EuroBasket 2022 Predictions, Best Bets, Favorites to Win

• Europe’s most prestigious basketball competition kicks off with the best teams on the continent angling for first place
• Serbia open the tournament as the favorites to win this year
• Check out the favorites and best bets for this year’s Eurobasket competition

EuroBasket is the premier basketball competition on the European continent. Contested every four years, the top senior men’s national teams in the region compete to become the very best. This year’s competition looks to be one of the most tightly contested in history!

EuroBasket 2022 Winner Odds

Odds taken from PointsBet

Eurobasket 2022 is the 41st iteration of Europe’s top national basketball tournament. It occurs every four years, similar to the FIBA Basketball World Cup. It was originally scheduled for 2021, but the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the competition to 2022.

Qualification began in 2017. There will be 24 countries competing to be the best basketball nation in Europe. There are no debutants to this years Eurobasket competition, but Bulgaria make their way back into the fold for the first time since 2011.

Russia was initially scheduled to participate, but were replaced by Montenegro after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Who Is the Favorite to Win EuroBasket 2022?

Serbia

Jokic & Giannis going at each other in OT. ????

MVPs giving us exactly what we asked for ?#FIBAWC x #WinForAll pic.twitter.com/REokvQlINi

— FIBA Basketball World Cup (@FIBAWC) August 25, 2022

The current favorite to win Eurobasket 2022 is Serbia. They’ve never won gold at the European Championships, though they have earned themselves two silvers. Led by NBA superstar Nikola Jokic, you certainly can’t count Serbia out.

Serbia have shown that they can compete with the best, especially through their last two games. Against both Greece and Turkey, Serbia won by an average of 6.5 points. Shooting 51.5% from the field through two games, they’ll be encouraged by the quality of their offence.

Obviously, Serbia’s player to watch is Nikola Jokic. The two-time NBA Most Valuable Player is one of the best players in the world. Matched up against some of the European basketball superpowers, Jokic keeps Serbia in every game.

Who Are the 2022 EuroBasket Contenders?

Slovenia

Unsurprisingly, ranked as the second favorite to win Eurobasket 2022 is the 2017 champions Slovenia! They are looking to be the first team to win Eurobasket in consecutive showings since Spain in 2009 and 2011.

Slovenia have split their last two games, dominating Estonia but losing disappointingly to Germany. Their loss to Germany was their first of the summer, despite a good performance from Doncic. They’ll want to clean up their rebounding, as they lost the battle 57-27.

Powered by young star Luka Doncic, Slovenia showed that their offence can keep up with Europe’s best. If they want to repeat as champions though, they need to be more productive in the hustle areas.

Greece

The Greek men’s national team find themselves in their best position to win Eurobasket since their gold medal performance in 2005. Their confidence is boosted knowing that one of the world’s best, Giannis Antetokounmpo, will be leading the line.

Greece, as always, are an incredibly physical group. They thrive off of their strength in the paint, but have shown struggles when they can’t find their shot. Veteran Nick Calathes and new addition Tyler Dorsey are sure to have the teams offensive flow at the forefront of their mind.

France

Due to the exponential growth of others, it becomes oddly easy to forget about France’s impressive strength. France is one of Europe’s most intimidating defensive teams. The question surrounding them is whether or not they have the scoring punch to keep up.

Who Are the Reigning EuroBasket Champions?

The last country to win the European Championship was Slovenia. In 2017, Slovenia defeated Serbia 93-85 in the Gold Medal game to win their first and only medal at Eurobasket.

Slovenia was led by NBA All-Star Goran Dragic. The veteran guard posted 35 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists to lead his team over Serbia in the final.

In 2017 Slovenia was second in the tournament in points per game, averaging 90.3 over 9 contests. They weren’t the most efficient nation, shooting just 46.8% through the tournament, but in the end it became difficult for teams to match their pace.

When Will EuroBasket 2022 Take Place?

Eurobasket 2022 is scheduled to occur from September 1st, 2022 until September 18th, 2022. The more than two week process will see one champion crowned from a pool of 24 competitors.

Where Is EuroBasket 2022 Being Hosted?

Like in 2017, EuroBasket is being hosted jointly by four different countries. Czech Republic, Georgia, Italy, and Germany will all play host to the group stage of the competition. The knockout phases will be played in Berlin, Germany.

EuroBasket Winners by Year

Which Country Has Won EuroBasket the Most?

The most successful country at Eurobasket has been Russia/Soviet Union. In the competition’s near one-hundred year history, Russia/Soviet Union has won gold 14 times.

Russia/Soviet Union have the longest gold medal winning streak at Eurobasket, winning eight times between the years of 1957 and 1971.

Second to them are Yugoslavia/Serbia, who have won gold at Eurobasket 8 times.

EuroBasket Total Medal Count

Who Was the First Ever Winner of EuroBasket?

Hosted by Switzerland in 1935, the first ever winners of EuroBasket were Latvia. Their first and only gold medal in the European Championships, Latvia defeated Spain 24-18 in the gold medal game. Their only other medal came in 1939, where they finished second to two-time European Champions Lithuania.

Who Was Named Top Scorer Most in EuroBasket History?

Legendary Greek guard Nikolaos Georgalis, better known as Nikos Galis, was named EuroBasket top scorer 4 times. Sharing in the honor was Serbian/Yugoslav forward Radivoj Korac, who won top scorer 4 times as well.

EuroBasket MVP and Top Scorers by Year

Who Are the Multi-Time Top Scorers in EuroBasket History?