Team USA vs. Hungary prediction, preview: What to know about FIBA World Cup quarterfinals — SkimNews

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- Team USA faces Hungary in the 2026 FIBA Women's World Cup quarterfinals Thursday at 5:30 a.m. ET in Berlin — the first U.S.-Hungary Women's World Cup meeting since 1986, when Team USA won 78-63 in group play.
- Hungary reached the quarterfinals for the first time since 1986 by beating Japan in Tuesday's qualification game and has never finished better than fifth at the World Cup (1957).
- Dorka Juhász and Virag Takacs-Kiss, both 6-foot-4, have powered Hungary's offense — Juhász averages 15.3 points and 11 rebounds, Takacs-Kiss 14 and 9.5, combining for 117 of Hungary's 290 tournament points (40.3%).
- Hungary is averaging a tournament-worst 21.5 turnovers per game, and opponents are scoring 24 points per game off those giveaways — France scored 29 off turnovers in a 46-point rout.
- Reka Lelik is wildly inconsistent for Hungary, scoring 8, 14, 4, and 23 points across her four tournament games; she'll need to produce perimeter scoring to keep Team USA's defense honest.
- FanDuel lists Team USA as a 30.5-point favorite with a 155.5 over/under, and FIBA moved France atop its Power Rankings after the group stage following Team USA's poor showing against Italy.
Why it matters: Team USA is a 30.5-point favorite, but Hungary's upset hopes hinge on whether guard Reka Lelik — whose scoring has swung from 4 to 23 points — can produce perimeter shots to complement the Juhász/Takacs-Kiss interior duo. If Hungary's 21.5-turnover habit persists, USA's athletes (Howard, Reese) will feast in transition, making this look more like the 33-point China win than the Italy slugfest.
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