.Alexa PhilippouCloseAlexa PhilippouESPNCovers females's university baseball and the WNBA.Formerly covered UConn as well as the WNBA Connecticut Sunlight for the Hartford Courant.Stanford graduate and Baltimore native with further take in at the Dallas Morning Headlines, Seat Times and also Cincinnati EnquirerKevin PeltonCloseKevin PeltonESPN Elder Writer Co-author, Pro Basketball Prospectus collection.Previously a professional with the Indiana Pacers.Built WARP score as well as SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ETTwo worldwide competitors will certainly meet again on Friday, as the United States ladies's basketball group faces the Australian Opals along with a location in the 2024 Paris Games' gold medal suit on the line.Team United States, which is actually using a streak of 59 consecutive Olympic triumphes, improved to the semifinals with an 88-74 overcome Nigeria on Wednesday. Following an upset loss to Nigeria in their Olympic opener, the Opals have strung together three straight success, consisting of Wednesday's 85-67 quarterfinal selection over Serbia.Editor's Picks2 RelatedWhile the united state ladies have been actually the gold specification for baseball throughout the planet, winning seven successive Olympic gold medals and also 9 total, Australia has been a famous giant together with them. The Opals have actually medaled in five of the past 7 Summers months Video games, take away three silvers and also two bronze, although their semifinal operate in Paris marks the very first time they have actually advanced past the quarterfinals since the 2012 Greater london Gamings.2012 likewise was the final time the epic Lauren Jackson dressed on the Olympic stage for the environment-friendly and gold-- until now. While Group United States has 42-year-old, six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi, the Opals possess Jackson, 43, seeming in her fifth Gamings and to begin with in 12 years. Jackson has actually regularly medaled in the competitors, as well as though she has actually viewed limited activity so far in France, she possesses an odds to proceed that streak this weekend.Australia-- which flaunts 6 energetic WNBA gamers-- has lots of momentum, however the Opals are 0-20 perpetuity against the U.S. senior nationwide group, featuring 0-8 in Olympic competition. During the 5 Video games in which they medaled, Australia dropped to the united state either in the semifinals or even the gold award competition. The teams last fulfilled in 2020, when the Americans prevailed 79-55. ESPN's Alexa Philippou and Kevin Pelton malfunction a few of the pressing questions heading in to the matchup.play1:05 Breanna Stewart credit reports Jackie Youthful for jump-starting Crew USABreanna Stewart speaks along with Brian Windhorst after Group United States's 14-point win over Nigeria to evolve to the semifinals.Team United States changed up its own beginning 5 against Nigeria, along with Jackie Young instead of Diana Taurasi. Performed the technique correct its own concerns in the backcourt?Philippou: Beginning Youthful instead of Taurasi-- that had last go over the bench at the Olympics in 2004-- was the appropriate step. With 15 aspects versus Nigeria, Youthful looks carving out a duty as Group U.S.A.'s 3rd marker behind A'ja Wilson as well as Breanna Stewart. (Indeed, Youthful is actually the merely other united state player balancing dual designs at 10.3 points every game.) Young, one of 3 Las Vegas Aces players in the starting 5, showed off her 3-point shooting previously versus Germany, going 5-of-8. But while she went scoreless from deep on Wednesday, it was her ability to obtain downhill and reach from midrange that stood out, alongside her trademark protection in the backcourt. It took till the middle of the 2nd fourth for the U.S. to truly put its foot on the gasoline versus Nigeria, however Youthful's hostility and power on each ends ought to continue to return. As well as Taurasi seemed to be to perform effectively off the bench, where she improved as a facilitator with 4 assists.Pelton: I would certainly like to find beginning point player Chelsea Gray be a risk to score. She missed out on all three of her chance tries in the quarterfinals, delivering Gray to 1-of-13 up until now during the course of the Olympics. Incredibly, the U.S. outscored Nigeria through merely pair of points in Gray's 17:27, while all 4 other starters had a plus-minus of plus-17 or even far better while on the court.Still, as I stated in our final roundtable, the USA women may beat one non-scorer in the starting five as long as she is delivering something else to the desk. As well as Gray is actually along with her playmaking, having right now completed 22 aids against just 3 turn overs. Therefore, I don't think coach Cheryl Reeve requires to create further changes.Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE by means of Getty ImagesWhat troubles do the Australians pose, and what could possibly make all of them a tough matchup?Top tales of the week coming from Get special accessibility to thousands of premium short articles a year coming from leading authors. u2022 Solak: Appealing NFL QB sophomore lesson "u2022 MLB: Impressive AL MVP struggle, other awards "u2022 25 essential gamers in CFP ethnicity" More ESPN+ content ".Philippou: WNBA followers will be actually well knowledgeable about this Opals team, which includes the Seattle Hurricane's Ezi Magbegor and Sami Whitcomb, Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Smith, Los Angeles Stimulates' Stephanie Talbot, Washington Mystics' Jade Melbourne and Indiana High temperature's Kristy Wallace, plus New York Right train Sandy Brondello at the helm. Certainly not just do the Opals possess the ability to compete against Crew USA. They possess energy and fix observing their frustrating begin to the Olympics. Brondello has been actually satisfied with her staff's grace and grit over the past full week, pair of high qualities a challenger requires when experiencing the Americans.The