.Alexa PhilippouCloseAlexa PhilippouESPNCovers ladies's university baseball and also the WNBA.Recently dealt with UConn and also the WNBA Connecticut Sunshine for the Hartford Courant.Stanford grad and Baltimore native along with additional take in at the Dallas Morning Headlines, Seat Moments as well as Cincinnati EnquirerKevin PeltonCloseKevin PeltonESPN Elderly Person Writer Co-author, Pro Baseball Syllabus series.Formerly a consultant with the Indiana Pacers.Established WARP ranking and also SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ETTwo international rivals will meet again on Friday, as the United States ladies's basketball staff faces the Australian Opals along with a place in the 2024 Paris Gamings' gold medal suit on the line.Team USA, which is riding a touch of 59 consecutive Olympic success, advanced to the semifinals with an 88-74 overcome Nigeria on Wednesday. Adhering to a distressed loss to Nigeria in their Olympic opener, the Opals have actually strung together three straight success, including Wednesday's 85-67 quarterfinal selection over Serbia.Editor's Picks2 RelatedWhile the united state women have actually been the gold standard for basketball around the planet, winning 7 consecutive Olympic gold awards as well as nine total, Australia has actually been actually a famous powerhouse along with all of them. The Opals have medaled in five of the past seven Summer Gamings, take away 3 silvers and also two bronze, although their semifinal run in Paris marks the first time they have actually improved past the quarterfinals due to the fact that the 2012 Greater london Video games.2012 also was the final opportunity the famous Lauren Jackson suited up on the Olympic stage 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 have Jackson, 43, appearing in her 5th Gamings and also first in 12 years. Jackson has actually consistently medaled in the competitors, as well as though she has actually found restricted activity up until now in France, she possesses an opportunity to carry on that touch this weekend.Australia-- which includes 6 energetic WNBA players-- possesses plenty of energy, yet the Opals are actually 0-20 all time versus the USA senior national group, featuring 0-8 in Olympic competitors. Throughout the 5 Gamings in which they medaled, Australia dropped to the USA either in the semifinals or the gold medal competition. The teams final met in 2020, when the Americans dominated 79-55. ESPN's Alexa Philippou as well as Kevin Pelton malfunction a few of the pressing questions heading into the matchup.play1:05 Breanna Stewart credit reports Jackie Youthful for jump-starting Team USABreanna Stewart talks with Brian Windhorst after Staff USA's 14-point gain Nigeria to accelerate to the semifinals.Team USA switched over up its own beginning 5 against Nigeria, along with Jackie Young instead of Diana Taurasi. Carried out the action correct its own issues in the backcourt?Philippou: Starting Young instead of Taurasi-- that had final come off the seat at the Olympics in 2004-- was actually the correct relocation. Along with 15 factors against Nigeria, Youthful appears to be taking a role as Staff U.S.A.'s third marker responsible for A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart. (Definitely, Youthful is actually the merely other U.S. player averaging dual figures at 10.3 aspects every game.) Youthful, some of 3 Las Vegas Aces gamers in the beginning five, showed off her 3-point capturing previously against Germany, going 5-of-8. But while she went scoreless coming from deeper on Wednesday, it was her capability to receive downhill and also attack coming from midrange that stood out, together with her trademark defense in the backcourt. It took till the center of the 2nd quarter for the U.S. to definitely place its foot on the gas versus Nigeria, yet Young's aggressiveness and also electricity on both ends should remain to pay dividends. And Taurasi seemed to accomplish well off the bench, where she boosted as a company along with four assists.Pelton: I would certainly love to observe starting point guard Chelsea Gray be a threat to score. She missed all 3 of her go efforts in the quarterfinals, bringing Gray to 1-of-13 until now in the course of the Olympics. Incredibly, the united state outscored Nigeria through only 2 factors in Gray's 17:27, while all 4 various other starters possessed a plus-minus of plus-17 or even much better while on the court.Still, as I mentioned in our final roundtable, the united state ladies can easily beat one non-scorer in the starting five such a long time as she is actually carrying another thing to the desk. As well as Gray is actually along with her playmaking, having actually right now amounted to 22 aids versus merely 3 turn overs. Therefore, I do not assume instructor Cheryl Reeve requires to make further changes.Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE through Getty ImagesWhat concerns carry out the Australians posture, and what might make them a difficult matchup?Top stories of the full week from Receive exclusive accessibility to 1000s of fee posts a year from top writers. u2022 Solak: Appealing NFL QB sophomore class "u2022 MLB: Epic AL MVP war, various other honors "u2022 25 crucial gamers in CFP ethnicity" More ESPN+ web content ".Philippou: WNBA fans are going to be actually effectively acquainted with this Opals squad, which features the Seattle Hurricane's Ezi Magbegor and also Sami Whitcomb, Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Smith, Los Angeles Triggers' Stephanie Talbot, Washington Mystics' Baggage Melbourne as well as Indiana Fever's Kristy Wallace, plus Nyc Right train Sandy Brondello responsible. Not simply perform the Opals possess the skill to compete against Team U.S.A.. They have momentum as well as willpower observing their frustrating begin to the Olympics. Brondello has been actually satisfied along with her team's grace as well as grit over the past week, two premiums a rival needs when encountering the Americans.The Opals, whose well balanced assault flaunts 