The men's basketball tournament at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics continues on Saturday morning. Team USA, the betting favorite in the entire field, takes on the Czech Republic in group play. Gregg Popovich's team is 1-1 to this point, though the Americans trounced Iran in their last outing. Czech Republic is also 1-1.
Tip-off is set for Saturday at 8 a.m. ET. William Hill Sportsbook has Team USA listed as a 24-point favorite. Team USA is also listed at -4500 on the money line (risk $4500 to win $100), while the Over-Under is set at 183.5.
Before making any 2020 Olympics bets, be sure 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).
Now, with the Tokyo Summer Olympics underway, Tierney has analyzed every angle of Saturday's USA-Czech Republic men's basketball matchup to help bettors find the best betting options. Tierney is leaning on the under for the point total.
He's also identified an x-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. You ABSOLUTELY need to see what he has to say before locking in your picks.
Who wins Saturday's USA vs. Czech Republic matchup? And what X-factor makes one side of the spread a MUST-BACK? Join SportsLine right now to find out which team in the USA vs. Czech Republic game you should back against the spread, all from the expert who has crushed his Olympic picks!
Tierney's pick:
Team USA -22.5
Team USA's fate in this tournament remains murky, but a cover here is likely against a subpar foe. The Czechs had never before qualified for the Olympics and have just one FIBA World Cup appearance, placing sixth in 2019. Only one NBA player, guard Tomas Satoransky of the Bulls, graces the roster. The Czechs opened with a six-point win over Iran a few days after the U.S. demolished the same side by 54. Another common opponent is France, which beat both teams — the U.S. by seven, the Czechs by 20. U.S. guards Jrue Holiday and Devin Booker, who joined the squad late after an arduous NBA playoffs, came off the bench against France because of exhaustion but started versus Iran. Their insertion paid off as the fast break produced numerous baskets. Both should be recovered by now from having virtually no break between the NBA and Olympic tourneys.
