Charlie Cummings breaks down his pick and prediction for Thursday’s EuroBasket game between Iceland and France.
On the final day of EuroBasket group play, a lot is at stake in the final two groups. In Group D, a three-way tie for first place needs to be settled. France is one of the three teams and will be looking to secure its position in the Round of 16 with a convincing win over Iceland.
The French are 20.5-point favorites and hold -3200 odds on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The total is set at 152.5 points. Let’s look at the best bets and predictions for this Iceland–France contest.
Iceland vs. France prediction, pick
It hasn’t been the result that Iceland was looking for in this tournament. At 0-4, they’ve already been eliminated from the Round of 16. But it’s worth mentioning that three of their four losses were by single digits. Remaining competitive in such a tough group is something to take pride in when they look at future tournaments.
The French may be disappointed with how this group stage has gone. In the 2024 Paris Olympics, they proved themselves to be one of the top teams in the world. Even without Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert, they expect to be the top team in this group. Needing a win on the final day to have a shot at winning the group is below their expectation.
The big story for them has been Guerschon Yabusele having his best-ever tournament in blue and white. He put an exclamation point on his group stage in their last game, recording 36 points in 36 minutes to win over Poland.
They’ll need Yabusele to be his best self in this game. A win isn’t all they are chasing; they lead Poland (also 3-1) on point differential by four points. Even if the victory is in hand, they need to play a complete 40 minutes to have the best chance at winning the group. And if the French are keeping the pedal to the metal all game long, it’s going to be a rough game for Iceland.
Best Bet: France -20.5