.Alexa PhilippouCloseAlexa PhilippouESPNCovers ladies's university baseball and also the WNBA.Recently covered UConn as well as the WNBA Connecticut Sunshine for the Hartford Courant.Stanford graduate and Baltimore indigenous along with more encounter at the Dallas Morning Updates, Seattle Moments as well as Cincinnati EnquirerKevin PeltonCloseKevin PeltonESPN Senior Article Writer Co-author, Pro Basketball Prospectus set.Formerly a specialist with the Indiana Pacers.Created WARP rating as well as SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ETTwo worldwide competitors will certainly reunite on Friday, as the USA women's basketball crew goes up against the Australian Opals with a spot in the 2024 Paris Games' gold medal match on the line.Team United States, which is actually using a touch of 59 successive Olympic victories, advanced to the semifinals with an 88-74 triumph over Nigeria on Wednesday. Adhering to a dismayed reduction to Nigeria in their Olympic opener, the Opals have actually strung with each other three upright triumphes, featuring Wednesday's 85-67 quarterfinal choice over Serbia.Editor's Picks2 RelatedWhile the united state females have actually been actually the gold specification for basketball across the world, winning seven successive Olympic gold awards and 9 general, Australia has actually been a historic powerhouse together with all of them. The Opals have medaled in 5 of the past 7 Summertimes Games, taking home three silvers and pair of bronze, although their semifinal run in Paris marks the very first time they have actually advanced past the quarterfinals due to the fact that the 2012 Greater london Gamings.2012 also was the final time the fabulous Lauren Jackson wore on the Olympic phase for the eco-friendly as well as gold-- previously. While Staff United States has 42-year-old, six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi, the Opals have Jackson, 43, appearing in her fifth Video games as well as first in 12 years. Jackson has always medaled in the competitors, as well as though she has actually observed limited action up until now in France, she has an odds to continue that touch this weekend.Australia-- which flaunts six energetic WNBA gamers-- possesses a lot of energy, yet the Opals are actually 0-20 perpetuity against the U.S. elderly national group, featuring 0-8 in Olympic competitors. During the five Gamings in which they medaled, Australia lost to the U.S. either in the semifinals or the gold award competition. The squads last satisfied in 2020, when the Americans dominated 79-55. ESPN's Alexa Philippou and also Kevin Pelton break down a few of journalism questions moving into the matchup.play1:05 Breanna Stewart credit ratings Jackie Young for jump-starting Team USABreanna Stewart speaks with Brian Windhorst after Team USA's 14-point sway Nigeria to advance to the semifinals.Team United States switched up its own starting five versus Nigeria, with Jackie Young instead of Diana Taurasi. Carried out the move fix its own concerns in the backcourt?Philippou: Beginning Youthful in place of Taurasi-- who possessed final come off the bench at the Olympics in 2004-- was the ideal relocation. With 15 factors against Nigeria, Youthful looks taking a job as Staff USA's 3rd scorer behind A'ja Wilson and also Breanna Stewart. (Certainly, Youthful is actually the merely various other USA player balancing double figures at 10.3 aspects per video game.) Young, one of three Las Vegas Aces players in the beginning 5, flaunted her 3-point firing earlier versus Germany, going 5-of-8. However while she went scoreless coming from deep on Wednesday, it was her potential to obtain downhill and attack coming from midrange that stood out, together with her hallmark self defense in the backcourt. It took up until the middle of the 2nd one-fourth for the USA to truly place its own foot on the gasoline against Nigeria, yet Young's aggression as well as energy on each ends ought to remain to pay dividends. And Taurasi appeared to carry out effectively off the bench, where she stepped up as a facilitator along with four assists.Pelton: I will really love to find starting point guard Chelsea Gray be a hazard to score. She skipped all 3 of her shot tries in the quarterfinals, carrying Gray to 1-of-13 thus far throughout the Olympics. Remarkably, the U.S. outscored Nigeria by only 2 points in Gray's 17:27, while all four various other starters possessed a plus-minus of plus-17 or far better while on the court.Still, as I mentioned in our final roundtable, the U.S. females may overcome one non-scorer in the beginning 5 such a long time as she is carrying something else to the desk. As well as Gray is actually with her playmaking, having right now totted 22 aids versus simply three turnovers. Therefore, I do not assume coach Cheryl Reeve needs to create additional changes.Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE through Getty ImagesWhat issues perform the Australians pose, and also what could possibly create them a tough matchup?Top tales of the week coming from Obtain unique access to lots of premium write-ups a year from leading authors. u2022 Solak: Appealing NFL QB student course "u2022 MLB: Legendary AL MVP struggle, various other honors "u2022 25 most important gamers in CFP ethnicity" Even more ESPN+ material ".Philippou: WNBA supporters will definitely be effectively knowledgeable about this Opals team, which features the Seattle Storm's Ezi Magbegor and Sami Whitcomb, Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Johnson, Los Angeles Triggers' Stephanie Talbot, Washington Mystics' Baggage Melbourne as well as Indiana Fever's Kristy Wallace, plus Nyc Freedom train Sandy Brondello responsible. Certainly not simply perform the Opals have the talent to complete versus Crew United States. They possess momentum and willpower following their frustrating begin to the Olympics. Brondello has actually been actually satisfied with her crew's poise and also guts over the past full week, two high qualities an opponent needs when encountering the Americans.The Opals, whose balanced assault flaunts 5 gamers balancing