France will seek to reach the gold medal game for the second time in women's basketball at the 2024 Paris Olympics when they face Belgium on Friday at Accor Arena. After losing gold to the United States in the 2012 London Olympics, France has missed out on competing for the top prize again at the past two Olympic Games, losing in the semifinals to the United States in Rio and to Japan in Tokyo. France beat Germany 84-71 in the quarterfinals at the Paris Olympics, while Belgium beat Spain 79-66 to reach the final.
The game is scheduled to kick off at 3 PM ET. The latest France vs. Belgium odds have France favored by 5 points, and the over/under for total points is 143.5. Before you make any Belgium vs. France predictions or Paris 2024 Olympics women's basketball predictions, you should hear from SportsLine's Calvin Wetzel.
As the lead betting writer for HerHoopStats.com, Wetzel combines his mathematical background with a deep knowledge of women's basketball to turn the site's predictive models into picks. Teaming up with Stanford PhD Aaron Barzilai, Wetzel has gone an astounding 1,385-988 (+372.33 units) on women's college basketball picks since the start of the 2021-22 season. He's also on a roll in the 2023 season with an overall record of 238-185-1, resulting in a return on investment of nearly 7%. Anyone who follows him is seeing big returns.
Wetzel broke down the France vs. Belgium match from every angle and gave his predictions and projections: To see his predictions, head over to SportsLine now: Here are the lines and trends for Belgium vs. France:
France vs. Belgium Spread: France -5France vs. Belgium Over/Under: 143.5 pointsFrance vs. Belgium Moneyline: France -230, Belgium +175FRA: France beats Serbia to win bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo OlympicsBEL: Belgium has beaten their last two opponents by an average of 20 pointsFrance vs. Belgium Picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why France can cover it
France opened the Paris Olympics with 75-54 wins over Canada and Nigeria before losing to Australia 79-72 in their final group game, but staged a spectacular comeback against Germany in the quarterfinals, closing out the first quarter with a 7-2 lead and never allowing a comeback the rest of the way. Guard Marine Johannes led France with 24 points, Gabby Williams had 15 points, six rebounds and five assists, and forward Alexi Shelley also added 10 points.
Johannes, 29, is averaging 13.8 points in Paris, making five 3-pointers compared to four for the entire German team, while Williams is averaging 14 points, 5.8 assists and 3.5 steals per game. Williams, 27, has recorded 15 points in two consecutive games and is the only player to score in double figures in every game for France. Along with Johannes, Williams and Shelley, center Marieme Badain also scored in double figures for France, scoring a team-leading 13 points in the opening group game against Canada. Badain also grabbed six rebounds in three of the four games. See the picks at SportsLine.
Why Belgium can cover it
The Paris Olympics did not start well for Belgium, suffering double-digit losses to Germany and the United States in the group stage, but bounced back in impressive fashion to beat Japan by 27 points and Spain by 13 points in the quarterfinals. Four Belgian players scored double figures in their victories, with forward Emma Meesseman being the top scorer on both sides.
The 31-year-old Meesseman, who played eight seasons in the WNBA from 2013-2022, had 30 points and 11 rebounds against Japan and was one rebound shy of a double-double with 19 points against Spain. Meesseman is averaging 24.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in the Summer Olympics, with guard Julie VanLu (11.8 points, 6 assists) and forward Antonia Delaire (11, 5.3) also providing solid contributions. See the picks at SportsLine.
How to predict France vs Belgium
Wetzel broke down Belgium vs. France from every angle and is leaning towards the over on the point total. He also found a key X-factor that could put him on one side of the spread, and he's sharing exclusively with SportsLine what it is and which side you should back.
So who will win the semifinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics between France and Belgium? And what are the key X-factors that make you bet on either side of the spread? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you should bet on Belgium vs France, all from experts who have made a commanding record of women's basketball predictions.
