.Alexa PhilippouCloseAlexa PhilippouESPNCovers females's university basketball and also the WNBA.Recently covered UConn and also the WNBA Connecticut Sun for the Hartford Courant.Stanford graduate and Baltimore indigenous with additional experience at the Dallas Early Morning News, Seat Moments and Cincinnati EnquirerKevin PeltonCloseKevin PeltonESPN Senior Citizen Article Writer Co-author, Pro Baseball Prospectus collection.In the past an expert along with the Indiana Pacers.Cultivated WARP score as well as SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ETTwo worldwide competitors are going to reunite on Friday, as the USA females's basketball group takes on the Australian Opals with a location in the 2024 Paris Gamings' gold medal suit on the line.Team U.S.A., which is using a streak of 59 consecutive Olympic victories, advanced to the semifinals with an 88-74 overcome Nigeria on Wednesday. Complying with a distressed reduction to Nigeria in their Olympic opener, the Opals have strung with each other 3 upright victories, including Wednesday's 85-67 quarterfinal choice over Serbia.Editor's Picks2 RelatedWhile the U.S. ladies have actually been the gold specification for baseball across the planet, winning seven successive Olympic gold medals and also nine total, Australia has actually been a historical giant along with all of them. The Opals have medaled in 5 of the past seven Summers months Video games, take away three silvers as well as 2 bronze, although their semifinal operate in Paris notes the very first time they have actually advanced past the quarterfinals since the 2012 Greater london Video games.2012 additionally was the last opportunity the fabulous Lauren Jackson suited up on the Olympic phase for the green and gold-- until now. While Group USA possesses 42-year-old, six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi, the Opals possess Jackson, 43, seeming in her 5th Video games as well as first in 12 years. Jackson has actually consistently medaled in the competitors, and also though she has viewed restricted activity up until now in France, she possesses a chance to proceed that streak this weekend.Australia-- which boasts 6 active WNBA gamers-- has lots of energy, but the Opals are 0-20 all time against the U.S. elderly nationwide group, featuring 0-8 in Olympic competition. During the course of the 5 Gamings through which they medaled, Australia lost to the USA either in the semifinals or even the gold award competition. The teams final met in 2020, when the Americans prevailed 79-55. ESPN's Alexa Philippou and Kevin Pelton malfunction several of journalism inquiries moving into the matchup.play1:05 Breanna Stewart debts Jackie Young for jump-starting Team USABreanna Stewart speaks along with Brian Windhorst after Team USA's 14-point sway Nigeria to progress to the semifinals.Team USA changed up its own beginning 5 versus Nigeria, with Jackie Youthful in place of Diana Taurasi. Carried out the action repair its own issues in the backcourt?Philippou: Starting Young instead of Taurasi-- that possessed last come off the bench at the Olympics in 2004-- was actually the best step. With 15 factors against Nigeria, Youthful seems taking a function as Team USA's third scorer responsible for A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart. (Certainly, Young is the simply other united state gamer averaging double designs at 10.3 aspects every activity.) Young, one of 3 Sin city Aces gamers in the starting five, exhibited her 3-point shooting earlier versus Germany, going 5-of-8. Yet while she went scoreless coming from deep-seated on Wednesday, it was her ability to get downhill and attack coming from midrange that stood apart, along with her trademark defense in the backcourt. It took till the center of the 2nd one-fourth for the U.S. to definitely place its foot on the fuel against Nigeria, but Youthful's aggressiveness and power on each ends need to continue to return. And also Taurasi seemed to accomplish effectively off the bench, where she boosted as a company along with 4 assists.Pelton: I will love to observe beginning point player Chelsea Gray be actually a hazard to rating. She missed all three of her try attempts in the quarterfinals, carrying Gray to 1-of-13 thus far during the Olympics. Amazingly, the united state outscored Nigeria by only 2 points in Gray's 17:27, while all 4 other beginners possessed a plus-minus of plus-17 or better while on the court.Still, as I pointed out in our last roundtable, the U.S. women may get over one non-scorer in the starting 5 such a long time as she is bringing another thing to the desk. And Gray is actually with her playmaking, having actually today amounted to 22 helps against just three turn overs. So, I do not think instructor Cheryl Reeve needs to create additional changes.Photo through Garrett Ellwood/NBAE through Getty ImagesWhat issues carry out the Australians posture, as well as what can create them a challenging matchup?Top tales of the week from Receive exclusive accessibility to lots of premium write-ups a year from leading writers. u2022 Solak: Interesting NFL QB student course "u2022 MLB: Impressive AL MVP battle, various other honors "u2022 25 most important players in CFP ethnicity" Additional ESPN+ information ".Philippou: WNBA followers will be well acquainted with this Opals squad, which includes the Seattle Hurricane's Ezi Magbegor and Sami Whitcomb, Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Smith, Los Angeles Triggers' Stephanie Talbot, Washington Mystics' Baggage Melbourne and also Indiana High temperature's Kristy Wallace, plus New york city Right coach Sandy Brondello responsible. Not just do the Opals possess the talent to compete versus Group U.S.A.. They have drive and fix observing their disappointing start to the Olympics. Brondello has actually been actually felt free to with her group's poise and grit over recent week, 2 top qualities an opponent needs to have when dealing with the Americans.The Opals, whose well balanced attack boasts 5 players balancing at