United States vs Itlay
FIBA: Tuesday, September 5th at 8:40 AM ET
Betting Odds: United States -16.5 -- Over/Under: 177.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
Italy and the United States face off on Tuesday morning in the FIBA World Cup basketball showdown at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Italy Betting Preview
Italy comes into this game with a 4-1 record overall but their loss was a bad one. Against the Dominican Republic, the defense wasn’t good enough, and that led to the 87-82 victory. Since that game though Italy has beaten the Philippines, Serbia, and Puerto Rico. In the last game against Puerto Rico, the defense was elite giving up only 57 points and that was enough for the victory. They allowed Italy only to shoot 37 percent from the field and 23.1 percent from behind the three point line. In this game, Italy is going to need that defense to be really good again here. Italy was led by Giampaolo Ricci who finished with 15 points and three rebounds.
USA Betting Preview
The United States were just rolling in the tournament before they faced off against Lithuania in the last game. At the end of the first quarter they were down 31-12 and although they were able to fight back they ended up losing 110-104. They allowed Lithuania to shoot 52.8 percent from the field and 56 percent from behind the three point line. It has been Anthony Edwards coming out party and against Lithuania he finished with 35 points, two assists, and one rebound. There were four different players that finished with at least 10 points. Even though they lost, the offense still scored 110 points, and they are going to need to try and run up the score here.
Shane’s Free Pick
Italy isn’t going to hit the shots from deep like Lithuania did and that means they won’t be keeping this game close. Anthony Edwards can’t be stopped right now, and he’s going to find a ton of success again in this game. Look for Edwards to go over 30 points, and Italy isn’t going to be keeping up. Italy will finish with under 70 points, and the United States will cover the spread here. Many might not trust the United States here, but I really do trust them.