The 2024 Paris Olympics conclude on Sunday and Belgium and Australia play in the bronze-medal game for women’s basketball. Both teams fell short in the semifinals but have a chance to bring home some hardware. On Friday, Belgium lost to France 81-75 in overtime. On the other side, Australia was knocked off by Team USA 85-64.
Tipoff is at 5:30 a.m. ET in Paris, France. Australia is a 2-point favorite in the latest Belgium vs. Australia odds, while the over/under for total points is 147.5. Before making any Australia vs. Belgium picks or 2024 Paris Olympics women’s basketball predictions, you need to see what SportsLine’s Calvin Wetzel has to say.
Wetzel, HerHoopStats.com’s lead betting writer, incorporates his mathematical background and strong knowledge of women’s hoops to turn the site’s prediction model into picks. After teaming up with Aaron Barzilai, a Ph.D. from Stanford, Wetzel is an incredible 1,385-988 (+372.33 units) on women’s college basketball picks since the start of the 2021-22 season. He’s also coming off a great 2023 season with a 238-185-1 overall record that featured a return on investment of nearly 7%. Anyone following him has seen huge returns.
Now, Wetzel has broken down Australia vs. Belgium from every angle and just revealed his picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are the lines and trends for Belgium vs. Australia:
- Belgium vs. Australia spread: Australia -2
- Belgium vs. Australia over/under: 147.5 points
- Belgium vs. Australia money line: Australia -135, Belgium +105
- BEL: Averages 25.2 assists per contest
- AUS: Logs 8.6 offensive rebounds per game
- Belgium vs. Australia picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Belgium can cover
Belgium’s offense has been solid throughout the tournament. It has averaged 76.4 points with 25.2 assists per game. This group has scored 80-plus points in three games during the Olympics. Forward Emma Meesseman generates offensive looks from all around the floor. Meesseman gets into the lane with no hesitation while being a threat on the glass. The 31-year-old has been one of the best players over the last two weeks.
She ranks first in the Olympics in points (23.4), sixth in rebounds (8) and averages 4.8 assists per game. In her last outing, Meesseman finished 19 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists. Guard Julie Vanloo is a pass-first ball handler who can also create her own shot. Vanloo is second in the Olympics in assists per game (6) with 11.6 points per game. In the quarterfinal win over Spain, she recorded 13 points and seven assists. See the picks at SportsLine.
Why Australia can cover
Australia is seeking to bounce back in the matchup after the loss to Team USA. The Aussies head into battle with some slight advantages over Belgium. They average more rebounds (39.4) and steals (8.8). Guard Sami Whitcomb is the main ball handler and facilitator for this group. She’s logged 12.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game.
On Aug. 7 versus Serbia, Whitcomb dropped 15 points, four assists and made three 3-pointers. Forward Alanna Smith generates plenty of opportunities around the basket as both a scorer and rebounder. Smith does a great job creating space near the rim, ranking ninth in rebounds (7.2) along with 11.2 points per game. In the semifinals against Serbia, she finished with 22 points, 13 boards and four dimes. See the picks at SportsLine.
How to make Belgium vs. Australia picks
Wetzel has analyzed Belgium vs. Australia from every angle, and he’s leaning Under on the point total. He has also found a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He’s sharing what it is, and which side to back, only at SportsLine.
So who wins Australia vs. Belgium in the semifinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics, and what critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Belgium vs. Australia spread to jump on, all from the expert with a history of crushing his women’s basketball picks, and find out.
