.Alexa PhilippouCloseAlexa PhilippouESPNCovers ladies's university basketball and the WNBA.Earlier covered UConn and also the WNBA Connecticut Sun for the Hartford Courant.Stanford grad and also Baltimore indigenous along with further take in at the Dallas Morning Headlines, Seattle Moments as well as Cincinnati EnquirerKevin PeltonCloseKevin PeltonESPN Elder Author Co-author, Pro Basketball Program series.In the past a consultant along with the Indiana Pacers.Created WARP rating and also SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ETTwo international competitors will certainly meet again on Friday, as the United States girls's basketball crew takes on the Australian Opals with a location in the 2024 Paris Gamings' gold award suit on the line.Team USA, which is actually using a touch of 59 successive Olympic triumphes, improved to the semifinals along with an 88-74 overcome Nigeria on Wednesday. Following an upset loss to Nigeria in their Olympic opener, the Opals have actually strung all together three straight victories, including Wednesday's 85-67 quarterfinal selection over Serbia.Editor's Picks2 RelatedWhile the united state females have been the gold requirement for baseball throughout the planet, succeeding seven successive Olympic gold awards and also nine overall, Australia has actually been actually a historic powerhouse together with them. The Opals have actually medaled in five of recent 7 Summer seasons Gamings, take away three silvers as well as pair of bronze, although their semifinal operate in Paris notes the first time they have actually developed past the quarterfinals due to the fact that the 2012 London Video games.2012 additionally was the final time the legendary Lauren Jackson dressed on the Olympic stage for the green as well as gold-- until now. While Crew USA possesses 42-year-old, six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi, the Opals possess Jackson, 43, showing up in her fifth Gamings and initially in 12 years. Jackson has constantly medaled in the competitors, as well as though she has seen limited activity thus far in France, she has a chance to continue that touch this weekend.Australia-- which flaunts 6 active WNBA players-- has lots of drive, yet the Opals are 0-20 all time versus the U.S. senior national staff, including 0-8 in Olympic competitors. In the course of the five Gamings in which they medaled, Australia dropped to the U.S. either in the semifinals or even the gold medal contest. The teams final satisfied in 2020, when the Americans prevailed 79-55. ESPN's Alexa Philippou as well as Kevin Pelton break down a number of the pressing questions moving into the matchup.play1:05 Breanna Stewart debts Jackie Young for jump-starting Crew USABreanna Stewart talks with Brian Windhorst after Staff United States's 14-point draw Nigeria to advance to the semifinals.Team United States shifted up its starting five against Nigeria, along with Jackie Young in place of Diana Taurasi. Performed the step fix its own problems in the backcourt?Philippou: Starting Youthful in place of Taurasi-- that had last go over the seat at the Olympics in 2004-- was actually the appropriate action. Along with 15 factors versus Nigeria, Youthful seems taking a role as Crew United States's 3rd marker behind A'ja Wilson and also Breanna Stewart. (Without A Doubt, Young is actually the just various other united state gamer balancing double figures at 10.3 factors per activity.) Youthful, one of three Sin city Aces players in the beginning five, displayed her 3-point capturing previously versus Germany, going 5-of-8. But while she went scoreless from deep on Wednesday, it was her ability to get downhill as well as attack from midrange that stood out, along with her hallmark defense in the backcourt. It took until the middle of the 2nd one-fourth for the united state to actually put its foot on the gas against Nigeria, yet Youthful's hostility as well as power on each ends need to continue to pay dividends. And Taurasi seemed to be to carry out well off the seat, where she boosted as a facilitator along with four assists.Pelton: I 'd love to observe beginning point player Chelsea Gray be actually a risk to score. She skipped all three of her try tries in the quarterfinals, bringing Gray to 1-of-13 so far during the course of the Olympics. Extremely, the U.S. outscored Nigeria by just 2 factors in Gray's 17:27, while all four various other beginners had a plus-minus of plus-17 or even far better while on the court.Still, as I mentioned in our last roundtable, the USA girls can get over one non-scorer in the starting 5 such a long time as she is actually delivering something else to the desk. And also Gray is along with her playmaking, having actually now totaled 22 supports versus merely three turnovers. Thus, I do not presume trainer Cheryl Reeve needs to have to make additional changes.Photo through Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty ImagesWhat issues carry out the Australians present, as well as what could possibly make all of them a hard matchup?Top accounts of the full week coming from Get special access to countless premium articles a year coming from top article writers. u2022 Solak: Interesting NFL QB student class "u2022 MLB: Legendary AL MVP fight, various other honors "u2022 25 essential gamers in CFP nationality" Even more ESPN+ web content ".Philippou: WNBA enthusiasts will be properly knowledgeable about this Opals squad, which features the Seat Hurricane's Ezi Magbegor and also Sami Whitcomb, Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Johnson, Los Angeles Triggers' Stephanie Talbot, Washington Mystics' Jade Melbourne and also Indiana Fever's Kristy Wallace, plus Nyc Liberty train Sandy Brondello at the helm. Certainly not only perform the Opals have the talent to contend versus Crew United States. They have momentum as well as willpower observing their unsatisfying start to the Olympics. Brondello has been actually pleased along with her crew's poise and guts over the past week, two qualities an opponent requires when experiencing