.Alexa PhilippouCloseAlexa PhilippouESPNCovers girls's college basketball and the WNBA.Previously dealt with UConn and the WNBA Connecticut Sunshine for the Hartford Courant.Stanford graduate and also Baltimore native with additional experience at the Dallas Early Morning Information, Seattle Times as well as Cincinnati EnquirerKevin PeltonCloseKevin PeltonESPN Elderly Person Article Writer Co-author, Pro Baseball Prospectus set.Previously a consultant with the Indiana Pacers.Developed WARP ranking and also SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ETTwo international competitors will definitely meet again on Friday, as the USA females's basketball crew confronts the Australian Opals with a place in the 2024 Paris Gamings' gold medal match on the line.Team USA, which is riding a touch of 59 consecutive Olympic success, improved to the semifinals along with an 88-74 triumph over Nigeria on Wednesday. Following a dismayed reduction to Nigeria in their Olympic opener, the Opals have strung together 3 upright victories, featuring Wednesday's 85-67 quarterfinal choice over Serbia.Editor's Picks2 RelatedWhile the U.S. girls have been the gold standard for basketball around the planet, gaining 7 successive Olympic gold awards and also nine general, Australia has actually been a historical powerhouse together with all of them. The Opals have actually medaled in 5 of the past seven Summer Video games, taking home 3 silvers and also two bronze, although their semifinal operate in Paris notes the very first time they have actually advanced past the quarterfinals because the 2012 Greater london Video games.2012 likewise was the final opportunity the fabulous Lauren Jackson wore on the Olympic stage for the eco-friendly and gold-- until now. While Group USA possesses 42-year-old, six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi, the Opals possess Jackson, 43, seeming in her 5th Games and also first in 12 years. Jackson has actually regularly medaled in the competitors, and also though she has actually seen limited activity up until now in France, she has a possibility to continue that touch this weekend.Australia-- which includes six energetic WNBA players-- possesses a lot of drive, yet the Opals are actually 0-20 all time against the U.S. senior national team, featuring 0-8 in Olympic competition. During the course of the five Games in which they medaled, Australia dropped to the USA either in the semifinals or the gold medal competition. The teams last complied with in 2020, when the Americans prevailed 79-55. ESPN's Alexa Philippou and Kevin Pelton break several of the pressing questions heading right into the matchup.play1:05 Breanna Stewart credit reports Jackie Young for jump-starting Team USABreanna Stewart chats along with Brian Windhorst after Group USA's 14-point sway Nigeria to accelerate to the semifinals.Team United States changed up its own beginning 5 against Nigeria, along with Jackie Youthful instead of Diana Taurasi. Carried out the move repair its own concerns in the backcourt?Philippou: Beginning Young instead of Taurasi-- who possessed last come off the seat at the Olympics in 2004-- was the correct technique. With 15 aspects against Nigeria, Youthful looks carving out a duty as Group USA's 3rd marker behind A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart. (Undoubtedly, Youthful is actually the simply other U.S. gamer averaging dual figures at 10.3 aspects per activity.) Youthful, among 3 Las Vegas Aces gamers in the starting 5, displayed her 3-point shooting previously against Germany, going 5-of-8. Yet while she went scoreless from deep on Wednesday, it was her capability to acquire downhill and reach coming from midrange that attracted attention, together with her trademark protection in the backcourt. It took up until the middle of the 2nd one-fourth for the USA to actually put its feet on the gas versus Nigeria, yet Youthful's hostility as well as power on both ends should remain to pay dividends. And also Taurasi seemed to accomplish effectively off the bench, where she stepped up as a facilitator with four assists.Pelton: I will like to see starting point player Chelsea Gray be actually a hazard to credit rating. She missed all 3 of her chance efforts in the quarterfinals, carrying Gray to 1-of-13 up until now during the Olympics. Remarkably, the U.S. outscored Nigeria by merely 2 aspects in Gray's 17:27, while all 4 other beginners had a plus-minus of plus-17 or better while on the court.Still, as I discussed in our final roundtable, the U.S. females can overcome one non-scorer in the beginning 5 such a long time as she is carrying another thing to the desk. As well as Gray is with her playmaking, having today amounted to 22 helps versus just 3 turnovers. So, I don't think coach Cheryl Reeve requires to create additional changes.Photo through Garrett Ellwood/NBAE through Getty ImagesWhat issues do the Australians posture, and also what can create them a difficult matchup?Top tales of the week from Obtain special accessibility to lots of costs posts a year coming from top authors. u2022 Solak: Appealing NFL QB sophomore class "u2022 MLB: Legendary AL MVP war, other honors "u2022 25 essential players in CFP ethnicity" Additional ESPN+ information ".Philippou: WNBA followers will be actually well familiar with this Opals squad, which features the Seat Hurricane's Ezi Magbegor as well as Sami Whitcomb, Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Johnson, Los Angeles Stimulates' Stephanie Talbot, Washington Mystics' Jade Melbourne as well as Indiana Fever's Kristy Wallace, plus New York Liberty instructor Sandy Brondello responsible. Certainly not merely carry out the Opals have the ability to complete against Staff USA. They possess momentum and willpower following their frustrating beginning to the Olympics. Brondello has been actually felt free to along with her team's grace and grit over recent week, two premiums a rival requires when dealing with the Americans.The Opals, whose balanced