.Alexa PhilippouCloseAlexa PhilippouESPNCovers females's university basketball and the WNBA.Formerly covered UConn as well as the WNBA Connecticut Sunshine for the Hartford Courant.Stanford grad and Baltimore native with further encounter at the Dallas Early Morning News, Seat Times as well as Cincinnati EnquirerKevin PeltonCloseKevin PeltonESPN Senior Citizen Article Writer Co-author, Pro Baseball Syllabus series.Previously a consultant with the Indiana Pacers.Developed WARP ranking as well as SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ETTwo worldwide rivals will definitely meet again on Friday, as the United States girls's baseball staff faces the Australian Opals with a location in the 2024 Paris Games' gold award suit on the line.Team United States, which is actually riding a touch of 59 successive Olympic victories, advanced to the semifinals with an 88-74 triumph over Nigeria on Wednesday. Complying with a distressed loss to Nigeria in their Olympic opener, the Opals have actually strung with each other three upright success, including Wednesday's 85-67 quarterfinal choice over Serbia.Editor's Picks2 RelatedWhile the U.S. ladies have actually been actually the gold criterion for basketball around the world, succeeding seven successive Olympic gold medals as well as 9 total, Australia has been actually a historical giant along with them. The Opals have actually medaled in five of recent 7 Summertimes Gamings, take away 3 silvers and also two bronze, although their semifinal run in Paris notes the first time they have actually advanced past the quarterfinals considering that the 2012 Greater london Gamings.2012 also was actually the final time the famous Lauren Jackson suited up on the Olympic phase for the environment-friendly as well as gold-- previously. While Team U.S.A. has 42-year-old, six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi, the Opals possess Jackson, 43, seeming in her fifth Games and also to begin with in 12 years. Jackson has always medaled in the competition, and also though she has observed minimal activity thus far in France, she possesses an odds to proceed that streak this weekend.Australia-- which flaunts 6 energetic WNBA gamers-- has lots of drive, but the Opals are actually 0-20 all time versus the USA senior national crew, consisting of 0-8 in Olympic competition. During the course of the five Games in which they medaled, Australia lost to the U.S. either in the semifinals or even the gold award competition. The squads last met in 2020, when the Americans prevailed 79-55. ESPN's Alexa Philippou and also Kevin Pelton break a number of the pressing inquiries moving in to the matchup.play1:05 Breanna Stewart credit scores Jackie Youthful for jump-starting Group USABreanna Stewart chats along with Brian Windhorst after Staff U.S.A.'s 14-point sway Nigeria to accelerate to the semifinals.Team U.S.A. switched up its own starting 5 versus Nigeria, with Jackie Young instead of Diana Taurasi. Did the step correct its own issues in the backcourt?Philippou: Beginning Young instead of Taurasi-- who had last go over the seat at the Olympics in 2004-- was actually the correct step. With 15 aspects versus Nigeria, Youthful seems carving out a function as Team USA's 3rd marker behind A'ja Wilson as well as Breanna Stewart. (Definitely, Youthful is actually the just other united state gamer balancing dual figures at 10.3 points per video game.) Young, one of 3 Sin city Aces players in the beginning five, flaunted her 3-point capturing earlier against Germany, going 5-of-8. But while she went scoreless coming from deeper on Wednesday, it was her ability to obtain downhill and reach coming from midrange that attracted attention, alongside her trademark defense in the backcourt. It took till the center of the second quarter for the USA to actually put its foot on the fuel versus Nigeria, yet Youthful's aggression and also power on each ends ought to remain to pay dividends. And Taurasi seemed to carry out well off the seat, where she boosted as a company with four assists.Pelton: I 'd love to view beginning point player Chelsea Gray be actually a danger to credit rating. She missed out on all 3 of her try attempts in the quarterfinals, taking Gray to 1-of-13 until now throughout the Olympics. Amazingly, the united state outscored Nigeria through just two points in Gray's 17:27, while all four other beginners possessed a plus-minus of plus-17 or even much better while on the court.Still, as I pointed out in our final roundtable, the united state females can easily conquer one non-scorer in the beginning 5 such a long time as she is taking something else to the table. And Gray is along with her playmaking, having actually today totted 22 supports against simply three turn overs. Therefore, I do not think instructor Cheryl Reeve needs to have to create further changes.Photo through Garrett Ellwood/NBAE by means of Getty ImagesWhat problems perform the Australians pose, and also what can create all of them a challenging matchup?Top accounts of the week from Get special accessibility to hundreds of superior write-ups a year from best authors. u2022 Solak: Appealing NFL QB student class "u2022 MLB: Epic AL MVP fight, various other honors "u2022 25 crucial gamers in CFP nationality" Additional ESPN+ web content ".Philippou: WNBA fans are going to be actually effectively accustomed to this Opals team, which includes the Seat Storm's Ezi Magbegor as well as Sami Whitcomb, Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Smith, Los Angeles Triggers' Stephanie Talbot, Washington Mystics' Jade Melbourne and Indiana High temperature's Kristy Wallace, plus Nyc Liberty instructor Sandy Brondello responsible. Not only carry out the Opals possess the ability to compete versus Team U.S.A.. They have energy and also fix following their frustrating beginning to the Olympics. Brondello has been actually satisfied along with her crew's grace and also grit over recent week, two high qualities an enemy needs to have when encountering the Americans.The Opals, whose balanced strike