.Alexa PhilippouCloseAlexa PhilippouESPNCovers girls's college baseball and also the WNBA.Previously covered UConn and also the WNBA Connecticut Sunshine for the Hartford Courant.Stanford graduate and Baltimore indigenous with additional experience at the Dallas Morning Headlines, Seattle Moments and Cincinnati EnquirerKevin PeltonCloseKevin PeltonESPN Elder Article Writer Co-author, Pro Basketball Syllabus series.Previously a specialist along with the Indiana Pacers.Cultivated WARP ranking and also SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ETTwo international competitors will definitely reunite on Friday, as the USA females's baseball crew goes up against the Australian Opals with an area in the 2024 Paris Games' gold award match on the line.Team USA, which is riding a streak of 59 consecutive Olympic wins, developed to the semifinals along with an 88-74 overcome Nigeria on Wednesday. Observing a dismayed loss to Nigeria in their Olympic opener, the Opals have strung with each other three upright success, featuring Wednesday's 85-67 quarterfinal choice over Serbia.Editor's Picks2 RelatedWhile the U.S. women have actually been the gold criterion for basketball throughout the globe, succeeding seven successive Olympic gold awards and 9 overall, Australia has actually been a famous goliath alongside them. The Opals have medaled in 5 of recent 7 Summertimes Gamings, take away three silvers as well as two bronze, although their semifinal run in Paris notes the first time they've developed past the quarterfinals since the 2012 Greater london Gamings.2012 also was actually the last opportunity the fabulous Lauren Jackson wore on the Olympic phase for the eco-friendly and gold-- previously. While Group United States has 42-year-old, six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi, the Opals have Jackson, 43, showing up in her 5th Gamings and also to begin with in 12 years. Jackson has regularly medaled in the competition, and though she has actually seen minimal action up until now in France, she possesses a possibility to continue that streak this weekend.Australia-- which boasts 6 energetic WNBA players-- possesses lots of drive, however the Opals are actually 0-20 perpetuity against the USA elderly national group, featuring 0-8 in Olympic competitors. During the five Gamings in which they medaled, Australia lost to the united state either in the semifinals or even the gold medal contest. The squads final satisfied in 2020, when the Americans dominated 79-55. ESPN's Alexa Philippou as well as Kevin Pelton break some of journalism concerns heading right into the matchup.play1:05 Breanna Stewart debts Jackie Youthful for jump-starting Staff USABreanna Stewart chats along with Brian Windhorst after Group United States's 14-point get Nigeria to advance to the semifinals.Team USA switched over up its starting five against Nigeria, along with Jackie Young instead of Diana Taurasi. Carried out the relocation repair its own problems in the backcourt?Philippou: Starting Youthful instead of Taurasi-- who possessed last come off the bench at the Olympics in 2004-- was actually the correct technique. With 15 points against Nigeria, Young appears to be carving out a function as Group United States's 3rd scorer behind A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart. (Certainly, Young is actually the just various other united state gamer balancing double figures at 10.3 factors every video game.) Youthful, some of 3 Las Vegas Aces gamers in the starting 5, exhibited her 3-point capturing previously against Germany, going 5-of-8. Yet while she went scoreless coming from deep-seated on Wednesday, it was her capacity to receive downhill and also strike from midrange that stood out, in addition to her hallmark protection in the backcourt. It took until the center of the second quarter for the USA to really put its own feet on the fuel against Nigeria, however Young's hostility and also electricity on each ends should continue to pay dividends. And also Taurasi seemed to accomplish well off the bench, where she improved as a facilitator with 4 assists.Pelton: I will like to find beginning point player Chelsea Gray be a danger to score. She missed all 3 of her chance attempts in the quarterfinals, taking Gray to 1-of-13 up until now during the Olympics. Remarkably, the U.S. outscored Nigeria by just 2 points in Gray's 17:27, while all four various other starters had a plus-minus of plus-17 or far better while on the court.Still, as I stated in our final roundtable, the united state girls can easily eliminate one non-scorer in the beginning 5 such a long time as she is actually carrying something else to the table. And Gray is actually with her playmaking, having right now totted 22 aids versus just 3 turn overs. Therefore, I don't believe trainer Cheryl Reeve needs to make additional changes.Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE through Getty ImagesWhat concerns perform the Australians posture, and what might make them a challenging matchup?Top tales of the week coming from Acquire unique access to thousands of premium write-ups a year from leading article writers. u2022 Solak: Interesting NFL QB student course "u2022 MLB: Impressive AL MVP struggle, other awards "u2022 25 most important players in CFP race" More ESPN+ material ".Philippou: WNBA enthusiasts will certainly be well knowledgeable about this Opals team, which features the Seat Tornado's Ezi Magbegor as well as Sami Whitcomb, Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Johnson, Los Angeles Triggers' Stephanie Talbot, Washington Mystics' Jade Melbourne and also Indiana Fever's Kristy Wallace, plus New york city Liberty train Sandy Brondello at the helm. Certainly not simply do the Opals possess the ability to compete versus Team United States. They possess drive as well as fix observing their frustrating begin to the Olympics. Brondello has actually been felt free to along with her staff's grace as well as grit over the past full week, two high qualities an enemy requires when encountering the Americans.The