Some of the best basketball players in the world take the floor on Wednesday morning wearing red, white and blue. Team USA Basketball continues its run in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, and there should be a sense of urgency after a surprising opening-game loss. The Americans were defeated by France in their first Group A game in Japan, and they need to bounce back.
Iran dropped its Group A opener to the Czech Republic, 84-78.Tip-off is set for 12:40 a.m. ET. William Hill Sportsbook lists the Americans as 40-point favorites in the latest Team USA vs. Iran odds for men’s basketball. The over-under for total points is set at 167. Before finalizing any Iran vs. USA basketball picks or Olympic basketball 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. At 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 202 Tokyo Summer Olympics underway, Tierney has analyzed every angle of Wednesday’s USA vs. Iran matchup and revealed his top Olympic basketball picks and predictions. He’s only sharing those picks at SportsLine. Now, here are the Olympics 2021 odds and betting trends for Iran vs. USA:
- USA vs. Iran spread: USA -40
- USA vs. Iran over-under: 167 points
- USA: Going for fourth-straight gold medal in the Olympics
- Iran: Third all-time appearance in the Olympics for men’s basketball
Why you should back the USA
Team USA has everything it needs from a talent standpoint. The Americans have superstars, headlined by Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, Jayson Tatum and Devin Booker. Team USA also has superstar role players like Draymond Green and Bam Adebayo, as well as players that are carrying over their recent experiences from the 2021 NBA Finals such as Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton.
All told, the Americans have the best roster in the field, and it is entirely comprised of NBA players. In contrast, Iran doesn’t have a single active NBA player, and the talent disparity can be seen in the point spread. While that number obviously presents a challenge on some level, Team USA is trying to get things going after a disappointing start, and this is a group that is capable of dialing a score against a team at Iran’s level.
Why you should back Iran
Iran is the three-time champions of the Asia Cup. And while Iran does not have any current NBA players on its roster, big man Hamed Haddadi played in the NBA for multiple seasons, and he scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in Iran’s opening game of the 2020 Olympics. Behnam Yakhchali posted a game-high mark with 23 points of his own and, more than anything, Iran may benefit from the struggles of Team USA.
The talent disparity between the two sides is large, but the same could be said about Team USA against France, and the Americans fell short in their opener. Many believe Team USA is less than the sum of its parts right now, and Iran is an experienced team that has more cohesion as a whole. On top of that, this is a large point spread that could be tough to cover, even for the high-powered American side.
How to make 2020 Tokyo Olympics picks
Tierney has taken a close look at the USA vs. Iran Olympic basketball matchup from all angles and is leaning under on the point total. He’s also found a critical x-factor that has him jumping on one side of the Team USA vs. Iran spread. He’s only sharing his top picks and Olympics 2020 basketball predictions at SportsLine.
So who covers in the USA vs. Iran Olympics 2020 men’s basketball game? And which critical x-factor do you need to know about? Visit SportsLine now to get Mike Tierney’s predictions for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, all from the renowned sportswriter who’s covered nine Olympics in person and cashed big in both 2016 and ’18, and find out.
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