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The United States looks to continue an unprecedented Olympic winning streak in women's basketball. The Americans have won 53 straight games, and they will put that run on the line on Friday. Team USA takes on Serbia in the semifinals, with the winner advancing to the gold medal game. Serbia picked up a tournament win in Eurobasket earlier this year.

Tip-off is scheduled for 12:40 a.m. ET. Caesars Sportsbook lists Team USA women's basketball as the 17.5-point favorite in the USA vs. Serbia odds. The over-under for total points is set at 158.5. Before finalizing any Serbia vs. Team USA women's basketball picks or predictions, you need to see what SportsLine's Olympics expert, Mike Tierney, has to say.

A national sportswriter whose work appears in The New York Times and Los Angeles Times, Tierney has covered nine Olympic Games in person. At Rio in 2016, Tierney profited big-time. He told readers to bet over on Team USA's gold medal count (41.5) and over on Team USA's overall medal count (102.5). The result? 46 golds, 121 medals and two easy cashes.

And for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Tierney hit two of his three predictions: Germany (+200) to win the most gold medals and the United States winning under 10.5 gold medals (+110).

Now, with the Tokyo Summer Olympics rolling on, Tierney has analyzed every angle of Friday's USA vs. Serbia matchup and revealed his top Olympic basketball picks and predictions. He's only sharing those picks at SportsLine. Now, here are the Olympics 2020 odds and betting trends for Serbia vs. USA:

  • USA vs. Serbia spread: USA -17.5
  • USA vs. Serbia over-under: 158.5 points
  • USA vs. Serbia money line: USA -2400, Serbia +1100
  • USA: Won 8 olympic gold medals since 1976
  • Serbia: Reigning Eurobasket champions

Why you should back Team USA 

Team USA seems to be peaking at the right time. The Americans walloped Australia by a 21-point margin in the quarterfinal and, for the most part, they've made it look easy in Tokyo, even when they didn't have their "A" game on full display. No team, including Serbia, can come close to matching Team USA in terms of individual talent and, with every passing day, the potential gap in cohesion when compared to more seasoned teams could be closing. 

The United States leads the tournament in scoring, assists and field-goal percentage, showcasing its ultimate offensive ceiling. On top of that, Team USA has shown that it is fully capable of locking up defensively at times during the tournament. The Serbians are worthy opponents, but they haven't flashed the offensive ceiling required to take out the United States in a setting that is remotely near the projections. Team USA just has too much firepower for most opponents to contend with, even at the highest levels.

Why you should back Serbia 

Serbia has regularly shown its resilience in this tournament, including a comeback win over China in the quarterfinals. The reigning Eurobasket champions bring a balanced scoring attack to the table but, more than anything, the Serbians done it with defense in Tokyo. They are grinding things out by contesting shots and being tougher than their opponents, with Serbia averaging only 71 points per game and still winning. 

Sonja Vasic is the team's leader and, in addition to averaging 11.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in the Olympics, she is the reigning Eurobasket MVP. Jelena Brooks leads the team in scoring at 13.5 points per game in the tournament, and Serbia can also take solace in ball control issues and periods of inconsistency from the high-powered American side.

How to make 2020 Tokyo Olympics picks

Tierney has taken a close look at the Team USA vs. Serbia Olympic basketball matchup from all angles and is leaning over on the point total. He's also found a critical x-factor that has him jumping on one side of the spread. He's only sharing his top picks and Olympics 2020 basketball predictions at SportsLine. 

So who wins USA vs. Serbia? And which side of the spread is a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to get Mike Tierney's predictions for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, all from the renowned sportswriter who's covered nine Olympics in person and cashed big in both 2016 and '18, and find out.