France vs Italy Prediction: Defense Comes to the Forefront

Italy could not defeat the French for nearly 20 years, and now they will try to break their losing streak in the EuroBasket quarterfinals. Will the Italians create a second sensation and continue to fight for medals? 

The French have won medals consistently in the last two top tournaments, but in this EuroBasket, the team has had many problems. In their opening game, they lost to Germany (63:76), then to Slovenia by 6 points, and had a tough game against Turkey. The French club might have been better protected with Nicolas Batum on the roster, but the Los Angeles Clippers forward does not play in the Continental Conference. Other NBA players save the team: Rudy Gober and Evan Fournier are averaging 14 and 14.7 points, respectively. The French are 4th in average steals and 9th in assists, while their 35.3% three-point percentage (10th in the EuroBasket) looks acceptable.

The last time Vensan Collet's wards defeated the Turkish national team only in overtime - 87:86. It was a miracle for the French in regulation time: losing by 2 points, they were awarded an unsportsmanlike foul, but Cedi Osman missed twice. At critical moments, France played good defense and made several important steals, while Gobert was even better on offense. The Minnesota center had 20 points and 17 rebounds.

The Italians played the group stage of the Eurobasket at home, but that is not to say that it helped them much. In 5 games, the team had three wins, losing to the Ukrainians and Greeks. Initially, they were counting on Danilo Gallinari, but even without him, the team has players with experience in the NBA. The best player on the team is undoubtedly Simone Fontecchio, who signed with Utah this summer. He is averaging 19.2 points. The role players should not be underestimated either, with Marco Spissu and Achille Polonara, for example, hitting over 45% of their three-pointers. The Italian national team is 5th in three-point percentage, 4th in assists, and 2nd in steals.

In the last 16, Gianmarco Pozzecco's wards sensationally defeated the Serbs, 94-86. During the game, the opponent went ahead by 10 points or more, but the Italian national team showed their mettle. In the end, almost all of their three-pointers were on the board, and their defense was also worth mentioning. Nicolo Melli closely guarded Nikola Jokic, and in one important episode, he even blocked a shot for the two-time NBA regular season MVP. The Italians shot 42.1% from beyond the arc and had 11 steals. Melli and Spissu were the highest scorers on the team, with 21 and 22 points, respectively.

The Italians as a whole are not having the brightest tournament, and a victory over the Serbs could be just a flash that quickly goes out. Gianmarco Pozzecco's charges had plenty of problems against the Serbs, but in the end the opponent was unable to regroup on defense. We might not see the same three-pointers especially against France, which knows how to defend. Just the defense will come out on over, so don't expect anything scintillating. Gobert, perhaps, will not be allowed to turn around, as the same Jokic, the more so Rudy with his attacking arsenal is much easier to contain.

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