The FIBA World Cup quarter finals games begin on Tuesday with two games with Spain and Argentina both hot betting favorites to advance through to the semis. Spain will play tournament surprise packets Poland in their quarter final, while Argentina and Serbia promises to be an absolute beauty.
Our man on the ground Jason has taken a look at the FIBA World Cup betting for both of Tuesday’s quarter finals. Read our guide to learn about betting on basketball. Or find the top betting site for United States.
Argentina vs Serbia betting picks
Argentina (-12.5) did not have a tough time winning their two 2nd round games winning each by a margin of at least 20 points. However, they have had one of the easier draws in the tournament and have not faced a solid team until now.
Serbia (O/U 162) is coming off a loss to Spain in their last game where they looked like they simply did not want the game. They only shot 40.4% from the floor and while NBA star Bogdan Bogdanovic went for 26 points no other player had more than eight points. Needless to say, the Serbs need more balance in this game.
Both of these teams like to get out and run and bomb away from 3-pt land. Bogdanovic is averaging 20.3 ppg for the tournament Serbia ranks 2nd in the tournament in ppg even though they only have three players averaging in double figures. Nikola Jokic had a double-double in the first 2nd round game, but then against Spain only had six points and five rebounds against Spain only playing 17 minutes. The Denver Nuggets’ big man has play big in this game and play good defense in the paint and give the team a scoring boost.
Argentina has had a balanced attack in the tournament led by veteran Luis Scola, who is averaging 17.4 ppg and 7.8 rpg in the competition. PG Facundo Campazzo is averaging 13 ppg in being one of four players averaging in double figures and his play at the point will be key running the show and setting the fast pace.
Prediction – Argentina to cover the spread
Argentina will use their balance in this game and control the game with passing and pace. They will get the win, but Serbia will look much better than they did against Spain giving the South American team a challenge and they will cover the double-digit spread.
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Spain vs Poland betting preview
FIBA’s 2nd ranked team in Spain (-16.5) is undefeated in the FIBA World Cup and their defense has been great in the tournament holding their opponents to an average of 63.8 ppg. No surprise they are big betting favorites facing a Poland (O/U)team that was crushed in their last game.
Poland has to get over their last game where they lost to Argentina 91-65. They only shot 38.1% from the floor while allowing Argentina to shoot 54.3%. A.J. Slaughter was the only starter to go for over six points (16 points) and he had only totaled 15 points in the previous two games. Mateusz Ponitka leads the Poles averaging 14 ppg in the tournament and in the bad loss to Argentina he only had four points on 1/5 shooting.
Poland and Spain are the two lowest scoring teams in the quarterfinals, so defense will be the key and the Spanish have the big edge in that department.
Ricky Rubio leads Spain in the World Cup averaging 14 ppg with Marc Gasol averaging 11.6 ppg and Juancho Hernangomez, who are each averaging at least 5.8 ppg, at 10.2 ppg.
Prediction – Spain’s defense to stand tall
Look for Spain to easily win this game, but because of their defense not their offense. They will not light up the scoreboard and while they will handily win Poland will cover the spread getting 16.5 points.
