Having captured four straight gold medals in the World University Games, the 1983 USA team traveled north to Edmonton, Canada, looking to make it five in a row. But it was not to be as coach Norm Stewart and the rest of his USA team returned home with the bronze medal.

Featuring a team loaded with talented players like 6'6' Charles Barkley (Auburn), 6'9' Karl Malone (Louisiana Tech), 6'1' Johnny Dawkins (Duke), and 6'9' Ed Pinckney (Villanova), the USA team lost once and consequently ended up with the bronze medal and a 6-1 record.

Opening against Peru, the U.S., behind 23 points from Devin Durrant, scored a one-sided 134-25 win. Erupting for 156 points against Lebanon, the second most points ever scored by any USA men's team in a major international tournament, Jay Humphries led the U.S. to its 156-75 win with 31 points. For the third consecutive game, the U.S. surpassed the 100-point barrier, this time dropping the Ivory Coast 104-65 as Malone tossed in 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds.

Behind Dawkins' nearly perfect night, seven of eight from the field and one for one from the free throw line for a team high 15 points, Stewart's Americans stormed past Australia 100-52. Cuba offered the Americans their first test of the Games as the U.S. managed a 99-84 win, raising its record to 5-0 and advancing to the semifinals.

Facing host Canada for the right to advance to the gold medal contest, the U.S. was stunned by the Canadians 85-77. While the U.S. shot 50 percent from the field (31-62 FGs), the Canadians shot just 40.5 percent (28-69 FGs) from the floor and connected on 29 of 40 free throws. Eric Turner scored 22 points and Pinckney contributed 19 more in the loss.

Facing Cuba in the bronze medal game, the U.S. regrouped and easily claimed a 119-91 victory as Durrant and Malone tallied 25 and 24 points each, while Pinckney added 18 points and a team high 11 rebounds.

Canada captured the gold with an 83-68 victory over silver medalist Yugoslavia.

The '83 USA team averaged 112.7 points a game and featured six players averaging in double figures. Pinckney led the U.S. contingent averaging 13.7 ppg., while Turner and Malone averaged 12.3 ppg. and 12.0 ppg., respectively.