Worldwide, there's just as much betting on basketball in the Summer Olympics as the rest of the events combined. The tournaments have been expanded to 12 teams this year, though it's still questionable whether anyone can stop the mighty United States.
Get yourself ready for betting on the Summer Olympics today! We'll have all of the great Olympics odds at BookMaker.eu.
THE FORMAT
On both the men's and women's side of the draw, teams are split into two groups of six teams. The teams will play five games against each other to eliminate four of the clubs. The teams will be ranked from No. 1 to 8 and will meet in a bracket-style tournament from there. The losers of the two semifinal matches will play against each other in the bronze medal match.
HISTORY OF BASKETBALL IN THE SUMMER OLYMPICS
Men's basketball has been an Olympic sport since 1936, and the Americans have been truly dominant. They've won gold medals 14 out of a possible 18 times, and they've gotten bronzes three times. The Americans boycotted the tournament in 1980.
Spain, Lithuania and Argentina have been the up and coming countries in the Olympics, though with the popularity of basketball rising globally, it's only a matter of time until other nations catch up as well. Spain has placed second to the U.S. in each of the last two Olympic Games. Argentina won the gold for the first time in 2004 in Athens and followed that up with a third-place showing in Beijing in 2008. The Lithuanians have played in the third place game five times in the last six Olympic Games.
On the women's side of things, the Americans have predictably been the major force. They've won the gold medals five straight times, and it would be shocking if they didn't do it again in 2016.
Australia has been the runner-up nation in the Olympics a ton of late, doing so in 2000, 2004 and 2008. In London in 2012, the Aussies finished with bronze medals while France finished as the runner-up to the United States.
TEAMS TO WATCH
It's all going to start and likely finish with the American teams. The United States has its pick of the litter of NBA and WNBA players, and on the women's side of things, you may as well just send Geno Auriemma's UConn basketball squad which has won four straight National Championships.
On the men's side, there are three teams which are still working for spots in the field. The United States, Brazil, Australia, Nigeria, Venezuela, Argentina, Spain, Lithuania and China have already qualified. Keep in mind that Spain has not only reached the final of the Olympic games in 2008 and 2012, but it also has one of the few teams in the world outside of the U.S. which can field a starting five of all NBA players, led by Marc and Pau Gasol.
Serbia won the women's EuroBasket Tournament in 2015, and that immediately makes it a contender even though it has never medaled before in the Olympics. Ana Dabovic was the MVP of the tournament, and she has herself a career with the Los Angeles Sparks.
Brazil, Canada, Australia, Japan and Senegal are all coming to the Summer Olympics on the women's side as well, as will five more teams in June's FIBA World Qualifying Tournament.
AND THE GOLD MEDALS GO TO…
It's all about the United States.
The American men and women just have a glut of talent at their disposal, and no matter who's on the team, the reserves will be better than the starting five for any other team in the world.
The one thing the men have to be careful of is the adjustment to international rules. It's a little more like college with all of the outside shooting, and that sometimes gets the Stars and Stripes in a bit of trouble. A hot shooting team on any given day might be able to take out the United States on either side, but it's just incredibly unlikely that happens.
Though betting against the Yanks on either side of the draw is tough to do, keep in mind that the spreads are going to be massive and incredibly square. Still, we see the Americans sweeping the men's and women's tourneys in Rio.
Olympics odds at BookMaker.eu
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil run from Saturday, August 6, 2016 through Sunday, August 21, 2016. All of the events can be seen on the NBC family of networks.