the Americans.The Opals, whose well balanced assault boasts five players averaging a minimum of 8.0 PPG, can easily hurt opponents inside along with Magbegor and Smith but also coming from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is actually the best in the Olympic area as well as a lot greater than Team U.S.A.'s modest 30.8%. Whitcomb and also Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champion while along with the Sin City Aces, lead the crew with eight and also 7 treys, respectively.Pelton: On paper, Australia is actually much deeper and much more accomplished than any type of crew in the business except for the USA females. Our experts can question the best international gamer at the Paris Gamings, along with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) and Satou Sabally (Germany) as powerful applicants. Yet no crew has a pair of gamers comparable to the Opals' frontcourt duo of Magbegor and also Johnson, both of whom would have performed my WNBA All-Star team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was actually not called to the group this season in spite of identical production.) As well as no group outside the USA possesses almost as much WNBA expertise throughout its roster.Given the only thing that ability, it was shocking when Australia shed its own position activity to Nigeria then hardly trump winless Canada. In their previous pair of video games, our team've seen the Opals our experts expected, as they defeat outdoed France to develop to the knockout stage as well as led Serbia through as lots of as 28 in a lopsided quarterfinal victory.A' Ja meals to Stewie for three. LeBron authorizes. United States Network and Peacock pic.twitter.com/yI8kbWNUpsu2014 NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024 Can anyone cease Breanna Stewart as well as A'ja Wilson?Pelton: No. However if anyone is going to include all of them, it's the duo of Magbegor and Johnson. Australia's post gamers rate second (Magbegor, 2.4) as well as 4th (Johnson, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks every game as well as have the flexibility to defend Stewart and also Wilson on the boundary. Magbegor is especially experienced versus both enemies, having dealt with Stewart in practice for three years as Tornado colleagues and paired up with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.The largest hurdle for Magbegor and also Smith is actually foul issue. Magbegor picked up three first-half fouls versus Canada, and also Johnson had 2 in the very first quarter versus France, restricting their moments. Backup George is a difficult, trained player (she racked up 18 points in 24 minutes versus Serbia) however nowhere near as sports on defense.Philippou: Pelton raises a valid problem. But given the encounter Stewart and Wilson have at this stage-- Stewart is opting for her 3rd Olympic gold and also Wilson her 2nd, while Magbegor and Smith are actually seeming in their very first Gamings-- I will expect the Crew United States incredibly duo to produce the winning plays essential in such a stressful situation to advancement to the final.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhich of France and Belgium will be a more durable enemy for Crew USA?Pelton: I am actually choosing Belgium, which provided the USA women their most difficult Olympic exam however. The Americans prevailed through 13 factors, although the scope was only 7 going into the 4th quarter of a group phase game played in Lille, France, near the border along with Belgium. All this in spite of Belgium going just 5-of-27 in 3-point firing, along with Julie Vanloo specifically battling from midtown while missing 10 of her 11 efforts. On Wednesday, the Mystics point player went 3-of-5 coming from 3, racking up thirteen factors along with 7 supports (albeit along with nine turnovers) as Belgium cruised previous Spain, the simply other team besides the U.S. that was unbeaten in pool play.Philippou: As the host nation with the group on its own side as well as plenty of take pride in vulnerable, a challenging protective group in France definitely would not be actually a pushover, either, specifically if Marine Johannes may go off like she carried out against Germany with 24 factors off the bench as well as with Gabby Williams breaking the ice on both ends.Has Team USA played its finest basketball yet?Philippou: In-game congruity, specifically on offense, may still be actually a concern. There are opportunities when the lack of participating in opportunity with each other or Reeve's tweaking with rotations/combinations is actually still evident. It goes without saying, there's a reason why Sue Bird just recently stated on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that United States Baseball is the most annoying baseball she has actually ever participated in. After a little bit of a slow beginning, the U.S. eventually led through 30 in the third quarter versus Nigeria, however Reeve could not have actually really loved how her team enabled the D'Tigress to create it a 14-point activity just before the final buzzer. By means of 4 activities, the Americans' absence of 3-point firing have not truly been actually corrected, which may be a concern if rivals get hot from deep.Team United States can not neglect any of the continuing to be crews in the field, however with a defensive identity and aggressive expertise led through Stewart as well as Wilson, it has actually presented it can place activities away when it requires to, one thing that should transfer over into the final 2 games.Pelton: On the flip side, I believe the capturing is actually likewise explanation to feel there's yet another gear for the united state females. Together, the 12 gamers on the lineup have blended to shoot thirty three% on 3-point efforts in the WNBA this period. That will not get a "Burst Siblings" nickname any time soon, however 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) and Jewell Loyd (2-of-10) are actually past due to heat up from lengthy selection. Look out if they ultimately perform.