FIBA World Cup 2019 Quarterfinals: Qualified Teams, Schedule, Odds, Predictions
The quarterfinals of the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup have been set, with the United States facing France in Dongguan, China, in the next round.
Australia will also face the Czech Republic on Wednesday. On Tuesday, Argentina will take on Serbia before Spain will clash with Poland.
Here is a look at the bracket:
Per Caesars, Team USA remain the favorites for the title at 4-5. Here are the full odds:
USA: -125
Serbia: +350
Spain: +450
Australia:+1000
France: +1000
Argentina: +4000
Czech Republic: +10000
Poland: +20000
The United States maintained its perfect record with a double-digit win over Brazil in their final second-round game. Kemba Walker and Myles Turner led the way with 16 points each, per sports writer Joe Vardon:
That win earned the team a ticket to the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, but they have bigger things to worry about now. Up next is a date with France, who narrowly lost to Australia in their last outing and have an otherwise perfect record.
Evan Fournier scored 31 points against the Boomers, while Nando De Colo added 26. France had a late chance to win it but turned the ball over on their final possession while down a single point.
Spain have been dominant in the tournament and were rewarded with a date with Poland, arguably the weakest of the eight remaining teams. The Poles qualified with a point differential of just plus-10, despite winning four of five matches.
Balance is the key for Spain, which has plenty of experience with the likes of Marc Gasol and Rudy Fernandez. Sergio Llull and Ricky Rubio are expert ball-handlers who create tons of offense, and Willy Hernangomez and Victor Claver add impressive depth.
If they beat Poland, the Spaniards will likely meet Australia in the semifinals. The Czech Republic surprisingly qualified from Group K ahead of Greece and Brazil, beating the former's point differential by a single point.
The Czechs lost their last outing to Greece in close fashion, per sports writer Tim Reynolds:
Perhaps the most intriguing matchup is the one between Argentina and Serbia. The Argentines are unbeaten so far but haven't faced the best competition, while Serbia lost to Spain but easily handled Italy.
Argentina score easily, but Serbia's frontcourt has tons of talent, making it hard to get to the basket. The two teams should serve up a great game Tuesday.
Predictions: USA, Spain, Australia and Argentina advance to the semifinals.
