Australia's ultimately disappointing World Cup campaign in China has still produced a dramatic rise in basketball's world rankings for the Boomers.
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Although the men's national team failed to secure their first medal at a major international tournament earlier this month, a string of impressive results before and during the World Cup has seen them jump from 11th to third in FIBA's latest rankings.
Australia were beaten by eventual winners Spain in the semi-finals before losing to France in the play-off for third.
The Boomers still leapfrogged fourth-ranked Argentina and France (fifth), who they beat in the second group stage.
FIBA said Australia's victories over France and Lithuania contributed to their elevated status over a rankings period that spanned eight years.
The Boomers also benefited from an impressive sequence of results in major tournaments, including a semi-finals appearance at the 2016 Rio Olympics and winning the FIBA Asia Cup in 2017.
Despite their flop in China, the United States retained their No.1 ranking while new champions Spain are second.
Australian Associated Press
