The bronze medal in the Summer Olympics Women’s Basketball Tournament will be awarded early Saturday morning when Serbia and France clash in a 3 a.m. ET tip-off at Saitama Super Arena. Below, we preview the Serbia vs. France odds and lines, and make our best Summer Olympics bets, picks and predictions.
It’s a quick turnaround for both sides. Serbia fell 79-59 to the USA in Friday morning’s semifinal game and France was dealt an 87-71 loss by host nation Japan.
Serbia went 2-1 in the Group Stage but with a minus-7 point differential. It topped China 77-70 in the quarterfinals before losing to the powerhouse USA squad. France went just 1-2 in group play but with a plus-10 point differential. It edged past Spain 67-64 in the quarters before being blown out by Japan.
Serbia vs. France: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 10:15 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Serbia +105 (bet $100 to win $105) | France -133 (bet $133 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Serbia +1.5 (-115) | France -1.5 (-120)
- Over/Under: 142.5 (O: -115 | U: -120)
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Serbia vs. France: Odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Serbia 71, France 68
Money line (ML)
Back SERBIA (+105) as a short underdog for the bronze medal. It faced the tougher test in the semifinal and will look to take some pointers from the dominant USA system.
Serbia had the more impressive quarterfinals win and was better in the Group Stage, outside of an 85-70 loss to Spain. France has lost twice to Japan, lost 93-82 to the USA in the Group Stage but managed to boost its point differential with a 25-point win over lowly Nigeria.
France and Serbia entered the Olympics fifth and eighth, respectively, in the FIBA world ranking, but look for Serbia to improve after most recently playing the Americans.
Against the spread (ATS)
Get some added insurance on the underdog by backing SERBIA +1.5 (-115).
Again, France is in the bronze medal game despite winning just two games in this tournament. It beat Spain by just 3 points in the quarterfinals.
Over/Under (O/U)
Bet the UNDER 142.5 (-120).
France was held to 71 or fewer points in three of its five games this tournament and Serbia held three of five opponents to 70 or fewer points.
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