.Alexa PhilippouCloseAlexa PhilippouESPNCovers girls's college basketball and the WNBA.Previously covered UConn and also the WNBA Connecticut Sunlight for the Hartford Courant.Stanford grad as well as Baltimore native with additional take in at the Dallas Morning Information, Seat Moments as well as Cincinnati EnquirerKevin PeltonCloseKevin PeltonESPN Senior Article Writer Co-author, Pro Basketball Prospectus series.Formerly an expert with the Indiana Pacers.Built WARP rating and also SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ETTwo global competitors will meet again on Friday, as the USA women's basketball crew takes on the Australian Opals with a place in the 2024 Paris Games' gold award suit on the line.Team USA, which is riding a touch of 59 successive Olympic victories, improved to the semifinals along with an 88-74 overcome Nigeria on Wednesday. Adhering to a dismayed loss to Nigeria in their Olympic opener, the Opals have actually strung all together 3 straight triumphes, featuring Wednesday's 85-67 quarterfinal decision over Serbia.Editor's Picks2 RelatedWhile the united state women have been actually the gold standard for basketball across the planet, gaining seven successive Olympic gold medals and 9 total, Australia has actually been actually a famous giant alongside them. The Opals have medaled in 5 of the past seven Summer Video games, taking home three silvers as well as pair of bronze, although their semifinal run in Paris denotes the very first time they have actually improved past the quarterfinals given that the 2012 London Video games.2012 likewise was the last opportunity the famous Lauren Jackson wore on the Olympic stage for the green as well as gold-- previously. While Crew USA has 42-year-old, six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi, the Opals have Jackson, 43, showing up in her 5th Games and also to begin with in 12 years. Jackson has consistently medaled in the competitors, as well as though she has found limited action so far in France, she has an opportunity to carry on that touch this weekend.Australia-- which boasts 6 energetic WNBA gamers-- possesses plenty of momentum, but the Opals are actually 0-20 perpetuity against the U.S. senior national group, including 0-8 in Olympic competition. In the course of the five Gamings through which they medaled, Australia shed to the U.S. either in the semifinals or the gold medal competition. The teams last fulfilled in 2020, when the Americans dominated 79-55. ESPN's Alexa Philippou as well as Kevin Pelton malfunction several of the pressing concerns heading into the matchup.play1:05 Breanna Stewart credit histories Jackie Youthful for jump-starting Crew USABreanna Stewart speaks with Brian Windhorst after Team U.S.A.'s 14-point draw Nigeria to advance to the semifinals.Team United States changed up its own beginning 5 against Nigeria, with Jackie Young instead of Diana Taurasi. Performed the relocation fix its own concerns in the backcourt?Philippou: Starting Youthful in place of Taurasi-- who possessed last come off the seat at the Olympics in 2004-- was the correct step. With 15 aspects versus Nigeria, Youthful looks carving out a function as Team United States's 3rd scorer behind A'ja Wilson as well as Breanna Stewart. (Undoubtedly, Youthful is the only other USA gamer balancing double designs at 10.3 points per game.) Youthful, among three Sin city Aces gamers in the beginning five, exhibited her 3-point capturing earlier versus Germany, going 5-of-8. Yet while she went scoreless coming from deep-seated on Wednesday, it was her potential to acquire downhill and also reach coming from midrange that stood apart, together with her trademark protection in the backcourt. It took up until the center of the second quarter for the U.S. to actually place its own foot on the fuel versus Nigeria, however Young's hostility and power on both ends ought to continue to return. And Taurasi seemed to be to carry out well off the seat, where she boosted as a company with four assists.Pelton: I 'd enjoy to view beginning point player Chelsea Gray be actually a risk to score. She missed out on all three of her go efforts in the quarterfinals, carrying Gray to 1-of-13 up until now throughout the Olympics. Extremely, the U.S. outscored Nigeria by only 2 points in Gray's 17:27, while all 4 various other beginners had a plus-minus of plus-17 or much better while on the court.Still, as I pointed out in our final roundtable, the USA ladies may overcome one non-scorer in the starting five as long as she is actually bringing something else to the desk. As well as Gray is along with her playmaking, having now totaled 22 aids against simply three turnovers. Thus, I don't assume coach Cheryl Reeve needs to make additional changes.Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE through Getty ImagesWhat concerns perform the Australians posture, and what might make them a tough matchup?Top accounts of the week coming from Acquire special access to 1000s of fee write-ups a year from top article writers. u2022 Solak: Intriguing NFL QB student training class "u2022 MLB: Epic AL MVP battle, other honors "u2022 25 most important gamers in CFP nationality" Additional ESPN+ content ".Philippou: WNBA followers will definitely be effectively familiar with this Opals squad, which features the Seat Tornado's Ezi Magbegor and 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 New York Right coach Sandy Brondello at the helm. Certainly not only do the Opals have the ability to compete against Staff United States. They possess drive and fix following their disappointing beginning to the Olympics. Brondello has actually been satisfied with her group's grace and also grit over recent week, pair of high qualities a challenger needs to have when dealing with the Americans.The Opals, whose balanced assault flaunts 5 gamers balancing a minimum of 8.0 PPG, can hurt