We’re headed to the semifinals of the Women’s Olympic Basketball Tournament!
The United States will compete against Australia, while Belgium will take on France. The two winners of these games will play for gold on Sunday. The losers will play for bronze in the game prior on Sunday.
Below, I’ve added the best bets for both matchups. Tail along if you agree with the analysis!
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Friday’s Best Women’s Olympic Basketball Bets
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Australia vs. United States
Australia lost to Nigeria to begin the Olympics but has caught fire since, winning three consecutive games over Canada, France, and Serbia (quarterfinal).
The Australians dominated on the glass and shot nearly 46% from the field against Serbia in an 85-67 win. However, Australia still had 19 turnovers, which is something it can’t afford against the United States.
Like the United States, Australia is filled with WNBA talent. The starting lineup includes notable names like Ezi Magbegor, Allana Smith, Stephanie Talbot, Jade Melbourne, and Sami Whitcomb. This entire starting lineup plays in the WNBA.
The difference between Australia and the United States is the depth. Australia can only count on seven players, while the United States can go 12 deep without sweating.
Eventually, the United States will wear down Australia and earn the cover of -17 in this game.
Pick: United States -17 (-108)
Belgium vs. France
France looked really good in its latest game, the quarterfinal against Germany. France went off in the second quarter and ultimately never looked back. Marine Johannes added 24 points off the bench, and Gabby Williams paced the team with 15 points of her own.
France will go 10-deep. But realistically, they don’t have many scorers. It’s always Johannes and Williams putting in the work. That said, the depth at least helps them defensively. After all, they held Germany to just 71 points in a quarterfinal game, which was really impressive.
Meanwhile, France will face a Belgium team that was just as good in their matchup against Spain. Belgium held Spain to 66 points and carried the lead all throughout the second half. The one concern with Belgium was the high turnovers. They added 22 turnovers on the offensive end despite shooting 53.4% from the field.
Don’t expect Belgium to be as good from the field against France. But you can still expect the turnovers to be high. I’ll back the Under 144. We’d be lucky to see either team in the 70s.
Pick: Under 144 (-110)
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