.Alexa PhilippouCloseAlexa PhilippouESPNCovers ladies's university baseball and also the WNBA.Previously covered UConn and the WNBA Connecticut Sunlight for the Hartford Courant.Stanford graduate and Baltimore indigenous along with more experience at the Dallas Morning News, Seattle Moments and also Cincinnati EnquirerKevin PeltonCloseKevin PeltonESPN Senior Citizen Article Writer Co-author, Pro Baseball Program collection.In the past an expert with the Indiana Pacers.Created WARP ranking and also SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ETTwo global opponents will definitely meet again on Friday, as the USA ladies's basketball team confronts the Australian Opals along with a spot in the 2024 Paris Video games' gold award match on the line.Team USA, which is actually riding a streak of 59 successive Olympic triumphes, improved to the semifinals with an 88-74 overcome Nigeria on Wednesday. Observing a distressed loss to Nigeria in their Olympic opener, the Opals have strung all together 3 straight triumphes, consisting of Wednesday's 85-67 quarterfinal choice over Serbia.Editor's Picks2 RelatedWhile the U.S. females have actually been actually the gold requirement for basketball around the planet, winning 7 consecutive Olympic gold awards and also 9 total, Australia has been actually a historic giant together with all of them. The Opals have medaled in 5 of recent seven Summer seasons Games, take away three silvers and two bronze, although their semifinal operate in Paris notes the very first time they've advanced past the quarterfinals because the 2012 London Gamings.2012 additionally was actually the final time the legendary Lauren Jackson dressed on the Olympic phase for the green and also gold-- until now. While Group U.S.A. possesses 42-year-old, six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi, the Opals possess Jackson, 43, seeming in her fifth Video games as well as initially in 12 years. Jackson has consistently medaled in the competitors, and also though she has observed limited action up until now in France, she has a possibility to proceed that touch this weekend.Australia-- which boasts six energetic WNBA players-- possesses loads of energy, yet the Opals are 0-20 perpetuity against the united state senior nationwide crew, consisting of 0-8 in Olympic competition. Throughout the five Gamings through which they medaled, Australia dropped to the united state either in the semifinals or even the gold award contest. The squads final met in 2020, when the Americans prevailed 79-55. ESPN's Alexa Philippou as well as Kevin Pelton break down a few of the pressing inquiries heading in to the matchup.play1:05 Breanna Stewart credit scores Jackie Young for jump-starting Staff USABreanna Stewart speaks with Brian Windhorst after Staff U.S.A.'s 14-point sway Nigeria to advance to the semifinals.Team United States shifted up its own starting 5 versus Nigeria, along with Jackie Youthful instead of Diana Taurasi. Did the action repair its issues in the backcourt?Philippou: Starting Youthful in place of Taurasi-- that had final go over the seat at the Olympics in 2004-- was the ideal relocation. Along with 15 factors against Nigeria, Young looks carving out a job as Group U.S.A.'s third scorer behind A'ja Wilson as well as Breanna Stewart. (Indeed, Young is the just other U.S. player averaging double designs at 10.3 aspects every video game.) Young, one of three Las Vegas Aces gamers in the starting five, flaunted her 3-point firing earlier against Germany, going 5-of-8. Yet while she went scoreless coming from deep-seated on Wednesday, it was her potential to acquire downhill and attack from midrange that attracted attention, together with her hallmark protection in the backcourt. It took up until the middle of the second one-fourth for the U.S. to actually put its foot on the fuel against Nigeria, however Young's aggressiveness and energy on each ends should remain to return. And Taurasi appeared to do effectively off the bench, where she stepped up as a facilitator with four assists.Pelton: I would certainly enjoy to find starting point guard Chelsea Gray be actually a hazard to rating. She missed all 3 of her go attempts in the quarterfinals, carrying Gray to 1-of-13 thus far during the Olympics. Remarkably, the U.S. outscored Nigeria by merely pair of points in Gray's 17:27, while all four various other beginners had a plus-minus of plus-17 or much better while on the court.Still, as I stated in our last roundtable, the united state females can get over one non-scorer in the starting five such a long time as she is actually delivering another thing to the desk. And Gray is actually with her playmaking, having actually right now amounted to 22 helps versus merely three turn overs. Thus, I don't believe instructor Cheryl Reeve needs to have to create further changes.Photo through Garrett Ellwood/NBAE using Getty ImagesWhat concerns carry out the Australians pose, as well as what could possibly make all of them a tough matchup?Top accounts of the week coming from Get exclusive accessibility to hundreds of costs write-ups a year from leading authors. u2022 Solak: Interesting NFL QB student training class "u2022 MLB: Impressive AL MVP fight, various other awards "u2022 25 crucial players in CFP race" Additional ESPN+ web content ".Philippou: WNBA supporters will certainly be actually well knowledgeable about this Opals team, which includes the Seat Tornado's Ezi Magbegor and Sami Whitcomb, Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Smith, Los Angeles Sparks' Stephanie Talbot, Washington Mystics' Jade Melbourne as well as Indiana Fever's Kristy Wallace, plus New york city Freedom train Sandy Brondello responsible. Certainly not only carry out the Opals have the ability to contend against Crew USA. They possess momentum as well as willpower following their unsatisfying begin to the Olympics. Brondello has actually been actually pleased along with her crew's poise as well as guts over the past full week, 2 high qualities an enemy needs when experiencing the Americans.The Opals, whose balanced attack includes 5 players