at the very least 8.0 PPG, can easily harm opponents inside along with Magbegor and Smith yet additionally from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is the very best in the Olympic industry and considerably higher than Team United States's tiny 30.8%. Whitcomb and Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champ while with the Las Vegas Aces, lead the team with eight as well as 7 treys, respectively.Pelton: Theoretically, Australia is much deeper as well as much more skilled than any kind of crew in the field barring the united state women. Our team can easily debate the best global gamer at the Paris Games, with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) as well as Satou Sabally (Germany) as tough candidates. But no group has a pair of gamers as good as the Opals' frontcourt duo of Magbegor and Smith, both of whom would certainly have been on my WNBA All-Star team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was actually not called to the team this season regardless of identical production.) And also no staff outside the united state possesses virtually as a lot WNBA adventure throughout its roster.Given the only thing that ability, it was actually stunning when Australia dropped its position game to Nigeria then rarely defeat winless Canada. In their previous two activities, our team've seen the Opals our experts expected, as they beat outdoed France to develop to the knockout phase and also led Serbia through as several as 28 in a lopsided quarterfinal victory.A' Ja recipes to Stewie for three. LeBron approves. U.S.A. System and Peacock pic.twitter.com/yI8kbWNUpsu2014 NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024 May anybody quit Breanna Stewart and also A'ja Wilson?Pelton: No. However if anyone is mosting likely to include all of them, it's the duo of Magbegor and also Smith. Australia's article gamers rank second (Magbegor, 2.4) and 4th (Smith, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks per game as well as have the range of motion to stand up for Stewart and also Wilson on the perimeter. Magbegor is actually especially experienced versus each challengers, having faced Stewart in practice for three years as Hurricane teammates and paired up along with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.The biggest difficulty for Magbegor as well as Smith is repulsive trouble. Magbegor picked up 3 first-half fouls versus Canada, as well as Smith had 2 in the very first one-fourth versus France, restricting their moments. Data backup George is actually a tough, knowledgeable gamer (she racked up 18 points in 24 mins against Serbia) yet nowhere near as sports on defense.Philippou: Pelton raises a legitimate issue. However offered the encounter Stewart as well as Wilson have at this phase-- Stewart is going with her third Olympic gold and Wilson her 2nd, while Magbegor as well as Johnson are actually seeming in their 1st Gamings-- I 'd expect the Team United States very duo to make the winning participates in needed in such a stressful circumstance to advance to the final.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhich of France and also Belgium would certainly be actually a harder enemy for Group USA?Pelton: I am actually choosing Belgium, which offered the USA women their hardest Olympic examination but. The Americans prevailed by thirteen points, although the margin was actually merely 7 entering into the 4th quarter of a group stage activity played in Lille, France, near the borderline with Belgium. All this even with Belgium going just 5-of-27 in 3-point shooting, along with Julie Vanloo especially battling from downtown while missing out on 10 of her 11 efforts. On Wednesday, the Mystics point player went 3-of-5 coming from 3, racking up 13 factors along with seven supports (albeit along with 9 turn overs) as Belgium navigated previous Spain, the just other staff besides the USA that was actually unbeaten in swimming pool play.Philippou: As the multitude nation along with the group on its edge and also lots of pleasure vulnerable, a hard defensive group in France would not be a piece of cake, either, particularly if Marine Johannes may go off like she carried out against Germany with 24 points off the bench and with Gabby Williams breaking the ice on both ends.Has Group USA played its own ideal basketball yet?Philippou: In-game congruity, specifically on offense, may still be actually a problem. There are times when the lack of participating in opportunity with each other or Reeve's tweaking with rotations/combinations is still noticeable. Besides, there's a reason that Sue Bird recently pointed out on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that U.S.A. Baseball is the most uncomfortable baseball she has actually ever participated in. After a little a slow-moving beginning, the U.S. eventually led by 30 in the 3rd one-fourth against Nigeria, but Reeve could not have actually adored exactly how her team allowed the D'Tigress to create it a 14-point video game before the final buzzer. Via 4 activities, the Americans' lack of 3-point firing hasn't really been actually corrected, which might be a problem if challengers fume from deep.Team U.S.A. can not ignore some of the continuing to be staffs in the business, however along with a defensive identity and also offensive adeptness led through Stewart as well as Wilson, it has presented it can place activities away when it needs to have to, one thing that must transmit over in to the ultimate 2 games.Pelton: On the other side, I presume the shooting is actually additionally explanation to strongly believe there's an additional equipment for the U.S. ladies. Collectively, the 12 gamers on the lineup have actually integrated to fire thirty three% on 3-point tries in the WNBA this time. That will not earn a "Sprinkle Sis" label at any time quickly, yet it is actually likewise far better than Staff United States has taken care of coming from the shorter 3-point line in FIBA play.Taurasi (1-of-7) as well as Jewell Loyd (2-of-10) are actually overdue to heat coming from lengthy variety. Watch out if they ultimately perform.