Puerto Rico has been a hotbed for basketball for generations, so it's no surprise that San Juan will host one of the four FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments (OQTs) this week. It also wouldn't surprise anyone if the home team beat out Lithuania, Italy and the rest of the field to punch its ticket to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Now, it obviously won't be an easy ride. Odds-on favorite Lithuania has a walking double-double machine in Domantas Sabonis. Puerto Rico will also need to get past Nicolo Melli and Italy, which knocked PR out of the World Cup last year.
WATCH: Olympic Qualifying Tournaments on Courtside 1891
Home-court advantage should be huge, as no country in this six-team field has a fan base quite as raucous as Puerto Rico. Having pesky Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado and former Celtics guard Tremont Waters leading the backcourt won't hurt, either.
Can Puerto Rico end its Olympic drought by winning its qualifying tourney on home soil?
Let's look at the full odds for the Puerto Rico FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament and reveal our best bets for the week.
Puerto Rico FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament: Odds to win
(All odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
| Country | Odds |
| Lithuania | -155 |
| Italy | +250 |
| Puerto Rico | +400 |
| Mexico | +1600 |
| Cote d'Ivoire | +12000 |
| Bahrain | +20000 |
Best bet to win Puerto Rico FIBA OQTs: Puerto Rico (+400)
The Sporting News doesn't typically recommend wagering on a team with the third-shortest odds to win a six-team tournament, but home court feels that important in San Juan. And no team will be able to contend with Alvarado and Waters pushing the pace on offense and haunting opposing guards on defense.
Expect speed, experience and home-court advantage to prevail as Puerto Rico makes an unforgettable run past Italy and then shocks Lithuania in the final round. This little team could become a Cinderella story, and we're here for it.
Best early-week bet: Bahrain (+35) vs. Italy (-120)
Italy is obviously a far better team than Bahrain — but, come on, 35 points! With the Italians missing multiple key contributors from the 2023 World Cup run, there's zero reason to expect Italy to destroy Bahrain in the first game of this tournament.
This week will be a marathon, not a sprint. After this game, Italy plays Puerto Rico on Thursday. Then, the semifinal and final rounds are scheduled to be played on Saturday and Sunday. That's likely two games against Puerto Rico in two days and then — if it can advance past PR — the winner of Lithuania-Mexico.
Why waste all its energy against a Bahrain team that's a +20000 long shot?
FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament Puerto Rico 2024: Schedule, dates, times
Tuesday, July 2
| Matchup | Group | Time (ET) |
| Italy vs. Bahrain | B | 5:30 p.m. |
| Mexico vs. Lithuania | A | 8:30 p.m. |
Wednesday, July 3
| Matchup | Group | Time (ET) |
| Lithuania vs. Cote d'Ivoire | A | 5:30 p.m. |
| Bahrain vs. Puerto Rico | B | 8:30 p.m. |
Thursday, July 4
| Matchup | Group | Time (ET) |
| Cote d'Ivoire vs. Mexico | A | 5:30 p.m. |
| Puerto Rico vs. Italy | B | 8:30 p.m. |
Saturday, July 6
| Matchup | Time (ET) |
| TBD vs. TBD — Semifinals | TBD |
| TBD vs. TBD — Semifinals | TBD |
Sunday, July 7
| Matchup | Time (ET) |
| TBD vs. TBD — Final | 6 p.m. |
How to watch FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament Puerto Rico 2024
- Dates: July 2-7
- Live stream: Courtside 1891 on DAZN
Basketball fans hoping to stream the FIBA Olympic qualifiers can catch all the action on Courtside 1891, which is available through DAZN.
FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament Puerto Rico 2024 groups
Group A
- Cote d'Ivoire
- Lithuania
- Mexico
Group B
- Bahrain
- Italy
- Puerto Rico
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