averaging at the very least 8.0 PPG, can easily hurt adversaries inside with Magbegor as well as Smith but also coming from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is actually the greatest in the Olympic industry and a lot greater than Staff United States's modest 30.8%. Whitcomb as well as Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champ while along with the Sin City Aces, lead the staff with 8 as well as 7 treys, respectively.Pelton: Abstractly, Australia is deeper and much more accomplished than any kind of team in the business except for the U.S. females. We can easily dispute the greatest worldwide player at the Paris Video Games, along with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) and Satou Sabally (Germany) as strong candidates. Yet no crew has a pair of gamers just as good as the Opals' frontcourt duo of Magbegor and Smith, both of whom would certainly have been on my WNBA Dream team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was not named to the staff this period despite identical creation.) And no group outside the U.S. has virtually as a lot WNBA adventure throughout its own roster.Given the only thing that skill, it was stunning when Australia dropped its opening video game to Nigeria after that scarcely defeat winless Canada. In their past two video games, our company have actually seen the Opals our experts anticipated, as they beat surpassed France to develop to the knockout stage as well as led Serbia through as numerous as 28 in an uneven quarterfinal victory.A' Ja meals to Stewie for three. LeBron accepts. U.S.A. System and Peacock pic.twitter.com/yI8kbWNUpsu2014 NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024 Can anybody cease Breanna Stewart as well as A'ja Wilson?Pelton: No. However if any individual is actually visiting contain all of them, it is actually the duo of Magbegor as well as Smith. Australia's post gamers rank second (Magbegor, 2.4) as well as fourth (Johnson, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks per activity and also have the movement to defend Stewart and Wilson on the boundary. Magbegor is actually particularly experienced against each challengers, having actually experienced Stewart virtual for 3 years as Hurricane colleagues as well as compared with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.The biggest barrier for Magbegor and Johnson is filthy problem. Magbegor grabbed 3 first-half fouls versus Canada, and Johnson possessed two in the first fourth versus France, confining their minutes. Backup George is a challenging, skillful player (she racked up 18 aspects in 24 mins versus Serbia) but nowhere near as sports on defense.Philippou: Pelton raises a valid problem. However given the take in Stewart and also Wilson have at this phase-- Stewart is choosing her third Olympic gold as well as Wilson her second, while Magbegor and Johnson are actually seeming in their initial Games-- I will expect the Group USA super duo to make the winning plays required in such a stressful circumstance to breakthrough to the final.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhich of France and Belgium would be a more durable enemy for Group USA?Pelton: I am actually selecting Belgium, which gave the united state ladies their toughest Olympic examination yet. The Americans prevailed by thirteen aspects, although the frame was actually just seven entering into the 4th quarter of a team phase game played in Lille, France, near the perimeter along with Belgium. All this despite Belgium going simply 5-of-27 in 3-point shooting, with Julie Vanloo particularly straining coming from downtown while missing out on 10 of her 11 tries. On Wednesday, the Mystics point guard went 3-of-5 coming from 3, scoring thirteen points along with seven helps (albeit along with 9 turnovers) as Belgium cruised past Spain, the only other group besides the united state that was unbeaten in pool play.Philippou: As the bunch country along with the group on its side and also a lot of pride vulnerable, a complicated defensive group in France would not be actually a pushover, either, particularly if Marine Johannes can blow up like she performed against Germany along with 24 aspects off the bench as well as with Gabby Williams breaking the ice on each ends.Has Staff United States played its own finest basketball yet?Philippou: In-game uniformity, especially on offense, can easily still be actually a concern. There are times when the shortage of playing time with each other or Reeve's tweaking with rotations/combinations is still obvious. Nevertheless, there is actually a main reason why Sue Bird recently claimed on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that USA Baseball is the most annoying baseball she has ever before participated in. After a little a slow-moving begin, the USA at some point led through 30 in the third fourth versus Nigeria, but Reeve could not have actually really loved exactly how her group allowed the D'Tigress to create it a 14-point video game before the ultimate buzzer. Via four video games, the Americans' shortage of 3-point shooting hasn't truly been actually remedied, which might be a problem if enemies fume coming from deep.Team United States can't disregard any one of the staying teams in the business, yet along with a protective identity and aggressive adeptness led through Stewart as well as Wilson, it has actually shown it may place activities away when it needs to have to, something that ought to transfer over into the last 2 games.Pelton: On the flip side, I presume the shooting is additionally cause to strongly believe there is actually another gear for the united state females. Collectively, the 12 players on the roster have actually integrated to fire 33% on 3-point attempts in the WNBA this time. That won't gain a "Sprinkle Siblings" label whenever very soon, but it's additionally better than Group United States has actually taken care of from the much shorter 3-point line in FIBA play.Taurasi (1-of-7) and Jewell Loyd (2-of-10) are actually outstanding to heat from long variety. Keep an eye out if they lastly do.