USA vs Serbia Olympic Women’s Basketball Semifinal Picks and Odds
- The United States and Serbia square off in Olympic women’s basketball semifinals at 12:40 a.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 6th
- Team USA, winners of 53 straight Olympic games, is heavy favorites while trying to return to the gold medal game
- See a preview, the odds, and the best bet below
The United States and Serbia open up the semifinal round of the Olympic women’s basketball competition on Friday, August 6th in Tokyo.
Team USA, coming into the game undefeated while winners of 53 straight Olympic games, will battle Serbia at 12:40 a.m. ET on Friday for a spot in the gold medal game against the winner of the other semifinal game between Japan and France, which starts at 7 a.m. ET on Friday. The gold medal match will begin at 10 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 7th, with the bronze medal game starting at 3 a.m. ET on Saturday.
The USA and Serbia semifinal matchup will be aired on NBC and can be streamed on Peacock and NBCOlympics.com.
USA vs Serbia Odds
| Team | Spread at FanDuel | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | -17.5 (-111) | -3000 | Over 158.5 (-111) |
| Serbia | +17.5 (-115) | +1000 | Under 158.5 (-115) |
Odds as of Aug. 4th
USA Dominating Olympics So Far
The United States has dominated the Tokyo Olympics through the semifinal round of competition, having finished group play with a record of 3-0 and most recently blowing out Australia in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
Having won an impressive 53 straight in Olympic play, USA is trying to claim its sixth straight gold medal and eighth overall in Tokyo, breezing to a gold medal finish in the 2016 Olympics.
Different game, same Stewie 😤 @breannastewart vs 🇦🇺
🔥 23 PTS
🔥 8-of-10 FG🇺🇸 #USABWNT x #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/ijGXq8Cbnk
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) August 4, 2021
Flooded with WNBA talent and some of the best players in the world, Team USA has been led by A’ja Wilson with 20.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.3 steals in 27.6 minutes per game and Breanna Stewart averaging 13.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.0 blocks in 35.6 minutes per contest.
Behind Wilson and Stewart, Brittney Griner, averaging 13.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 blocks in 18.2 minutes per game, and Jewell Loyd, averaging 7.3 points, 3.7 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 23.5 minutes, have played well to boost the Americans.
Serbia Looks to Pull off Another Upset
Serbia will look to stay hot against the United States, most recently coming from behind to upset China in the quarterfinals to notch its second win in a row to reach the semifinal round with a chance to now claim an Olympic medal. In group play, Serbia finished with a record of 2-1, its only loss coming against Spain in the end of July.
In 2016, Serbia won bronze after taking down France in the bronze medal game, winning its first-ever Olympic medal. Now in Tokyo, the Serbian squad tries to at least make it two in a row while trying to improve upon that and perhaps upset Team USA.
Towering forward Jelena Brooks drills 18 points as Serbia sweep past China and into an #Olympics women's basketball semi-final against either the US or Australia pic.twitter.com/UStbkN2yCr
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) August 4, 2021
Serbia has three former WNBA players on the roster that some fans might be familiar with, notably Sonja Vasić, who last played with the Mercury in 2016, Jelena Brooks, who last played with the Mystics in 2014, and Ana Dabović, who last played with the Sparks in 2016.
Leading the way for Serbia to this point has been Brooks with a team-best 13.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 30.2 minutes per game. Vasić has averaged 11.3 points, a team-best 7.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steal in 30.8 minutes a game, while Yvonne Anderson is averaging 11.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 23.4 minutes of action.
Best Bet
When it comes to who to bet on to come out of the first of two semifinal games to find out who will be heading to the gold medal game and who will fall into the bronze medal contest, it’s hard to bet against the United States regardless of who it is playing.
Although Team USA hasn’t looked as impressive as we have seen in past Olympics, the Americans are still an incredibly stacked and very deep team flooded with WNBA talent that will be incredibly tough for any other country to overcome. And as the games continue, Team USA continues to gain chemistry together and could end up being tougher to face as the rounds progress.
In this jersey, it just means more.
🇺🇸 #USABWNT x #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/ebQeH1JfjM
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) August 4, 2021
As the early betting lines going into the game between the USA and Serbia showcase, the United States is a heavy favorite and should come away with another victory to improve to 5-0 overall and extend its Olympic winning streak to 54 straight games. It would take some nearly disastrous for the USA to get upset in this contest, so bet on the Americans once again advancing to the gold medal game by taking down Serbia in the semifinals.
When it comes to a specific bet to put some money down on in the game, let’s go with the over/under line of 158.5, picking the over on that mark. If all goes well for the USA, that number should be surpassed by the end of play Friday.
- Best Bet: Over 158.5 (-111)
Mitchell has a decade of experience in journalism, marketing, communications and digital fields, having covered sports teams and leagues on all levels. He has spent more than seven years covering the WNBA and NBA, among other sports. You can follow him on Twitter @M_Hansen13.
