Who is left in the Olympics?
All the teams you’d expect to be in the quarterfinals are. USA, Serbia, Canada, France, Australia, Greece, Germany, and France. The biggest surprise is no Spain, who failed to make it out of the preliminary rounds after Canada defeated them in their final game.
Can France move on?
France has quite a talented roster but they failed to make a statement at the World Cup last year, actually getting blown out by Canada by 30 points before losing to Latvia. That being said, this event is an opportunity for the French to right their wrongs. The group stages weren’t bad by any means, beating Japan and Brazil while losing to Germany. The victory over the Japanese was a nailbiter though, ultimately heading to overtime.
Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama saved the day with eight of his 18 points in the extra period and has been their best player at the Olympics. The big man is averaging 17 points and 10.7 rebounds in three outings and put up 14 in the defeat to the Germans.
Rudy Gobert, Evan Fournier, Nicolas Batum, and Frank Nkitilina are others to watch for France and they will need to step up if this team is going to eliminate Canada. The French will surely have revenge on their minds on Tuesday after last August’s beatdown in the World Cup. But, France is a +240 underdog in the quarterfinals at Sports Interaction.
Canada looking solid
The Canadians have gone from a team that nobody talked about on the international basketball stage to a group that has an opportunity to give the US a run for their money for gold. This roster is full of NBA talent including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Dillon Brooks, Kelly Olynyk, RJ Barrett, and Jamal Murray, among others.
Barrett is leading the way in the Olympics, averaging 21 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per night. SGA is also putting in work, averaging 19 points, 4.0 boards, and 4.0 dimes. Brooks meanwhile is also their third double-digit scorer. Jordi Fernandez’s squad grabbed victories against Greece, Australia, and Spain in group play, putting their versatility on full display. The contest vs Spain came down to the wire but Barrett hit a massive three late in the fourth to seal the deal.
Gilgeous-Alexander dropped a game-high 20 points and he’ll continue to be key in the Canadians’ pursuit of a medal in Paris. Andrew Nembhard also had 18 points. Although Canada dominated France a year ago and in exhibition play leading up to the Olympics, they cannot take Wembanyama and Co. for granted. This won’t be an easy win but if the Canadians play up to their standard, a berth in the semifinals will be a reality. Canada is a favorite at most basketball betting sites.
