.Alexa PhilippouCloseAlexa PhilippouESPNCovers girls's college basketball and the WNBA.Recently dealt with UConn and the WNBA Connecticut Sunlight for the Hartford Courant.Stanford graduate and also Baltimore indigenous along with additional take in at the Dallas Early Morning Headlines, Seat Times as well as Cincinnati EnquirerKevin PeltonCloseKevin PeltonESPN Elderly Person Author Co-author, Pro Baseball Prospectus collection.In the past a consultant along with the Indiana Pacers.Developed WARP score as well as SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ETTwo worldwide rivals will certainly reunite on Friday, as the United States girls's basketball crew confronts the Australian Opals with a place in the 2024 Paris Games' gold medal suit on the line.Team USA, which is riding a streak of 59 consecutive Olympic success, advanced to the semifinals with an 88-74 overcome Nigeria on Wednesday. Following a dismayed reduction to Nigeria in their Olympic opener, the Opals have actually strung with each other 3 straight triumphes, featuring Wednesday's 85-67 quarterfinal selection over Serbia.Editor's Picks2 RelatedWhile the USA women have been actually the gold requirement for basketball around the world, gaining seven consecutive Olympic gold awards and also nine general, Australia has been a famous giant together with all of them. The Opals have medaled in five of the past seven Summer seasons Video games, taking home three silvers and also two bronze, although their semifinal run in Paris denotes the first time they've advanced past the quarterfinals given that the 2012 London Games.2012 additionally was the last time the epic Lauren Jackson suited up on the Olympic phase for the eco-friendly as well as gold-- previously. While Team USA has 42-year-old, six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi, the Opals have Jackson, 43, seeming in her 5th Gamings and also to begin with in 12 years. Jackson has actually consistently medaled in the competition, as well as though she has observed restricted activity so far in France, she possesses an opportunity to carry on that streak this weekend.Australia-- which includes six active WNBA gamers-- has a lot of momentum, however the Opals are 0-20 perpetuity versus the USA senior national staff, featuring 0-8 in Olympic competitors. During the five Games through which they medaled, Australia shed to the united state either in the semifinals or the gold award competition. The squads final satisfied in 2020, when the Americans prevailed 79-55. ESPN's Alexa Philippou and also Kevin Pelton malfunction a number of journalism questions moving right into the matchup.play1:05 Breanna Stewart credit reports Jackie Young for jump-starting Staff USABreanna Stewart talks along with Brian Windhorst after Team U.S.A.'s 14-point win over Nigeria to progress to the semifinals.Team USA switched up its own beginning five against Nigeria, along with Jackie Young in place of Diana Taurasi. Did the step correct its own problems in the backcourt?Philippou: Starting Young instead of Taurasi-- who possessed final go over the bench at the Olympics in 2004-- was actually the ideal move. Along with 15 factors versus Nigeria, Youthful seems taking a part as Crew USA's third marker responsible for A'ja Wilson as well as Breanna Stewart. (Definitely, Young is actually the only various other USA player averaging double designs at 10.3 points every video game.) Youthful, among 3 Las Vegas Aces gamers in the starting 5, showed off her 3-point capturing earlier versus Germany, going 5-of-8. However while she went scoreless coming from deep on Wednesday, it was her capacity to acquire downhill as well as reach coming from midrange that stood out, along with her trademark defense in the backcourt. It took till the middle of the 2nd fourth for the U.S. to actually place its own foot on the fuel versus Nigeria, yet Youthful's aggressiveness as well as power on both ends must continue to pay dividends. And also Taurasi appeared to perform well off the bench, where she stepped up as a facilitator along with 4 assists.Pelton: I will adore to see starting point guard Chelsea Gray be actually a hazard to score. She skipped all three of her shot attempts in the quarterfinals, bringing Gray to 1-of-13 thus far during the course of the Olympics. Extremely, the USA outscored Nigeria through merely pair of points in Gray's 17:27, while all 4 various other beginners possessed a plus-minus of plus-17 or even far better while on the court.Still, as I discussed in our final roundtable, the USA girls can beat one non-scorer in the beginning 5 as long as she is carrying something else to the desk. As well as Gray is actually with her playmaking, having right now completed 22 aids versus simply three turnovers. So, I don't assume trainer Cheryl Reeve needs to make further changes.Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty ImagesWhat complications do the Australians position, as well as what could create them a tough matchup?Top tales of the week from Get exclusive accessibility to lots of superior write-ups a year coming from best authors. u2022 Solak: Intriguing NFL QB student training class "u2022 MLB: Epic AL MVP battle, various other honors "u2022 25 most important players in CFP ethnicity" Additional ESPN+ web content ".Philippou: WNBA enthusiasts are going to be actually well knowledgeable about this Opals squad, which includes the Seattle Tornado's Ezi Magbegor and Sami Whitcomb, Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Smith, Los Angeles Sparks' Stephanie Talbot, Washington Mystics' Jade Melbourne and Indiana High temperature's Kristy Wallace, plus New York Freedom coach Sandy Brondello responsible. Certainly not only perform the Opals possess the ability to compete versus Group USA. They possess drive as well as willpower observing their frustrating beginning to the Olympics. Brondello has actually been felt free to with her team's poise and guts over recent week, 2 top qualities a rival requires when dealing with the Americans.The