includes five players balancing at the very least 8.0 PPG, can easily injure adversaries inside with Magbegor and Smith however likewise from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is the most ideal in the Olympic field and a lot higher than Staff U.S.A.'s paltry 30.8%. Whitcomb and also Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champion while with the Las Vegas Aces, lead the staff with eight as well as seven treys, respectively.Pelton: Abstractly, Australia is actually much deeper as well as even more proficient than any crew in the business barring the U.S. ladies. Our team may question the best worldwide player at the Paris Games, with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) and also Satou Sabally (Germany) as tough applicants. But no team has a set of players as good as the Opals' frontcourt duo of Magbegor and Johnson, each of whom would certainly possess been on my WNBA All-Star team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was certainly not called to the team this time in spite of similar development.) And no group outside the U.S. has virtually as a lot WNBA adventure throughout its roster.Given the only thing that ability, it was actually surprising when Australia shed its opening video game to Nigeria at that point hardly defeat winless Canada. In their past pair of games, our experts've seen the Opals we anticipated, as they defeat exceeded France to develop to the knockout phase and led Serbia through as several as 28 in an askew quarterfinal victory.A' Ja meals to Stewie for 3. LeBron approves. USA System and also Peacock pic.twitter.com/yI8kbWNUpsu2014 NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024 May any person quit Breanna Stewart and also A'ja Wilson?Pelton: No. But if any individual is actually mosting likely to have them, it's the duo of Magbegor as well as Smith. Australia's blog post gamers place 2nd (Magbegor, 2.4) as well as 4th (Smith, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks per video game as well as possess the movement to speak up for Stewart and also Wilson on the perimeter. Magbegor is especially experienced against each enemies, having encountered Stewart in practice for 3 years as Storm colleagues and compared along with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.The most significant challenge for Magbegor as well as Johnson is actually nasty issue. Magbegor grabbed 3 first-half fouls against Canada, as well as Smith had pair of in the 1st fourth versus France, limiting their minutes. Back-up George is a challenging, skilled player (she scored 18 factors in 24 moments against Serbia) but nowhere near as athletic on defense.Philippou: Pelton raises an authentic issue. But offered the experience Stewart and also Wilson have at this phase-- Stewart is actually going for her third Olympic gold as well as Wilson her 2nd, while Magbegor and Johnson are actually seeming in their 1st Games-- I 'd expect the Group USA incredibly duo to make the winning participates in necessary in such a stressful scenario to advance to the final.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhich of France as well as Belgium would be actually a tougher opponent for Crew USA?Pelton: I am actually selecting Belgium, which provided the U.S. ladies their toughest Olympic examination but. The Americans prevailed by 13 aspects, although the scope was simply 7 entering into the 4th quarter of a group phase video game played in Lille, France, near the perimeter with Belgium. All this regardless of Belgium going simply 5-of-27 in 3-point shooting, along with Julie Vanloo especially battling coming from downtown while missing out on 10 of her 11 tries. On Wednesday, the Mystics point guard went 3-of-5 from 3, scoring thirteen factors along with 7 assists (albeit along with nine turn overs) as Belgium navigated previous Spain, the only other team besides the U.S. that was actually unbeaten in swimming pool play.Philippou: As the lot nation with the group on its side as well as loads of honor vulnerable, a tough protective staff in France wouldn't be actually a piece of cake, either, specifically if Marine Johannes can easily blow up like she did against Germany with 24 factors off the bench and along with Gabby Williams blazing a trail on both ends.Has Staff United States played its best baseball yet?Philippou: In-game uniformity, particularly on outburst, may still be a concern. There are opportunities when the shortage of participating in time together or even Reeve's tweaking with rotations/combinations is still apparent. After all, there's a reason Sue Bird just recently stated on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that USA Baseball is actually the absolute most uneasy baseball she has ever participated in. After a little bit of a sluggish start, the united state at some point led by 30 in the 3rd fourth against Nigeria, however Reeve could not have loved exactly how her team made it possible for the D'Tigress to make it a 14-point video game just before the ultimate buzzer. With four video games, the Americans' lack of 3-point shooting hasn't truly been actually remedied, which can be a problem if rivals get hot coming from deep.Team USA can't forget some of the remaining crews in the field, however along with a protective identity and also aggressive prowess led by Stewart as well as Wilson, it has shown it can place games away when it needs to have to, one thing that must transmit over into the last 2 games.Pelton: On the flip side, I believe the capturing is actually additionally reason to believe there is actually yet another gear for the U.S. females. Jointly, the 12 gamers on the roster have actually incorporated to shoot 33% on 3-point tries in the WNBA this season. That won't earn a "Sprinkle Sisters" label any time very soon, yet it is actually likewise much better than Team U.S.A. has dealt with coming from the much shorter 3-point line in FIBA play.Taurasi (1-of-7) as well as Jewell Loyd (2-of-10) are outstanding to warm up from lengthy variation. Watch out if they finally do.