.Alexa PhilippouCloseAlexa PhilippouESPNCovers ladies's college basketball and the WNBA.Recently covered UConn and the WNBA Connecticut Sunshine for the Hartford Courant.Stanford graduate as well as Baltimore native with additional experience at the Dallas Morning Headlines, Seattle Times as well as Cincinnati EnquirerKevin PeltonCloseKevin PeltonESPN Elder Writer Co-author, Pro Basketball Program set.Previously a specialist along with the Indiana Pacers.Created WARP score and also SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ETTwo international rivals are going to meet again on Friday, as the USA ladies's basketball group faces the Australian Opals with a place in the 2024 Paris Games' gold medal suit on the line.Team U.S.A., which is actually riding a streak of 59 consecutive Olympic victories, developed to the semifinals along with an 88-74 triumph over Nigeria on Wednesday. Following a distressed loss to Nigeria in their Olympic opener, the Opals have actually strung with each other three straight triumphes, consisting of Wednesday's 85-67 quarterfinal decision over Serbia.Editor's Picks2 RelatedWhile the U.S. ladies have been the gold specification for baseball throughout the planet, gaining 7 successive Olympic gold awards and also 9 overall, Australia has been actually a famous giant alongside all of them. The Opals have actually medaled in 5 of recent seven Summer seasons Gamings, take away 3 silvers as well as two bronze, although their semifinal run in Paris denotes the very first time they have actually improved past the quarterfinals since the 2012 Greater london Video games.2012 additionally was the last opportunity the epic Lauren Jackson suited up on the Olympic stage for the green and gold-- until now. While Crew U.S.A. possesses 42-year-old, six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi, the Opals have Jackson, 43, appearing in her 5th Games and first in 12 years. Jackson has actually regularly medaled in the competition, as well as though she has actually observed limited action thus far in France, she possesses an odds to carry on that touch this weekend.Australia-- which flaunts 6 active WNBA players-- has lots of drive, but the Opals are 0-20 all time against the U.S. elderly nationwide crew, featuring 0-8 in Olympic competitors. In the course of the five Video games through which they medaled, Australia dropped to the USA either in the semifinals or even the gold award contest. The squads last satisfied in 2020, when the Americans prevailed 79-55. ESPN's Alexa Philippou and also Kevin Pelton break down some of journalism inquiries heading right into the matchup.play1:05 Breanna Stewart credit scores Jackie Young for jump-starting Group USABreanna Stewart chats along with Brian Windhorst after Group U.S.A.'s 14-point draw Nigeria to advance to the semifinals.Team U.S.A. switched over up its own starting 5 against Nigeria, with Jackie Young in place of Diana Taurasi. Did the action repair its problems in the backcourt?Philippou: Starting Young in place of Taurasi-- that had final go over the seat at the Olympics in 2004-- was actually the ideal move. Along with 15 points versus Nigeria, Youthful seems carving out a task as Staff USA's 3rd scorer behind A'ja Wilson and also Breanna Stewart. (Indeed, Youthful is actually the just various other U.S. player balancing dual figures at 10.3 aspects per game.) Young, one of 3 Las Vegas Aces gamers in the beginning five, exhibited her 3-point capturing earlier against Germany, going 5-of-8. However while she went scoreless from deeper on Wednesday, it was her capability to obtain downhill and also reach coming from midrange that attracted attention, along with her trademark defense in the backcourt. It took till the middle of the 2nd quarter for the U.S. to definitely place its own feet on the gas versus Nigeria, yet Youthful's aggressiveness and also power on both ends need to remain to pay dividends. And also Taurasi seemed to accomplish properly off the bench, where she boosted as a facilitator with four assists.Pelton: I will love to find beginning point player Chelsea Gray be actually a danger to credit rating. She missed all 3 of her try efforts in the quarterfinals, carrying Gray to 1-of-13 so far during the Olympics. Remarkably, the united state outscored Nigeria through merely pair of aspects in Gray's 17:27, while all four various other starters possessed a plus-minus of plus-17 or even better while on the court.Still, as I mentioned in our final roundtable, the united state women can easily conquer one non-scorer in the starting 5 such a long time as she is actually taking something else to the desk. And also Gray is actually with her playmaking, having actually today completed 22 assists versus simply 3 turn overs. Thus, I don't believe train Cheryl Reeve requires to create additional changes.Photo through Garrett Ellwood/NBAE by means of Getty ImagesWhat issues do the Australians posture, and what could create all of them a challenging matchup?Top tales of the week coming from Obtain unique accessibility to 1000s of premium write-ups a year coming from top article writers. u2022 Solak: Appealing NFL QB sophomore lesson "u2022 MLB: Legendary AL MVP war, other awards "u2022 25 essential players in CFP nationality" Even more ESPN+ material ".Philippou: WNBA supporters will definitely be effectively acquainted with this Opals team, which features the Seat Tornado'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 Freedom instructor Sandy Brondello at the helm. Certainly not merely carry out the Opals possess the talent to compete versus Group United States. They have drive as well as resolve following their frustrating begin to the Olympics. Brondello has actually been satisfied with her team's poise as well as guts over the past full week, 2 premiums a challenger needs when dealing with the Americans.The Opals, whose well balanced attack flaunts five players balancing a minimum of 8.0 PPG, may hurt opponents inside along with Magbegor