Opals, whose balanced strike boasts 5 players averaging at the very least 8.0 PPG, can easily injure foes inside along with Magbegor as well as Smith however likewise from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is actually the most ideal in the Olympic industry as well as considerably more than Staff U.S.A.'s tiny 30.8%. Whitcomb as well as Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champion while along with the Las Vegas Aces, lead the group along with eight and seven treys, respectively.Pelton: On paper, Australia is deeper and also extra gifted than any kind of team in the business except for the U.S. girls. Our experts can dispute the most ideal international gamer at the Paris Video Games, along with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) as well as Satou Sabally (Germany) as solid applicants. However no staff possesses a set of gamers as good as the Opals' frontcourt duo of Magbegor and Johnson, both of whom will possess performed my WNBA Dream team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was certainly not called to the crew this period despite identical creation.) And no crew outside the USA possesses virtually as much WNBA adventure throughout its roster.Given all that talent, it was actually surprising when Australia lost its position game to Nigeria after that scarcely trump winless Canada. In their past 2 games, our company have actually seen the Opals our team anticipated, as they beat outdoed France to advance to the knockout stage and also led Serbia by as a lot of as 28 in a lopsided quarterfinal victory.A' Ja recipes to Stewie for three. LeBron accepts. U.S.A. System and also Peacock pic.twitter.com/yI8kbWNUpsu2014 NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024 May any person quit Breanna Stewart and also A'ja Wilson?Pelton: No. But if anybody is actually heading to include them, it is actually the duo of Magbegor and Smith. Australia's blog post gamers position 2nd (Magbegor, 2.4) as well as fourth (Johnson, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks per activity as well as possess the wheelchair to speak up for Stewart and also Wilson on the border. Magbegor is actually particularly experienced versus each rivals, having encountered Stewart in practice for three years as Tornado allies and also compared with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.The biggest obstacle for Magbegor and Johnson is actually filthy difficulty. Magbegor got three first-half fouls against Canada, and Johnson had 2 in the first fourth versus France, limiting their moments. Backup George is a hard, skillful player (she racked up 18 aspects in 24 moments versus Serbia) but nowhere near as athletic on defense.Philippou: Pelton brings up a valid worry. But provided the experience Stewart and Wilson contend this phase-- Stewart is actually opting for her third Olympic gold and also Wilson her second, while Magbegor and Johnson are actually looking in their initial Gamings-- I 'd anticipate the Team United States super duo to make the winning plays needed in such a high-pressure scenario to breakthrough to the final.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhich of France and also Belgium will be actually a harder rival for Crew USA?Pelton: I am actually opting for Belgium, which offered the U.S. ladies their hardest Olympic test however. The Americans prevailed through thirteen points, although the frame was only seven getting in the 4th one-fourth of a team stage 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 particularly straining coming from midtown while missing 10 of her 11 efforts. On Wednesday, the Mystics point player went 3-of-5 from 3, racking up 13 factors along with 7 supports (albeit with 9 turnovers) as Belgium cruised past Spain, the just various other team besides the U.S. that was unbeaten in swimming pool play.Philippou: As the bunch country along with the group on its side and lots of satisfaction on the line, a difficult defensive team in France definitely would not be a pushover, either, particularly if Marine Johannes can easily go off like she carried out versus Germany along with 24 points off the bench and along with Gabby Williams leading the way on both ends.Has Group United States played its own greatest basketball yet?Philippou: In-game uniformity, specifically on outburst, may still be actually a problem. There are times when the shortage of playing time all together or even Reeve's tweaking with rotations/combinations is still evident. It goes without saying, there is actually a reason Sue Bird just recently said on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that U.S.A. Basketball is actually the most uneasy baseball she has ever before participated in. After a bit of a slow start, the united state eventually led through 30 in the third one-fourth against Nigeria, yet Reeve couldn't have adored how her staff made it possible for the D'Tigress to make it a 14-point game just before the final buzzer. With 4 games, the Americans' shortage of 3-point firing have not actually been actually corrected, which may be an issue if opponents get hot coming from deep.Team U.S.A. can't neglect some of the continuing to be groups in the field, yet with a defensive identification as well as aggressive expertise led through Stewart and also Wilson, it has revealed it can put games away when it needs to, something that ought to move over into the last pair of games.Pelton: On the flip side, I think the capturing is additionally explanation to think there's one more gear for the U.S. women. Together, the 12 players on the roster have actually incorporated to fire thirty three% on 3-point tries in the WNBA this time. That won't gain a "Sprinkle Sis" label whenever soon, but it is actually additionally much better than Group USA has taken care of coming from the much shorter 3-point line in FIBA play.Taurasi (1-of-7) as well as Jewell Loyd (2-of-10) are actually outstanding to heat up from lengthy assortment. Keep an eye out if they finally perform.