Betting Tips for Czech Republic vs. Iran – Olympic Basketball (July 25, 2021)

The Olympic basketball tournament gets underway on July 25th in Tokyo. The first two teams to take center stage at Saitama Super Arena will be Czech Republic and Iran. USA and France are considered the “heavy hitters” of Group A, but remember 8 of the 12 nations advance to the next round.

It potentially leaves room for Czech Republic or Iran to sneak into the knockout portion, but it’ll be imperative to get off to a quick start in the opener.

Here I preview the game and unveil my Czech Republic vs. Iran prediction.

Czech Republic begins its tour in Tokyo as a massive 18-point favorite. Ronen Ginzburg’s club arrives with momentum on their side after drumming Greece in the championship game (97-72) of the Olympic Basketball Qualifying Tournament in Victoria, BC, on July 4^th.

On the flip side, Iran is here as a result of being the top team from FIBA Asia at the 2019 FIBA qualifying tournament. Unfortunately, that’s not saying much.

A quick peek at the best apps to bet on the Olympics displays Iran as a +50000 long shot to win the gold medal; only Japan (+100000) is priced higher.

Despite having just one current NBA player on its roster, Czechia possesses significant depth and is armed with more than a few capable scorers. It all starts with Tomas Satoransky, the Chicago Bulls combo guard who was the hero during the qualifying tournament.

Satoransky hit the game-winner in overtime against Canada in the semifinal to send Czech Republic to the championship game. Tomas ended the four-game run averaging 16 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists. Consequently, he’s one of the basketball players to watch at the Tokyo Olympics.

Flanking Satoransky on the perimeter is Blake Schlib, a 37-year-old point forward who lit Canada up for 31 points on 7/12 shooting from beyond the arc. The combination of Patrik Auda and Ondrej Balvin anchor the paint – the latter stands 7’1” and averaged a double-double in the QT.

All in all – there’s a whole lot of firepower that Iran must account for.

Just their third trip to the Summer Games (1948, 2008), Iran is an unknown commodity in the “big picture” landscape of professional basketball. In fact, here’s how little is known about the group that Iran will roll out in Tokyo.

What we can confirm is that team finished 23^rd out of 32 teams at the 2019 FIBA Cup. In other words, they’re here due to the process of elimination. One nation from Asia had to qualify – Iran received that honor. 

I’ll keep this Czech Republic vs. Iran pick short and sweet. Czech Republic defeated a Canadian team (in British Columbia) that was littered with legitimate NBA talent. They smoked a Rick Pitino-coached squad that had been playing and practicing together for quite some time by 25 points the following day.

We’re basically a week out from Tokyo, and Iran is still in scramble mode to figure out who’s going to suit up on the hardwood.

Rather than overthink it, back Czech Republic and expect them to win this one comfortably.