Opals, whose well balanced attack includes five players balancing a minimum of 8.0 PPG, can injure opponents inside along with Magbegor and Johnson however likewise coming from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is the greatest in the Olympic field and considerably higher than Team USA's puny 30.8%. Whitcomb and Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champ while with the Sin City Aces, lead the staff with eight and 7 treys, respectively.Pelton: Theoretically, Australia is much deeper and extra gifted than any type of crew in the field except for the USA ladies. Our experts can dispute the most ideal global player at the Paris Games, with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) as well as Satou Sabally (Germany) as solid applicants. However no group possesses a set of players as good as the Opals' frontcourt duo of Magbegor and Smith, both of whom will have performed my WNBA All-Star team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was actually certainly not called to the group this period even with identical development.) And no crew outside the U.S. has nearly as a lot WNBA knowledge throughout its own roster.Given everything skill, it was astonishing when Australia lost its own opening video game to Nigeria at that point rarely defeat winless Canada. In their previous 2 games, we have actually seen the Opals we anticipated, as they defeat surpassed France to develop to the knockout stage as well as led Serbia by as lots of as 28 in a lopsided quarterfinal victory.A' Ja dishes to Stewie for three. LeBron approves. U.S.A. Network and Peacock pic.twitter.com/yI8kbWNUpsu2014 NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024 Can anybody cease Breanna Stewart and also A'ja Wilson?Pelton: No. However if any individual is actually going to contain them, it's the duo of Magbegor and Smith. Australia's post gamers place second (Magbegor, 2.4) and also 4th (Johnson, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks every video game as well as have the movement to defend Stewart as well as Wilson on the boundary. Magbegor is actually specifically experienced against both rivals, having actually faced Stewart virtual for 3 years as Tornado teammates and compared with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.The most significant difficulty for Magbegor as well as Smith is actually foul trouble. Magbegor got three first-half fouls against Canada, as well as Smith possessed two in the very first fourth versus France, restricting their minutes. Data backup George is actually a tough, competent gamer (she racked up 18 aspects in 24 mins versus Serbia) yet nowhere near as athletic on defense.Philippou: Pelton brings up a legitimate problem. But offered the encounter Stewart and Wilson contend this stage-- Stewart is opting for her 3rd Olympic gold and Wilson her second, while Magbegor as well as Johnson are showing up in their 1st Games-- I will count on the Crew U.S.A. tremendously duo to help make the winning participates in required in such a stressful condition to advance to the final.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhich of France and also Belgium would be actually a harder rival for Crew USA?Pelton: I'm going with Belgium, which offered the U.S. women their most difficult Olympic examination but. The Americans dominated through 13 points, although the frame was actually only 7 getting into the 4th quarter of a group stage game played in Lille, France, near the edge with Belgium. All this regardless of Belgium going only 5-of-27 in 3-point shooting, along with Julie Vanloo specifically battling from downtown while missing out on 10 of her 11 efforts. On Wednesday, the Mystics point player went 3-of-5 from 3, racking up thirteen factors with seven supports (albeit along with 9 turnovers) as Belgium navigated previous Spain, the merely other team besides the USA that was actually unbeaten in pool play.Philippou: As the multitude country along with the crowd on its side and plenty of honor on the line, a complicated defensive crew in France would not be a piece of cake, either, especially if Marine Johannes can easily blow up like she did versus Germany along with 24 points off the bench and also along with Gabby Williams blazing a trail on each ends.Has Team USA played its own ideal basketball yet?Philippou: In-game congruity, specifically on outburst, may still be an issue. There are times when the shortage of playing time with each other or Reeve's tweaking with rotations/combinations is still obvious. It goes without saying, there is actually a reason why Sue Bird just recently stated on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that USA Basketball is actually one of the most annoying basketball she has ever participated in. After a bit of a slow start, the united state inevitably led through 30 in the 3rd one-fourth versus Nigeria, but Reeve could not have actually adored exactly how her group allowed the D'Tigress to make it a 14-point game before the final buzzer. By means of four games, the Americans' absence of 3-point firing hasn't really been actually solved, which may be a problem if challengers fume coming from deep.Team U.S.A. can not neglect any one of the remaining teams in the field, yet with a protective identification as well as offensive expertise led by Stewart and Wilson, it has actually presented it can place activities away when it requires to, one thing that should transfer over into the final pair of games.Pelton: On the other hand, I presume the shooting is actually likewise cause to strongly believe there's an additional gear for the USA females. Together, the 12 gamers on the lineup have actually incorporated to shoot thirty three% on 3-point attempts in the WNBA this season. That will not get a "Sprinkle Sisters" nickname whenever very soon, yet it is actually also much better than Staff United States has handled from the briefer 3-point line in FIBA play.Taurasi (1-of-7) as well as Jewell Loyd (2-of-10) are outstanding to heat from lengthy assortment. Look out if they lastly carry out.