Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images. Pictured: Phil Dalhausser & Nicholas Lucena.
The 13-hour time difference to Tokyo makes watching the Summer Olympics in the United States a little tricky. Hopefully we can help.
NBC is showing Olympic action all day on more than a half-dozen channels, but not all of it is live. This isn’t a new concept, of course. Portions of the Olympics have been tape-delayed for decades.
But this makes the Olympics a difficult casual betting event because you never know what’s live — on Monday, NBC will flip back and forth between live swimming finals and men’s gymnastics, which will actually take place in the morning in the Eastern Time Zone and be on delay.
Below is Monday’s live schedule; some start times aren’t exact, since NBC will switch between events.
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Monday Olympic Schedule
| Sport | Event | Time | TV |
|---|---|---|
| M Basketball | Argentina vs. Slovenia | 12:40 a.m. | CNBC |
| W Water Polo | USA vs. China | 1 a.m. | CNBC |
| Archery | Men’s Team Final | 2 a.m. | CNBC |
| Tennis | Men’s/Women’s Second Round | 2 a.m. | Olympic |
| Skeet Shooting | Men’s Final | 2 a.m. | USA |
| Diving | Men’s Synchronized Platform Final | 2 a.m. | USA |
| Canoe Slalom | Men’s Final | 2 a.m. | USA |
| Rugby | Men’s Qualifying | 2 a.m. | USA |
| Swimming | Qualifying | 2 a.m. | USA |
| Basketball | 3×3 | 2 a.m. | USA |
| M Volleyball | Brazil vs. Argentina | 8:45 a.m. | USA |
| Beach Volleyball | Women’s Qualifying | 8 p.m. | CNBC |
| M Water Polo | U.S. vs. South Africa | 8 p.m. | CNBC |
| Swimming | Finals | 9:30 p.m. | NBC |
| Tennis | M Round 2 Singles | 10 p.m. | Olympic |
| Tennis | W Round 3 Singles | 10 p.m. | Olympic |
| Rugby | M Qualifying | 10 p.m. | CNBC |
| Fencing | W Team Epee | 10 p.m. | CNBC |
| Beach Volleyball | Men’s Qualifying | 11 p.m. | USA |
| Softball | Bronze Medal Game | 12 a.m. | CNBC |
| W Basketball | USA vs. Nigeria | 12:40 a.m. | USA |
Basketball
Two interesting basketball games will bookend Monday’s coverage — first, it’s Slovenia vs. Argentina in men’s hoops if you’re on the West Coast or a night owl. We like Luka Doncic’s squad as a 6-point favorite.
Early Tuesday morning, the U.S. women’s basketball team will try to start their tournament on the right foot when they meet Nigeria in qualifying.
Swimming
NBC’s primetime coverage jumps around to many different events, but swimming will be the highlight.
We’ll get the finals for the following events:
- Men’s 200m freestyle
- Women’s 100m breast stroke
- Men’s 100m backstroke
- Women’s 100m backstroke
There will be other semifinals and heats throughout the night, as well.
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Beach Volleyball
USA’s April Ross and Alix Klineman play Spain at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, which will be featured in NBC’s primetime coverage. They’re a -400 favorite.
Two American men’s teams will be in action on Monday night, with Phil Dalhausser and Nicholas Lucena facing Argentina in Pool D at 10 p.m. ET.
Dalhausser and Lucena are actually a +175 underdog in that match.
Tennis
Olympic tennis features 64-player brackets, and we’re getting into the second and third rounds, so the fields will start to thin out. Until then, we’ll get hours of coverage on Olympic Channel beginning at 10 p.m. ET.
Women’s Water Polo
The United States is an 11.5-point favorite over China in women’s water polo, which is live at 2 a.m. ET. It seems like a lot considering it’s the only spread over 3.5 on Monday.
Men’s Volleyball
If you want to see elite indoor volleyball, don’t miss Brazil vs. Argentina on Monday morning. While live-ish Olympic coverage will be on USA all morning, those two teams are scheduled to begin at 8:45 a.m. ET.
Brazil was the second favorite entering the tournament at DraftKings, behind only Poland.