bracket between the third and fourth places from each group in a separate bracket.
- Ninth through sixteenth places are decided between the fifth through eighth places from each group in separate brackets.
Tie-breaking criteria:
- Head to head results
- Goal average (not the goal difference) between the tied teams
Read more about this topic: Basketball At The 1972 Summer Olympics