attack flaunts 5 gamers averaging a minimum of 8.0 PPG, may hurt enemies inside with Magbegor and also Johnson but also from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is the most effective in the Olympic area and also much higher than Group U.S.A.'s puny 30.8%. Whitcomb as well as Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champion while with the Las Vegas Aces, lead the team along with 8 as well as seven treys, respectively.Pelton: Abstractly, Australia is actually much deeper and also a lot more gifted than any type of staff in the field except for the united state females. Our company may debate the most ideal worldwide player at the Paris Games, with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) and also Satou Sabally (Germany) as powerful prospects. Yet no team possesses a pair of gamers as good as the Opals' frontcourt duo of Magbegor as well as Johnson, both of whom will have been on my WNBA All-Star team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was not called to the staff this season in spite of comparable manufacturing.) As well as no staff outside the U.S. has nearly as a lot WNBA expertise throughout its own roster.Given all that talent, it was astonishing when Australia shed its own opening game to Nigeria at that point scarcely beat winless Canada. In their past two activities, our team've viewed the Opals our team expected, as they trump surpassed France to advance to the knockout phase and led Serbia through as many as 28 in an unequal quarterfinal victory.A' Ja meals to Stewie for 3. LeBron approves. U.S.A. Network and also Peacock pic.twitter.com/yI8kbWNUpsu2014 NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024 May anyone quit Breanna Stewart and A'ja Wilson?Pelton: No. But if any individual is visiting include all of them, it's the duo of Magbegor and also Johnson. Australia's blog post players position 2nd (Magbegor, 2.4) as well as fourth (Smith, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks per game as well as have the flexibility to stand up for Stewart and Wilson on the boundary. Magbegor is actually especially experienced against each enemies, having experienced Stewart virtual for 3 years as Hurricane allies as well as compared with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.The most significant barrier for Magbegor and Johnson is actually filthy difficulty. Magbegor picked up 3 first-half fouls against Canada, and also Johnson had two in the very first quarter versus France, confining their minutes. Data backup George is actually a difficult, skillful gamer (she scored 18 aspects in 24 minutes versus Serbia) however no place near as athletic on defense.Philippou: Pelton brings up a legitimate issue. Yet offered the encounter Stewart and also Wilson contend this phase-- Stewart is going with her third Olympic gold as well as Wilson her 2nd, while Magbegor and also Johnson are actually seeming in their 1st Gamings-- I will anticipate the Group USA incredibly duo to make the winning plays needed in such a stressful situation to innovation to the final.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhich of France and also Belgium will be a more durable rival for Team USA?Pelton: I'm choosing Belgium, which provided the USA women their most difficult Olympic examination however. The Americans dominated by thirteen points, although the frame was just seven going into the fourth quarter of a team phase game played in Lille, France, near the border along with Belgium. All this despite Belgium going only 5-of-27 in 3-point shooting, with Julie Vanloo specifically struggling from midtown while skipping 10 of her 11 efforts. On Wednesday, the Mystics point guard went 3-of-5 coming from 3, scoring 13 factors along with 7 assists (albeit along with 9 turnovers) as Belgium cruised past Spain, the simply various other team besides the united state that was unbeaten in pool play.Philippou: As the bunch nation along with the group on its edge and also loads of pride vulnerable, a difficult protective staff in France wouldn't be a piece of cake, either, specifically if Marine Johannes may blow up like she carried out against Germany along with 24 factors off the bench and with Gabby Williams blazing a trail on both ends.Has Team USA played its ideal basketball yet?Philippou: In-game uniformity, particularly on offense, may still be actually a problem. There are times when the absence of playing time together or even Reeve's tweaking with rotations/combinations is actually still noticeable. Nevertheless, there's a reason why Sue Bird recently claimed on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that U.S.A. Baseball is the absolute most uneasy baseball she has actually ever before participated in. After a little bit of a slow begin, the U.S. eventually led by 30 in the 3rd fourth versus Nigeria, but Reeve couldn't have enjoyed how her crew permitted the D'Tigress to create it a 14-point video game prior to the final buzzer. Through 4 activities, the Americans' shortage of 3-point capturing have not truly been actually remedied, which may be an issue if opponents get hot coming from deep.Team U.S.A. can not ignore any of the remaining teams in the business, yet with a protective identification and also aggressive prowess led by Stewart as well as Wilson, it has shown it can put games away when it needs to have to, one thing that should transfer over into the ultimate pair of games.Pelton: On the flip side, I presume the firing is actually likewise explanation to strongly believe there is actually yet another gear for the USA girls. Collectively, the 12 players on the roster have mixed to shoot thirty three% on 3-point tries in the WNBA this period. That won't earn a "Dash Siblings" label whenever soon, however it's additionally far better than Team U.S.A. has dealt with coming from the much shorter 3-point line in FIBA play.Taurasi (1-of-7) and also Jewell Loyd (2-of-10) are actually overdue to heat from lengthy range. Look out if they eventually carry out.