In the tournament itself, Argentina was faced in a tough group with the United States, Spain (1973 EuroBasket runners-up) and the Philippines. The key match for Argentina to advance was the debut against Spain. With Cabrera defending the Spaniard's key player Wayne Brabender, the team finished the first half 47–44 above, with Barbender only scoring two points. However, by the fifth minute of the second half Cabrera reached his fourth personal foul, and Barbender had more freedom to reach a total 22 points. The 23 turnovers and weak defense were key for Argentina's final 89–96 defeat. In the second game against the Philippines, Gehrmann's 31 points and 12 rebounds lead to a 110–90 victory, though the turnovers (20) and defense were an unsolved problem. The national team then lost to the US 86–109 to finally be eliminated. In the consolation round, Argentina finished third. The 121–70 victory over the Central African Republic (the team's highest scoring record in the history of the competition) was the only victory, as they suffered defeats against Australia, Mexico (a game in which Cabrera reached his fifth foul by the 12th minute of the first half) and Czechoslovakia (who had 45 points scored by Kamil Brabenec). The national team finished the World Championship in the 11th place.