We are now down to the last 8 teams in the 2015 EuroBasket and even though Monday the 14th of September is a day of rest, there is still plenty of excitement. We enjoyed a brilliant weekend in Lille with the Round of 16 games taking place across Saturday and Sunday. The teams who were successful on Saturday are now involved with the quarter-final ties on Tuesday the 15th of September, so we will focus on these games.
The results of the Round of 16 ties on Saturday 12th of September were:
- Latvia 73 – Slovenia 66
- Greece 75 – Belgium 54
- Spain 80 – Poland 66
- France 76 – Turkey 53
Saturday was a day when the big teams got their act together and there were a number of convincing wins. The closest margin of victory was 7 points, and no one would say that Latvia are one of the giants of European basketball, but they have enjoyed themselves in the tournament so far. Jānis Strēlnieks was the key player for the Latvians on Saturday, grabbing 17 points and offering 8 assists. Zoran Dragić was the star man for the Slovenians, with 17 points, but their tournament is now over. There were just over 10,000 attendees for this early game on Saturday but as the day wore on, the crowds got bigger and louder!
Greece were dominant against Belgium, edging every quarter and triumphing by over 20 points in the end up. The Greeks were boosted by Ioannis Bourousis, who grabbed 14 points, as did Pierre-Antoine Gillet for the losing side. Belgium fared well in their group but they were always up against it in facing Greece.
Spain haven’t been at their best so far in the 2015 EuroBasket but they were more than strong enough to dismantle Poland by a 14 point margin. Once again, Pau Gasol was in great form for the Spanish side and he helped himself to 30 points in the game. The losers were boosted by Damian Kulig who grabbed 10 points and 6 rebounds.
The hosts really stepped into gear in the second and third quarters of their match versus Turkey. Nando De Colo helped himself to 15 points and 7 rebounds in the win that ensured the home crowd were delighted. By the time the hosts played, there were over 26,000 people in attendance.
The quarter-final previews for Tuesday the 15th of September are:
Spain v Greece
This has the makings of a classic. Spain have the experience and Pau Gasol on their side, so you can see why they would be a great bet in this tournament but Greece have been in excellent form so far this campaign. The Greek side have a 6-0 record and they will feel as though they have a great chance of defeating the Spanish and progressing to the semi-finals.
Taking Spain at +1, with odds of 1.90, is a good bet in this one and for the Over/Under market, looks interesting at OVER 148.5 at odds of 1.90. Bet Now!
| Tipster | Tip-off | Home Team | Away Team | O/U | Odds | Free Tip | Sportsbook | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [+] Show TrendsFIBA EuroBasket - Men tip locked in at 14/09 14:00 (Spread Result: 74-71, Totals: 144) | ||||||||||
| giorgio | 15/09 16:30 |  | Spain |  | Greece | 148.5 | 1.90 | Over 148.5 | ||
| SPREAD | +1 | 1.90 | Spain |  Bet ► | ||||||
France v Latvia
By contrast, this should be a game where the hosts please their fans once again. Latvia have performed excellently to get to this stage but their time in France at the 2015 EuroBasket event should be coming to an end on Tuesday.
The bookies make France the clear favourites, you can find Latvia at 16.00 to win the game. You should be looking to take France at -17, at odds of 1.90. For the Over/Under market, look to go OVER 140.5, again at odds of 1.90. Bet Now!
| Tipster | Tip-off | Home Team | Away Team | O/U | Odds | Free Tip | Sportsbook | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [+] Show TrendsFIBA EuroBasket - Men tip locked in at 14/09 14:05 (Spread Result: 67-70, Totals: 154) | ||||||||||
| giorgio | 15/09 19:00 |  | France |  | Latvia | 140.5 | 1.90 | Over 140.5 | ||
| SPREAD | -17 | 1.90 | France | Bet ► | ||||||
The two winners will clash in the semi-final in Lille on Thursday the 17th of September. The two losing quarter-finalists will also be back in action on Thursday the 17th of September, playing in the Olympic Qualifying Playoff games. The winners of these matches can relax with the two losing sides moving on to the 7th placed game on Friday the 18th of September.
It may not have been a final that many people predicted in the build-up to the 2017 FIBA EuroBasket tournament but even with that in mind, there was a shock win. Slovenia have been crowned the Champions of Europe for the first time in their history and they were very much deserved winners on Sunday... 
With Spain falling short in the semi-final against Slovenia, who would eventually go on to take the title, this could have been a game that the Spaniards just wanted over and done with. Mind you, with Russia also involved in the third and fourth game for the Bronze medal, this would have been the Sunday... 
The 2017 EuroBasket tournament, the 40th EuroBasket tournament, begins on 31st of August 2017 and runs to the 17th of September. There are 24 teams taking part in the event which takes place across four different countries. This event is the first of the new cycle for EuroBasket tournaments, which sees the event taking place...