.Alexa PhilippouCloseAlexa PhilippouESPNCovers women's college basketball and the WNBA.Recently dealt with UConn and also the WNBA Connecticut Sunlight for the Hartford Courant.Stanford grad and Baltimore indigenous with additional take in at the Dallas Early Morning Information, Seat Times and also Cincinnati EnquirerKevin PeltonCloseKevin PeltonESPN Senior Citizen Author Co-author, Pro Baseball Prospectus collection.Formerly a specialist along with the Indiana Pacers.Created WARP score as well as SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ETTwo worldwide opponents will meet again on Friday, as the United States girls's basketball staff faces the Australian Opals along with an area in the 2024 Paris Games' gold award match on the line.Team USA, which is riding a touch of 59 successive Olympic victories, improved to the semifinals with an 88-74 triumph over Nigeria on Wednesday. Complying with a dismayed loss to Nigeria in their Olympic opener, the Opals have actually strung with each other 3 upright triumphes, featuring Wednesday's 85-67 quarterfinal selection over Serbia.Editor's Picks2 RelatedWhile the USA ladies have actually been actually the gold specification for basketball around the planet, gaining seven successive Olympic gold awards and 9 general, Australia has been actually a famous goliath together with all of them. The Opals have actually medaled in 5 of the past seven Summertimes Games, take away three silvers as well as 2 bronze, although their semifinal run in Paris marks the very first time they have actually developed past the quarterfinals due to the fact that the 2012 Greater london Games.2012 also was actually the final opportunity the epic Lauren Jackson wore on the Olympic phase for the green and gold-- previously. While Group United States possesses 42-year-old, six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi, the Opals possess Jackson, 43, appearing in her 5th Games and first in 12 years. Jackson has always medaled in the competitors, as well as though she has actually found minimal action up until now in France, she possesses an opportunity to proceed that touch this weekend.Australia-- which flaunts six active WNBA players-- possesses a lot of drive, however the Opals are actually 0-20 perpetuity against the USA elderly national team, including 0-8 in Olympic competitors. During the five Games in which they medaled, Australia lost to the USA either in the semifinals or the gold medal contest. The teams final met in 2020, when the Americans dominated 79-55. ESPN's Alexa Philippou and Kevin Pelton break some of the pressing questions heading right into the matchup.play1:05 Breanna Stewart credit histories Jackie Youthful for jump-starting Team USABreanna Stewart talks along with Brian Windhorst after Staff United States's 14-point win over Nigeria to progress to the semifinals.Team U.S.A. switched over up its beginning five versus Nigeria, along with Jackie Young in place of Diana Taurasi. Carried out the technique correct its own issues in the backcourt?Philippou: Beginning Youthful instead of Taurasi-- who had final go over the bench at the Olympics in 2004-- was actually the ideal action. Along with 15 points versus Nigeria, Youthful seems carving out a job as Crew U.S.A.'s third marker behind A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart. (Certainly, Young is the simply various other USA player averaging double designs at 10.3 points every video game.) Youthful, one of three Las Vegas Aces players in the beginning five, exhibited her 3-point shooting previously versus Germany, going 5-of-8. But while she went scoreless from deep on Wednesday, it was her ability to receive downhill and also reach coming from midrange that stuck out, together with her hallmark self defense in the backcourt. It took until the center of the 2nd fourth for the U.S. to really put its feet on the fuel versus Nigeria, but Young's hostility and also electricity on each ends ought to continue to return. And Taurasi appeared to do effectively off the bench, where she improved as a facilitator with 4 assists.Pelton: I will love to observe beginning point guard Chelsea Gray be actually a danger to credit rating. She overlooked all three of her chance tries in the quarterfinals, delivering Gray to 1-of-13 thus far during the Olympics. Remarkably, the USA outscored Nigeria through just pair of aspects in Gray's 17:27, while all 4 various other starters possessed a plus-minus of plus-17 or even much better while on the court.Still, as I mentioned in our last roundtable, the USA girls can easily eliminate one non-scorer in the beginning five so long as she is actually taking another thing to the table. And Gray is actually along with her playmaking, having right now completed 22 assists versus merely three turnovers. So, I do not think train Cheryl Reeve needs to have to create further changes.Photo through Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty ImagesWhat problems do the Australians position, and also what could possibly create all of them a difficult matchup?Top accounts of the full week coming from Acquire special accessibility to hundreds of superior write-ups a year from leading article writers. u2022 Solak: Intriguing NFL QB student class "u2022 MLB: Impressive AL MVP fight, various other honors "u2022 25 essential gamers in CFP ethnicity" More ESPN+ web content ".Philippou: WNBA supporters will certainly be actually effectively accustomed to this Opals team, which includes the Seat Tornado's Ezi Magbegor as well as Sami Whitcomb, Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Smith, Los Angeles Triggers' Stephanie Talbot, Washington Mystics' Jade Melbourne as well as Indiana Fever's Kristy Wallace, plus The big apple Liberty instructor Sandy Brondello responsible. Not just carry out the Opals possess the talent to complete against Group USA. They possess drive and resolve following their unsatisfying begin to the Olympics. Brondello has actually been satisfied along with her crew's poise and also guts over the past full week, two high qualities an enemy needs to have when dealing with the Americans.The