New-Look Team USA Given Overwhelming Odds To Win 2023 FIBA World Cup

The 2023 FIBA World Cup is only about a month away, and with a team full of fresh faces representing Team USA in the tournament, oddsmakers are still favoring them to win it all.

Among all the 32 teams competing, the No. 2-ranked in the world Team USA opens the field as a minus-225 favorite with No. 6-ranked Serbia coming in second with plus-600 odds while No. 9 Greece and world No. 7 Slovenia both having plus-900 odds to win it all according to BetOnline.

As for the other nations competing, their odds are as follows:

• France: plus-1000
• Australia: plus-1200
• Spain: plus-1400
• Canada: plus-1600
• Germany, Lithuania: plus-1800
• Italy: plus-3300
• Brazil: plus-5000
• Latvia, Montenegro: plus-10000
• Dominican Republic, Finland: plus-15000
• Georgia, Puerto Rico: plus-20000
• Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Venezuela: plus-25000
• China, Cote d'Ivoire, Iran, Lebanon, South Sudan: plus-50000
• Angola, Cape Verde, Egypt, Jordan: plus-75000

The official Team USA roster was released last week. While many were hoping to see some holdovers from the 2022 Olympic teams, it quickly became apparent that the country will be represented by an entire cast of fresh faces.

Bannered by the best up-and-coming NBA stars like Anthony Edwards, Mikal Bridges, Brandon Ingram and Jaren Jackson Jr., there has been doubt from the fans as to whether they can contend in the quadrennial tournament.

As it stands, the likeliest starting five will feature the aforementioned four players while the point guard spot is still up for grabs between Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Haliburton–both youngsters being viewed by fans as two of the NBA's point guards of the future.

While there are worries regarding the team's readiness to compete on such a big stage, a coaching staff featuring Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors as the head coach with assistants Mark Few of Gonzaga University, Tyronn Lue of the Los Angeles Clippers and Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat will be able to make them competitive against other powerhouses.

Fans interested in viewing Team USA's progress will have to follow the Philippine time zone as they were drawn Group C alongside Jordan, Greece and New Zealand with its games taking place at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, Metro Manila.

The talent to compete is certainly there with the NBA's best young stars representing Team USA, and they are expected to advance past the group stages with the hope of returning to the top of the podium after a dismal seventh-place finish in the 2019 edition of the FIBA World Cup.

The 2023 FIBA World Cup will tip-off on August 25, 4:00 PM local time (August 24, 4:00 AM ET) with Team USA's first game happening on August 26, 8:40 PM (August 25, 8:40 AM ET) against New Zealand.