opponents inside with Magbegor as well as Johnson however also coming from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is the best in the Olympic field and a lot more than Group U.S.A.'s tiny 30.8%. Whitcomb and also Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champ while with the Las Vegas Aces, lead the team along with 8 as well as seven treys, respectively.Pelton: Theoretically, Australia is deeper and also much more proficient than any sort of crew in the field except for the united state women. Our company can debate the best worldwide gamer at the Paris Games, along with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) as well as Satou Sabally (Germany) as solid applicants. Yet no crew has a set of gamers comparable to the Opals' frontcourt duo of Magbegor and also Smith, both of whom would certainly have performed my WNBA All-Star team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was not named to the team this time regardless of identical manufacturing.) As well as no group outside the USA has virtually as a lot WNBA expertise throughout its roster.Given everything skill, it was astonishing when Australia shed its position activity to Nigeria at that point rarely trump winless Canada. In their previous two activities, our team've seen the Opals our experts anticipated, as they trump bested France to develop to the knockout stage and also led Serbia by as many as 28 in an unequal 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 Can easily any individual quit Breanna Stewart and also A'ja Wilson?Pelton: No. However if any individual is actually going to include them, it is actually the duo of Magbegor as well as Smith. Australia's blog post players position second (Magbegor, 2.4) and also 4th (Smith, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks per activity as well as possess the mobility to stand up for Stewart and Wilson on the border. Magbegor is particularly experienced against each opponents, having dealt with Stewart in practice for three years as Hurricane colleagues and also matched up along with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.The greatest obstacle for Magbegor as well as Smith is actually filthy difficulty. Magbegor grabbed 3 first-half fouls versus Canada, and also Smith possessed 2 in the initial fourth versus France, restricting their mins. Back-up George is actually a hard, trained gamer (she racked up 18 points in 24 mins against Serbia) yet nowhere near as athletic on defense.Philippou: Pelton brings up an authentic worry. However given the experience Stewart and Wilson contend this phase-- Stewart is actually opting for her third Olympic gold and Wilson her second, while Magbegor as well as Johnson are showing up in their first Video games-- I 'd anticipate the Crew USA extremely duo to create the winning plays required in such a stressful condition to development to the final.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhich of France and Belgium would certainly be a harder enemy for Team USA?Pelton: I am actually picking Belgium, which gave the USA ladies their hardest Olympic examination yet. The Americans prevailed by 13 points, although the frame was actually simply 7 going into the 4th quarter of a team stage video game played in Lille, France, near the borderline along with Belgium. All this regardless of Belgium going merely 5-of-27 in 3-point capturing, with Julie Vanloo specifically having a hard time from downtown while skipping 10 of her 11 efforts. On Wednesday, the Mystics point guard went 3-of-5 from 3, racking up 13 factors along with seven supports (albeit with 9 turn overs) as Belgium cruised previous Spain, the simply various other group besides the USA that was actually unbeaten in pool play.Philippou: As the bunch nation with the crowd on its side as well as plenty of take pride in vulnerable, a hard protective staff in France wouldn't be a piece of cake, either, particularly if Marine Johannes can easily go off like she carried out against Germany along with 24 points off the seat as well as with Gabby Williams leading the way on each ends.Has Group United States played its best baseball yet?Philippou: In-game congruity, particularly on outburst, can easily still be actually an issue. There are opportunities when the absence of playing opportunity together or even Reeve's tweaking along with rotations/combinations is actually still obvious. It goes without saying, there's a reason that Sue Bird recently claimed on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that U.S.A. Basketball is the most uneasy baseball she has actually ever played. After a little a sluggish start, the USA at some point led by 30 in the third one-fourth against Nigeria, but Reeve couldn't have actually adored exactly how her group enabled the D'Tigress to create it a 14-point game prior to the final buzzer. With 4 video games, the Americans' absence of 3-point firing have not definitely been remedied, which could be an issue if opponents get hot coming from deep.Team USA can not forget any one of the continuing to be teams in the business, yet with a defensive identification as well as aggressive expertise led through Stewart as well as Wilson, it has actually shown it may place video games away when it needs to have to, one thing that ought to move over right into the final 2 games.Pelton: On the flip side, I presume the capturing is actually likewise main reason to think there's one more equipment for the U.S. women. Collectively, the 12 players on the lineup have incorporated to shoot 33% on 3-point tries in the WNBA this period. That won't earn a "Burst Sisters" nickname at any time very soon, yet it is actually likewise better than Staff USA has managed from the briefer 3-point line in FIBA play.Taurasi (1-of-7) as well as Jewell Loyd (2-of-10) are actually overdue to heat up coming from lengthy assortment. Watch out if they lastly do.