and Johnson but also coming from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is the best in the Olympic field as well as considerably more than Crew United States's modest 30.8%. Whitcomb and Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champ while with the Las Vegas Aces, lead the group along with 8 and 7 treys, respectively.Pelton: Abstractly, Australia is deeper and also even more gifted than any group in the field except for the USA females. Our team can question the most ideal global player at the Paris Video Games, along with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) and Satou Sabally (Germany) as solid candidates. But no staff possesses a set of players as good as the Opals' frontcourt duo of Magbegor as well as Smith, each of whom will possess been on my WNBA Dream team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was actually not called to the group this season in spite of comparable creation.) And also no group outside the USA possesses nearly as much WNBA experience throughout its roster.Given the only thing that talent, it was shocking when Australia dropped its own position activity to Nigeria after that scarcely trump winless Canada. In their previous 2 activities, our team've observed the Opals our experts anticipated, as they defeat topped France to advance to the knockout stage and also led Serbia by as many as 28 in an uneven quarterfinal victory.A' Ja foods to Stewie for 3. LeBron authorizes. United States System and Peacock pic.twitter.com/yI8kbWNUpsu2014 NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024 Can easily any individual quit Breanna Stewart and A'ja Wilson?Pelton: No. Yet if any person is actually mosting likely to have them, it's the duo of Magbegor and Johnson. Australia's blog post gamers rate second (Magbegor, 2.4) and also fourth (Johnson, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks per activity as well as possess the movement to stand up for Stewart and Wilson on the boundary. Magbegor is particularly experienced versus each rivals, having encountered Stewart virtual for 3 years as Hurricane colleagues as well as compared along with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.The biggest challenge for Magbegor and also Smith is filthy difficulty. Magbegor grabbed three first-half fouls against Canada, as well as Johnson had 2 in the first fourth versus France, restricting their minutes. Backup George is actually a hard, competent player (she scored 18 points in 24 minutes against Serbia) but no place near as athletic on defense.Philippou: Pelton brings up a valid problem. However given the take in Stewart as well as Wilson contend this phase-- Stewart is selecting her third Olympic gold as well as Wilson her second, while Magbegor and also Johnson are looking in their initial Games-- I will expect the Crew USA extremely duo to produce the winning participates in needed in such a stressful condition to development to the final.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhich of France and also Belgium would be actually a more durable rival for Crew USA?Pelton: I am actually going with Belgium, which gave the USA females their hardest Olympic exam however. The Americans prevailed by thirteen points, although the margin was just seven going into the 4th quarter of a group stage video game played in Lille, France, near the borderline along with Belgium. All this regardless of Belgium going merely 5-of-27 in 3-point firing, with Julie Vanloo specifically straining from downtown while overlooking 10 of her 11 efforts. On Wednesday, the Mystics point player went 3-of-5 from 3, scoring 13 points with 7 supports (albeit with 9 turn overs) as Belgium cruised past Spain, the only other team besides the united state that was actually unbeaten in pool play.Philippou: As the lot country along with the crowd on its edge as well as a lot of satisfaction vulnerable, a difficult protective group in France definitely would not be actually a piece of cake, either, particularly if Marine Johannes may go off like she performed against Germany along with 24 points off the bench and along with Gabby Williams leading the way on both ends.Has Staff United States played its finest basketball yet?Philippou: In-game congruity, especially on offense, can easily still be actually a concern. There are actually times when the lack of playing opportunity all together or even Reeve's tweaking with rotations/combinations is still evident. After all, there is actually a main reason why Sue Bird recently said on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that United States Basketball is actually one of the most uncomfortable basketball she has ever participated in. After a bit of a slow begin, the U.S. ultimately led through 30 in the third one-fourth against Nigeria, yet Reeve could not have actually enjoyed exactly how her crew made it possible for the D'Tigress to create it a 14-point video game just before the final buzzer. Through 4 games, the Americans' shortage of 3-point firing have not truly been treated, which might be an issue if challengers fume coming from deep.Team United States can't overlook any one of the staying teams in the field, yet along with a protective identification and aggressive expertise led by Stewart and Wilson, it has actually revealed it can place video games away when it needs to have to, one thing that ought to transmit over into the ultimate pair of games.Pelton: On the other side, I presume the shooting is additionally explanation to think there's an additional equipment for the united state females. Together, the 12 gamers on the lineup have blended to fire thirty three% on 3-point efforts in the WNBA this period. That won't earn a "Sprinkle Sis" label any time very soon, however it's likewise better than Crew USA has actually taken care of from the much shorter 3-point line in FIBA play.Taurasi (1-of-7) and also Jewell Loyd (2-of-10) are outstanding to warm from lengthy assortment. Look out if they ultimately perform.