Erik Beaston August 8, 2024 Olympic Basketball Bracket 2024: Women’s Semis TV Schedule, Live Stream and Odds
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DAMIEN MEYER/AFP via Getty Images
And then there were four.
The semifinals of the 2024 women’s Olympic basketball tournament will take place Friday, when the United States will look to cash its ticket to an eighth straight gold medal matchup.
The Americans battle Australia in the first semifinal, while France and Belgium compete in the other last-four tie.
When can viewers check out the action and where, and what are the current odds for the two showdowns?
Find out with this preview of the action.
Viewing Information
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GREGORY SHAMUS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
The semifinals of the women’s Olympic basketball tournament can be seen at the following times and on the following platforms:
United States vs. Australia
Time: 11:30 a.m. ET
TV: USA Network
Streaming: Peacock and NBCOlympics.com
Belgium vs. France
Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
Streaming: Peacock and NBCOlympics.com
Current Odds
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Marvin Ibo Guengoer – GES Sportfoto/Getty Images
DraftKings Sportsbook has the current odds for Friday’s games as follows:
United States vs. Australia
USA: (-4000; bet $100, win $102.50)
Australia: (+1500; bet $100, win $1600)
France vs. Belgium
France: (-185)
Belgium: (+154)
France vs. Belgium
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Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
France has averaged 76.5 points to Belgium’s 76.8 per game, and the host nation has the slight edge in offensive rebounds with nine to Belgium’s eight, while both average 5.3 blocks per game.
It is in the advanced stats that a clear edge becomes more apparent.
France capitalizes more frequently when forcing turnovers, scoring 21.8 points to its semifinal opponent’s 17. The host country scores 7.8 more fast break points than Belgium, 3.3 more second-chance points and benefits from a staggering 29.2 more points from its bench.
Add to that the fact that Belgium has conceded two matches in Paris and looked shaky at times, and you have more reason to believe the Les Bleues have the upper hand in Friday’s contest.
The host nation has been in this position before having advanced to the semifinals in each of the last two Olympics, so it knows what the level of competition is at this point in the tournament and what it will take to advance to the gold-medal match.
That it has managed 11 of 12 wins in international play in 2024 only further enhances its odds.
Belgium has a history with France, winning three of its last four against the team, and its stout defense has been instrumental in rebounding from two early losses, meaning the team will not be intimidated by the experience of its opponents.
Still, this feels like France’s time to push into the final and compete against the winner of the United States-Australia matchup for the gold medal.
United States vs. Australia
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Marvin Ibo Guengoer – GES Sportfoto/Getty Images
The United States has won 59 consecutive games and is two away from claiming its eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal.
No team has proved to be the country’s equal to this point in the tournament or any of the last eight Olympic Games in which the American women have dominated.
A’Ja Wilson, the best player in this tournament, guided the U.S. to a victory over Nigeria with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Breanna Stewart, the other player making headlines at this year’s Games for her play on the court, added 13 points.
There is no reason to believe the Americans will not continue their one-sided path to another gold medal against an Australian team that has performed admirably but lacks the firepower to go shot-for-shot against the U.S.
They also lost to a Nigerian team that their semifinal opponent has soundly defeated twice before.
Barring overconfidence or strategic missteps, this is the Americans’ game to win.
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