Opals, whose well balanced strike boasts 5 gamers balancing a minimum of 8.0 PPG, can easily harm opponents inside with Magbegor as well as Johnson however additionally coming from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is the greatest in the Olympic area as well as much higher than Group U.S.A.'s puny 30.8%. Whitcomb and Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champ while with the Las Vegas Aces, lead the group with eight and seven treys, respectively.Pelton: Abstractly, Australia is much deeper as well as even more accomplished than any sort of crew in the business save for the united state females. Our company can debate the greatest worldwide player at the Paris Video Games, with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) and also Satou Sabally (Germany) as sturdy candidates. But no staff has a pair of players like the Opals' frontcourt duo of Magbegor and also Johnson, both of whom would have gotten on my WNBA Dream team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was actually not called to the group this period despite similar production.) And also no crew outside the U.S. has virtually as a lot WNBA knowledge throughout its own roster.Given all that ability, it was shocking when Australia shed its position game to Nigeria then scarcely defeat winless Canada. In their previous two activities, our team have actually observed the Opals we counted on, as they trump bested France to advance to the knockout stage and led Serbia by as a lot of as 28 in an uneven quarterfinal victory.A' Ja meals to Stewie for 3. LeBron permits. United States System and also Peacock pic.twitter.com/yI8kbWNUpsu2014 NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024 Can easily anyone cease Breanna Stewart and also A'ja Wilson?Pelton: No. But if any person is mosting likely to contain all of them, it is actually the duo of Magbegor as well as Johnson. Australia's article gamers place second (Magbegor, 2.4) as well as fourth (Johnson, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks every game as well as have the flexibility to stand up for Stewart as well as Wilson on the border. Magbegor is particularly experienced versus both challengers, having actually dealt with Stewart virtual for three years as Tornado teammates and also compared with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.The largest obstacle for Magbegor as well as Smith is foul trouble. Magbegor grabbed three first-half fouls against Canada, and Johnson possessed two in the first fourth versus France, confining their minutes. Backup George is a tough, skillful gamer (she racked up 18 aspects in 24 mins against Serbia) yet no place near as athletic on defense.Philippou: Pelton brings up a valid concern. But given the experience Stewart and Wilson contend this stage-- Stewart is opting for her third Olympic gold as well as Wilson her 2nd, while Magbegor and also Smith are actually looking in their first Games-- I would certainly anticipate the Group United States extremely duo to produce the winning participates in needed in such a stressful circumstance to breakthrough to the final.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhich of France and also Belgium would certainly be actually a more durable enemy for Group USA?Pelton: I'm opting for Belgium, which provided the U.S. females their hardest Olympic exam however. The Americans dominated by thirteen aspects, although the margin was only 7 getting in the 4th quarter of a team phase game played in Lille, France, near the borderline along with Belgium. All this in spite of Belgium going just 5-of-27 in 3-point capturing, with Julie Vanloo particularly struggling coming from midtown while skipping 10 of her 11 tries. On Wednesday, the Mystics point guard went 3-of-5 from 3, scoring thirteen factors along with seven supports (albeit along with nine turn overs) as Belgium cruised past Spain, the simply various other team besides the united state that was actually unbeaten in pool play.Philippou: As the bunch country with the crowd on its side as well as loads of honor on the line, a challenging defensive team in France definitely would not be a pushover, either, particularly if Marine Johannes can blow up like she did versus Germany with 24 aspects off the bench as well as along with Gabby Williams breaking the ice on each ends.Has Crew USA played its own finest baseball yet?Philippou: In-game consistency, particularly on offense, may still be actually a problem. There are actually opportunities when the absence of playing time together or even Reeve's tweaking with rotations/combinations is still noticeable. After all, there's a reason that Sue Bird lately stated on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that USA Basketball is actually the absolute most uncomfortable basketball she has ever before participated in. After a little bit of a sluggish begin, the U.S. at some point led by 30 in the third one-fourth against Nigeria, but Reeve couldn't have actually really loved just how her staff permitted the D'Tigress to make it a 14-point video game prior to the last buzzer. With 4 video games, the Americans' lack of 3-point capturing have not definitely been solved, which might be an issue if challengers fume from deep.Team U.S.A. can't neglect some of the staying crews in the field, yet with a defensive identification and also offensive prowess led by Stewart and also Wilson, it has revealed it can easily place games away when it requires to, one thing that should move over in to the ultimate two games.Pelton: On the other side, I presume the firing is actually additionally reason to feel there's yet another gear for the USA ladies. Together, the 12 players on the lineup have combined to shoot 33% on 3-point efforts in the WNBA this time. That will not gain a "Sprinkle Siblings" label any time very soon, but it is actually also better than Crew United States has actually handled coming from the briefer 3-point line in FIBA play.Taurasi (1-of-7) and also Jewell Loyd (2-of-10) are actually overdue to heat coming from lengthy array. Keep an eye out if they eventually carry out.