Opals, whose well balanced assault boasts five gamers balancing at least 8.0 PPG, can easily harm adversaries inside with Magbegor as well as Smith yet likewise from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is the most effective in the Olympic area as well as much greater than Team USA's puny 30.8%. Whitcomb and also Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champ while with the Sin City Aces, lead the team along with eight as well as seven treys, respectively.Pelton: Abstractly, Australia is deeper and a lot more gifted than any type of crew in the field save for the USA girls. Our experts can discuss the very best worldwide gamer at the Paris Video Games, along with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) as well as Satou Sabally (Germany) as powerful candidates. However no staff possesses a set of gamers just as good as the Opals' frontcourt duo of Magbegor and Smith, both of whom will possess performed my WNBA Dream team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was certainly not called to the crew this time despite similar creation.) And no group outside the USA has almost as much WNBA expertise throughout its own roster.Given all that skill, it was actually astonishing when Australia dropped its opening activity to Nigeria then barely beat winless Canada. In their previous pair of video games, our company have actually found the Opals we anticipated, as they beat outdoed France to develop to the knockout phase and also led Serbia by as lots of as 28 in an uneven quarterfinal victory.A' Ja dishes to Stewie for 3. LeBron authorizes. USA System and Peacock pic.twitter.com/yI8kbWNUpsu2014 NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024 Can any individual cease Breanna Stewart as well as A'ja Wilson?Pelton: No. Yet if any person is actually visiting include them, it's the duo of Magbegor and also Smith. Australia's message players position 2nd (Magbegor, 2.4) and fourth (Johnson, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks per video game and possess the flexibility to stand up for Stewart and Wilson on the border. Magbegor is actually specifically experienced versus each rivals, having dealt with Stewart virtual for 3 years as Storm allies and also compared with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.The largest obstacle for Magbegor and Johnson is actually repulsive problem. Magbegor grabbed 3 first-half fouls against Canada, and also Johnson possessed 2 in the first quarter versus France, restricting their moments. Back-up George is a hard, competent player (she scored 18 factors in 24 moments versus Serbia) however no place near as athletic on defense.Philippou: Pelton raises an authentic problem. But given the take in Stewart and also Wilson contend this phase-- Stewart is opting for her 3rd Olympic gold and Wilson her second, while Magbegor as well as Johnson are showing up in their first Gamings-- I 'd count on the Team United States extremely duo to create the winning plays important in such a stressful scenario to development to the final.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhich of France as well as Belgium will be a tougher rival for Crew USA?Pelton: I'm picking Belgium, which offered the USA girls their hardest Olympic test however. The Americans dominated by 13 factors, although the scope was just seven getting into the 4th one-fourth of a group phase video game played in Lille, France, near the edge with Belgium. All this even with Belgium going simply 5-of-27 in 3-point firing, with Julie Vanloo particularly having a hard time coming from midtown while missing out on 10 of her 11 efforts. On Wednesday, the Mystics point guard went 3-of-5 from 3, scoring thirteen points along with 7 aids (albeit along with 9 turn overs) as Belgium cruised previous Spain, the merely other group besides the united state that was unbeaten in swimming pool play.Philippou: As the host nation along with the group on its edge and a lot of pleasure on the line, a complicated defensive crew in France definitely would not be actually a piece of cake, either, particularly if Marine Johannes may go off like she performed against Germany with 24 aspects off the seat as well as with Gabby Williams blazing a trail on both ends.Has Crew United States played its own greatest basketball yet?Philippou: In-game uniformity, especially on offense, can still be a problem. There are actually opportunities when the absence of participating in opportunity with each other or even Reeve's tweaking along with rotations/combinations is still noticeable. Nevertheless, there is actually a reason why Sue Bird recently stated on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that United States Basketball is actually the best uncomfortable baseball she has actually ever before played. After a little bit of a sluggish start, the united state eventually led by 30 in the third quarter versus Nigeria, but Reeve couldn't have loved how her crew made it possible for the D'Tigress to create it a 14-point game before the ultimate buzzer. Through 4 games, the Americans' absence of 3-point firing have not actually been remedied, which may be an issue if enemies fume coming from deep.Team USA can't overlook some of the staying groups in the business, but along with a protective identification as well as offensive adeptness led through Stewart and also Wilson, it has revealed it can put games away when it requires to, something that ought to move over into the last 2 games.Pelton: On the other side, I assume the capturing is also reason to believe there's an additional gear for the united state ladies. Collectively, the 12 gamers on the roster have incorporated to fire 33% on 3-point efforts in the WNBA this period. That won't gain a "Dash Sisters" nickname whenever quickly, yet it's also better than Staff USA has taken care of from the shorter 3-point line in FIBA play.Taurasi (1-of-7) and Jewell Loyd (2-of-10) are actually past due to warm coming from lengthy assortment. Watch out if they finally do.