5 gamers averaging at the very least 8.0 PPG, can hurt adversaries inside along with Magbegor and also Johnson however also coming from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is actually the best in the Olympic area and also considerably more than Crew 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 8 and also seven treys, respectively.Pelton: On paper, Australia is actually much deeper and a lot more talented than any sort of team in the business barring the USA females. Our team can easily debate the most effective international gamer at the Paris Games, with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) as well as Satou Sabally (Germany) as strong prospects. However no crew possesses a set of gamers just as good as the Opals' frontcourt duo of Magbegor and also Johnson, each of whom would certainly have been on my WNBA All-Star team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was not named to the team this period regardless of identical development.) And no staff outside the U.S. has almost as a lot WNBA expertise throughout its roster.Given everything talent, it was actually surprising when Australia dropped its position video game to Nigeria at that point rarely defeat winless Canada. In their past pair of games, our company have actually seen the Opals our experts counted on, as they trump surpassed France to develop to the knockout phase as well as led Serbia by as numerous as 28 in a lopsided quarterfinal victory.A' Ja dishes to Stewie for three. LeBron approves. United States Network and Peacock pic.twitter.com/yI8kbWNUpsu2014 NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024 May any individual stop Breanna Stewart as well as A'ja Wilson?Pelton: No. But if any person is heading to include all of them, it's the duo of Magbegor as well as Smith. Australia's blog post gamers place 2nd (Magbegor, 2.4) and also 4th (Johnson, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks per game and also have the flexibility to stand up for Stewart and Wilson on the border. Magbegor is actually specifically experienced against each opponents, having actually encountered Stewart in practice for three years as Storm allies as well as compared with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.The most significant challenge for Magbegor and Johnson is actually nasty issue. Magbegor picked up three first-half fouls against Canada, and also Smith possessed pair of in the initial fourth versus France, restricting their mins. Backup George is a challenging, skilled player (she scored 18 points in 24 moments versus Serbia) however no place near as sports on defense.Philippou: Pelton raises an authentic problem. However provided the experience Stewart and Wilson contend this stage-- Stewart is actually going with her third Olympic gold as well as Wilson her second, while Magbegor as well as Johnson are showing up in their first Video games-- I 'd expect the Team USA very duo to help make the winning participates in needed in such a high-pressure scenario to advance to the final.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhich of France and also Belgium would be a more durable rival for Team USA?Pelton: I am actually picking Belgium, which provided the U.S. females their hardest Olympic test yet. The Americans dominated by thirteen factors, although the scope was actually just seven getting into the 4th one-fourth of a group phase game played in Lille, France, near the borderline with Belgium. All this in spite of Belgium going just 5-of-27 in 3-point capturing, with Julie Vanloo especially battling coming from downtown while missing out on 10 of her 11 efforts. On Wednesday, the Mystics point guard went 3-of-5 from 3, scoring 13 factors along with seven aids (albeit with nine turn overs) as Belgium navigated previous Spain, the simply various other group besides the U.S. that was unbeaten in pool play.Philippou: As the host country with the crowd on its side and plenty of honor on the line, a hard defensive group in France definitely would not be actually a pushover, either, particularly if Marine Johannes can easily go off like she did against Germany along with 24 factors off the bench and also along with Gabby Williams leading the way on both ends.Has Staff USA played its own finest baseball yet?Philippou: In-game uniformity, specifically on outburst, can easily still be actually an issue. There are actually times when the absence of playing opportunity with each other or even Reeve's tweaking with rotations/combinations is actually still evident. After all, there is actually a reason Sue Bird just recently mentioned on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that U.S.A. Basketball is one of the most uneasy baseball she has actually ever played. After a bit of a sluggish start, the united state at some point led through 30 in the 3rd quarter versus Nigeria, but Reeve couldn't have actually enjoyed how her group made it possible for the D'Tigress to create it a 14-point video game before the last buzzer. Through 4 games, the Americans' absence of 3-point capturing have not truly been solved, which may be an issue if challengers get hot from deep.Team United States can't overlook any of the remaining crews in the business, however with a defensive identification as well as aggressive adeptness led by Stewart as well as Wilson, it has actually presented it can easily put video games away when it needs to, something that ought to move over right into the ultimate pair of games.Pelton: On the flip side, I assume the firing is actually also cause to feel there is actually one more gear for the U.S. women. Together, the 12 players on the lineup have actually integrated to fire thirty three% on 3-point attempts in the WNBA this period. That won't get a "Burst Siblings" label whenever quickly, but it's likewise much better than Staff U.S.A. has handled coming from the briefer 3-point line in FIBA play.Taurasi (1-of-7) and Jewell Loyd (2-of-10) are actually outstanding to warm up coming from long variation. Look out if they ultimately do.