EuroBaskets 2025 is quickly winding down as Sunday, September 7, marks the final four games of the tournament’s Round of 16.
EuroBaskets 2025 is in its second phase, the Round of 16 games. The first set of quarterfinal affairs went pretty much as expected. Germany thrashed Portugal, while Lithuania and Turkey also secured victories. However, Lauri Markkanen and Finland closed Saturday’s set of games with a massive upset over Nikola Jokic and Serbia.
Today’s four games will feature Poland vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina, France vs. Georgia, Italy vs. Slovenia, and Greece vs. Israel.
Poland vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina
Money Line: Bosnia and Herzegovina: +155, Poland -195
Spread: Poland -4.5
Over/Under: 159.5 points
Poland and Bosnia and Herzegovina get the second half of EuroBasket’s Round of 16 underway on Sunday morning. Today’s 5 a.m. (ET) The contest will be the fourth ever meeting between Poland and BIH. Poland has won each of the previous meetings, with the most recent victory coming in 2023 during the Pre-Olympic qualifying.
Poland has been a regular participant in EuroBasket, playing in its eighth consecutive tournament. But 2022 was only the second time The Red and White have finished in the top 10 of the event, as they fell to Germany in the Bronze medal contest.
Poland finished 3-2 in the group phase, placing second behind France. However, Poland enters the game against BIH on a two-game losing streak. After losing to France, the Red and White fell to Belgium 70-69 in their last meeting.
Poland doesn’t have any NBA players on its roster. The Red and White averages 80 points and allows 77 a game. Jordan Lloyd, who played 12 games for the Toronto Raptors in 2018-19, leads the way for Poland with 22.0 points and three triples with shooting splits of 50/48.4/50. Mateusz Ponitka has also been excellent, as he averages 17 points and eight boards
Bosnia and Herzegovina has been a regular participant in EuroBaskets since 1993. However, similarly to Poland, they haven’t had much success. BIH hasn’t won a round of 16 contest since 1993, when they finished in eighth place.
Bosnia and Herzegovina finished third in Group C with a 3-2 record in the group phase. The Dragons are coming off a 91-64 throttling of Cyprus to snap a two-game skid. They have scored and given up the same number of points thus far, averaging 80 points per contest.
Utah Jazz center Jusuf Nurkic is BIH’s only NBA player and leads the way for The Dragons. Nurkic averages 16.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks while shooting 47.5% from the field. John Roberson, who played at Texas Tech from 2007-11, is the only other player in double-figures with 11.4 points a contest.
Prediction
Expect this contest between Poland and Bosnia and Herzegovina to be a tight and close match throughout. BIH has Nurkic and should be able to control the pace. I have Poland as a one-point favorite.
Projected score: Bosnia and Herzegovina 82-80
While I have Bosnia and Herzegovina winning this game, it is essentially a coin flip. As a result, the best bet is to take the 4.5 points, but the best value is to take BIH plus-money.
Best Bet: Bosnia and Herzegovina +155
Over/ Under: Pass
France vs. Georgia
Money Line: France -2000, Georgia +850
Spread: France -16
Over/Under: 154.5 Points
Sunday’s Game 2 features FIBA’s No. 4-ranked France and No. 24 Georgia. France and Georgia are meeting for the first time in history. France is looking for its sixth EuroBasket medal this century, while Georgia is searching for its first appearance in the Final 8.
France has finished second in two of its last three International tournaments, the 2023 World Cup and 2022 EuroBasket. Les Bleus have only failed to finish in the top 8 of the tournament three times since 1975.
France has won two straight and finished first in Group D with a 4-1 record. Les Bleus averages 92 points and permits 78. New York Knicks forward Guerschon Yabulese leads three players in double-figures with 14 points. Elie Okobo averages 13.4 points and 5.4 assists while shooting 51.1% from the field and 50% from deep. Zaccharrie Risacher is third on the team with 10.9 points per contest.
Georgia went 2-3 in Group C, tying Spain for the fourth and final spot. Georgia earned a trip to the Round of 16 thanks to its victory over Spain. The Crusaders, playing in their sixth straight EuroBaskets event, need one more victory to set a national team record in the event. They fell to Bosnia and Herzegovina 84-76 in their last outing.
NBA big men Sandro Mamukelashvili (14.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists) and Goga Bitadze (18,3 points, 6.8 rebounds) lead the way for Georgia. Former second-round draft pick Tornike Shengelia (9.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists) and 2020 All-Big East selection Kamar Baldwin (10 points, 4.4 assists) are also on the roster.
Prediction
France has been one of the top teams in Europe for most of this century. The French have thrived offensively in EuroBasket 2025, ranking third in points at 92.2 points per game, as they are well-balanced with seven players averaging at least seven points. While Alex Sarr remains sidelined, which means Georgia has a considerable advantage upfront, the Les Bleus are the deeper and more athletic squad.
France is 9-1 over their last 10 contests (EuroBaskets and EuroBaskets Prep games) with an average margin of victory of 12 points. Meanwhile, Georgia is just 2-8, having been outscored by 12 points. However, they have been outscored by an average of 18 points against teams that made the Round of 16 this year.
Therefore, expect France to roll.
Projected score: France 89-73
Since the projected score is equal to the spread (-16), I will pass. I can see both teams depending on the pace of the contest. The slower the game, the more it benefits Georgia. I have a spread range of 13 to 21 points.
Still, with defense being an issue for both squads, expect there to be lots of points. I have a point total between 157 and 163 points.
Best Bet: Over 154.5 points (-112)
Player Props:
Elie Okobo: Over 17.5 points and assists (-118)
Kamar Baldwin: Over 14.5 points and assists (-118)
Goga Bitadze: Over 14.5 points (-134)
Zaccharie Risacher: Over 10.5 points (-118)
© Paul Rutherford, Imagn images
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