least 8.0 PPG, can easily injure opponents inside along with Magbegor and also Smith however additionally from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is actually the very best in the Olympic field and also a lot higher than Staff USA's modest 30.8%. Whitcomb and also Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champ while with the Sin City Aces, lead the group along with 8 as well as 7 treys, respectively.Pelton: Abstractly, Australia is actually deeper and also extra talented than any staff in the business barring the U.S. ladies. Our company can question the most ideal worldwide player at the Paris Gamings, along with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) as well as Satou Sabally (Germany) as powerful candidates. However no team possesses a set of gamers comparable to the Opals' frontcourt duo of Magbegor and Smith, each of whom would have gotten on my WNBA Dream team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was certainly not named to the staff this season regardless of similar creation.) And also no crew outside the USA possesses nearly as a lot WNBA adventure throughout its roster.Given the only thing that skill, it was astonishing when Australia shed its own opening video game to Nigeria after that hardly trump winless Canada. In their past two games, our company've viewed the Opals our experts expected, as they defeat outdoed France to develop to the knockout stage as well as led Serbia by as many as 28 in an askew quarterfinal victory.A' Ja dishes to Stewie for 3. LeBron accepts. USA System and also Peacock pic.twitter.com/yI8kbWNUpsu2014 NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024 Can easily anybody quit Breanna Stewart as well as A'ja Wilson?Pelton: No. However if anyone is actually heading to include them, it is actually the duo of Magbegor and also Johnson. Australia's post players rate second (Magbegor, 2.4) and also fourth (Smith, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks every video game and also possess the wheelchair to defend Stewart and Wilson on the border. Magbegor is especially experienced against both rivals, having encountered Stewart in practice for three years as Tornado colleagues and compared along with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.The largest challenge for Magbegor and Smith is repulsive trouble. Magbegor picked up three first-half fouls versus Canada, and Johnson possessed 2 in the first quarter versus France, confining their moments. Data backup George is actually a difficult, skillful player (she scored 18 factors in 24 minutes against Serbia) however nowhere near as athletic on defense.Philippou: Pelton raises an authentic problem. But provided the encounter Stewart and Wilson contend this phase-- Stewart is opting for her 3rd Olympic gold as well as Wilson her 2nd, while Magbegor as well as Johnson are actually looking in their first Gamings-- I would certainly anticipate the Team U.S.A. tremendously duo to produce the winning participates in essential in such a stressful condition to advance to the final.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhich of France and Belgium would certainly be actually a tougher opponent for Crew USA?Pelton: I'm selecting Belgium, which provided the USA girls their toughest Olympic examination however. The Americans prevailed through thirteen factors, although the scope was just seven getting in the 4th quarter of a team phase activity played in Lille, France, near the borderline with Belgium. All this in spite of Belgium going only 5-of-27 in 3-point shooting, along with Julie Vanloo specifically straining from midtown while missing 10 of her 11 tries. On Wednesday, the Mystics point guard went 3-of-5 coming from 3, scoring 13 points along with seven helps (albeit with 9 turn overs) as Belgium navigated previous Spain, the simply various other crew besides the USA that was unbeaten in swimming pool play.Philippou: As the host nation with the crowd on its own side and also a lot of satisfaction vulnerable, a difficult defensive group in France wouldn't be a piece of cake, either, especially if Marine Johannes may blow up like she did against Germany with 24 factors off the bench as well as with Gabby Williams leading the way on each ends.Has Group USA played its own absolute best basketball yet?Philippou: In-game congruity, specifically on outburst, can easily still be actually a concern. There are actually times when the lack of participating in time together or Reeve's tweaking with rotations/combinations is still apparent. It goes without saying, there's a reason that Sue Bird just recently mentioned on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that USA Baseball is actually the best uncomfortable basketball she has actually ever participated in. After a bit of a slow-moving beginning, the USA eventually led by 30 in the third fourth against Nigeria, however Reeve could not have actually really loved how her crew made it possible for the D'Tigress to make it a 14-point activity prior to the final buzzer. With 4 activities, the Americans' lack of 3-point shooting have not actually been actually corrected, which could be a problem if rivals fume coming from deep.Team U.S.A. can't disregard some of the continuing to be crews in the business, yet with a protective identification and also aggressive expertise led through Stewart as well as Wilson, it has shown it may place games away when it needs to, one thing that ought to move over right into the last two games.Pelton: On the other side, I presume the firing is likewise cause to think there's an additional gear for the USA ladies. Together, the 12 players on the lineup have actually combined to shoot 33% on 3-point tries in the WNBA this time. That will not make a "Burst Sis" label any time soon, but it's also better than Team U.S.A. has actually handled coming from the shorter 3-point line in FIBA play.Taurasi (1-of-7) and also Jewell Loyd (2-of-10) are actually outstanding to warm coming from lengthy selection. Look out if they lastly carry out.