Spain, Australia and the rest of the world will try to end the United States' dominance in men's basketball at the Summer Olympics when group play begins in the pandemic-delayed 2020 Olympic Games on Sunday in Tokyo. Team USA has won the gold medal in three consecutive Summer Olympics and has not even lost a game in the Olympics since 2004. But earlier this month the Americans lost two games to Nigeria and Australia as heavy favorites in preparation for the games, proving they are not invincible.
Despite the recent losses Team USA is the -300 favorite (risk $300 to win $100) in the 2020 Summer Olympics men's basketball odds from William Hill Sportsbook. Australia, which features six NBA players, is next at +700. Spain is going off at +1100. Before locking in any 2020 Olympic basketball picks or predictions, you need to see what SportsLine's Olympics expert, Mike Tierney, has to say.
A national sportswriter whose work appears in The New York Times and Los Angeles Times, Tierney has covered nine Olympic Games in person. For Rio in 2016, Tierney profited big-time. He told readers to bet Over on Team USA's gold medal count (41.5) and Over on Team USA's overall medal count (102.5). The result? 46 golds, 121 medals and two easy cashes.
And for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Tierney hit two of his three predictions: Germany (+200) to win the most gold medals and the United States winning Under 10.5 gold medals (+110). Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, with the men's basketball tournament at the Tokyo Olympics 2021 starting, Tierney has studied every team in the field and identified three Olympic basketball 2021 futures best bets. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks.
Olympics men's basketball preview
One shocker: After breaking down all 12 teams in the field, Tierney isn't picking the United States even though Team USA enters the competition as a formidable favorite. The Americans have won 25 straight games in the Olympics and have not lost since 2004. Over the last three Olympiads their average margin of victory is 27.5 points.
But injuries, opt-outs and a NBA playoffs that went well into July have caused havoc to the Team USA roster. The team will not feature LeBron James, James Harden or Steph Curry, among others, and only Kevin Durant and Draymond Green have previously played in the Olympics. "Too many concerns are swirling around Team USA," Tierney says.
How to make Olympics men's basketball picks
Instead, Tierney's top pick is a country that has been "knocking on the door." He also loves a huge long shot with a "modest history" that he calls a "ridiculous overlay." He's sharing his Olympics 2021 basketball picks and analysis only at SportsLine.
What country will win gold in men's basketball? And what team is a ridiculous overlay and is a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to get Mike Tierney's predictions for the Tokyo Summer Olympics, all from the renowned sportswriter who's covered nine Olympics in person and cashed big in both 2016 and '18, and find out.
Olympics men's basketball odds
USA -300
Australia +700
Spain +1100
Slovenia +1800
France +2000
Argentina +3300
Nigeria +3300
Italy +5000
Czech Republic +10000
Germany +10000
Iran +50000
Japan +50000
