Italy vs USA Prediction & Betting Tips - Basketball World Cup

Prediction published on 04/09/2023, 19:19  by Joseph King | Modified on 04/09/2023 at 19:20 in Basketball World Cup Predictions

The quarter-final of the 2023 FIBA World Cup sees tournament favorites the United States facing off against 10th-ranked Italy. The winner of this fixture will go on to face either Germnay or Latvia in the semi-finals. The USA will be out to respond after losing their first game of the tournament in their last appearance. The Americans were unable to cope with a versatile Lithuania side who shot 56% from three and out-rebounded them by a margin of 16. Head coach Steve Kerr will hope the loss can serve as a wake-up call moving into the knockout rounds. Prior to the loss, the United States had won their previous four games in the competition by an average winning margin of 26.3 points. The result snapped a streak of nine consecutive wins for Team USA and was their first defeat since February of 2023.

Italy will surely be cursing their luck ahead of this quarter-final. Despite topping Group I with a record of four wins and one defeat, they have still received the most difficult possible draw coming up against the five-time winners. The Italians finished second in their initial group with wins over Angola and the Philippines as well as a loss to the Dominican Republic. The second group stage phase saw them win both of their outings, a 78-76 victory over Serbia and a 73-57 win over Puerto Rico. Italy has largely struggled shooting the ball in this tournament which is evidenced by their 31% mark from beyond the arc. They’ve also managed to crack 90 points on just one occasion. However, Italy’s strong defense has seen them through to this stage of the tournament as they are allowing an average of just 74 points per game.