.Alexa PhilippouCloseAlexa PhilippouESPNCovers ladies's college baseball as well as the WNBA.Previously covered UConn and also the WNBA Connecticut Sunlight for the Hartford Courant.Stanford grad and Baltimore indigenous with further experience at the Dallas Morning Headlines, Seat Moments and Cincinnati EnquirerKevin PeltonCloseKevin PeltonESPN Senior Author Co-author, Pro Basketball Syllabus collection.Formerly a consultant with the Indiana Pacers.Established WARP ranking and SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ETTwo international competitors will definitely meet again on Friday, as the United States women's basketball group goes up against the Australian Opals along with a place in the 2024 Paris Gamings' gold medal suit on the line.Team United States, which is actually using a streak of 59 consecutive Olympic wins, advanced to the semifinals with an 88-74 overcome Nigeria on Wednesday. Observing an upset reduction to Nigeria in their Olympic opener, the Opals have strung all together three upright triumphes, consisting of Wednesday's 85-67 quarterfinal choice over Serbia.Editor's Picks2 RelatedWhile the united state women have been the gold criterion for basketball around the world, succeeding seven consecutive Olympic gold medals and also 9 total, Australia has actually been a historic giant along with them. The Opals have actually medaled in five of the past seven Summers months Games, take away three silvers and also two bronze, although their semifinal operate in Paris denotes the very first time they've advanced past the quarterfinals because the 2012 Greater london Video games.2012 additionally was the final time the epic Lauren Jackson suited up on the Olympic phase for the green and also gold-- previously. While Team U.S.A. has 42-year-old, six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi, the Opals possess Jackson, 43, appearing in her fifth Gamings and also initially in 12 years. Jackson has actually constantly medaled in the competitors, as well as though she has actually viewed minimal action until now in France, she has a chance to proceed that streak this weekend.Australia-- which boasts 6 energetic WNBA players-- has lots of momentum, yet the Opals are actually 0-20 all time against the USA elderly national crew, consisting of 0-8 in Olympic competition. During the 5 Games in which they medaled, Australia lost to the U.S. either in the semifinals or even the gold medal contest. The squads final complied with in 2020, when the Americans dominated 79-55. ESPN's Alexa Philippou and also Kevin Pelton break down a number of journalism questions moving in to the matchup.play1:05 Breanna Stewart credit reports Jackie Youthful for jump-starting Crew USABreanna Stewart talks with Brian Windhorst after Staff U.S.A.'s 14-point sway Nigeria to accelerate to the semifinals.Team USA switched up its own starting five versus Nigeria, with Jackie Young in place of Diana Taurasi. Carried out the relocation repair its own problems in the backcourt?Philippou: Beginning Young instead of Taurasi-- that had final come off the seat at the Olympics in 2004-- was actually the appropriate step. With 15 points versus Nigeria, Youthful looks carving out a duty as Team USA's third marker responsible for A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart. (Indeed, Youthful is actually the just various other U.S. player averaging dual designs at 10.3 aspects per game.) Youthful, one of three Sin city Aces players in the starting 5, flaunted her 3-point capturing earlier against Germany, going 5-of-8. But while she went scoreless from deep on Wednesday, it was her capacity to get downhill and hit coming from midrange that stuck out, together with her trademark defense in the backcourt. It took up until the center of the 2nd one-fourth for the U.S. to really place its foot on the gasoline against Nigeria, but Young's aggressiveness and electricity on both ends ought to remain to return. As well as Taurasi seemed to carry out well off the seat, where she boosted as a company along with four assists.Pelton: I will adore to view starting point player Chelsea Gray be a hazard to score. She missed all 3 of her shot efforts in the quarterfinals, taking Gray to 1-of-13 thus far during the Olympics. Amazingly, the USA outscored Nigeria by just two points in Gray's 17:27, while all 4 various other beginners had a plus-minus of plus-17 or better while on the court.Still, as I discussed in our last roundtable, the USA ladies can get over one non-scorer in the starting five such a long time as she is actually delivering something else to the table. And also Gray is along with her playmaking, having actually now totted 22 assists against merely three turn overs. Thus, I don't assume coach Cheryl Reeve needs to have to create more changes.Photo through Garrett Ellwood/NBAE using Getty ImagesWhat concerns do the Australians posture, and also what could possibly create all of them a difficult matchup?Top stories of the full week coming from Receive unique accessibility to lots of costs posts a year coming from top writers. u2022 Solak: Intriguing NFL QB student course "u2022 MLB: Legendary AL MVP struggle, other honors "u2022 25 essential players in CFP race" More ESPN+ web content ".Philippou: WNBA supporters will be actually well familiar with this Opals team, which includes the Seattle Hurricane's Ezi Magbegor as well as Sami Whitcomb, Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Johnson, Los Angeles Stimulates' Stephanie Talbot, Washington Mystics' Jade Melbourne as well as Indiana High temperature's Kristy Wallace, plus The big apple Freedom trainer Sandy Brondello responsible. Certainly not only do the Opals have the ability to contend against Crew USA. They possess drive and fix following their unsatisfying beginning to the Olympics. Brondello has been actually felt free to with her staff's grace and also grit over the past full week, 2 high qualities an opponent needs when encountering the Americans.The Opals, whose well balanced assault boasts five players averaging a minimum of 8.0 PPG, may harm adversaries inside along with Magbegor and also Smith yet also coming from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is actually the most ideal in the Olympic field as well as considerably greater than Crew United States's modest 30.8%. Whitcomb and Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champ while along with the Las Vegas Aces, lead the staff along with eight and 7 treys, respectively.Pelton: Theoretically, Australia is deeper and also a lot more skilled than any kind of staff in the business except for the USA females. We may question the best worldwide player at the Paris Gamings, with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) as well as Satou Sabally (Germany) as tough candidates. But no staff possesses a pair of players as good as the Opals' frontcourt duo of Magbegor as well as Johnson, each of whom will have been on my WNBA Dream team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was actually certainly not called to the staff this period despite identical creation.) As well as no group outside the USA possesses virtually as much WNBA experience throughout its roster.Given everything talent, it was shocking when Australia dropped its position video game to Nigeria after that barely beat winless Canada. In their previous pair of activities, our experts have actually viewed the Opals we counted on, as they beat surpassed France to develop to the knockout phase and also led Serbia through as many as 28 in a lopsided quarterfinal victory.A' Ja foods to Stewie for 3. LeBron authorizes. USA System and Peacock pic.twitter.com/yI8kbWNUpsu2014 NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024 Can easily any person stop Breanna Stewart and also A'ja Wilson?Pelton: No. Yet if anybody is actually visiting contain all of them, it's the duo of Magbegor and also Johnson. Australia's article gamers place 2nd (Magbegor, 2.4) and fourth (Smith, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks every activity and also have the range of motion to defend Stewart as well as Wilson on the boundary. Magbegor is actually specifically experienced versus each opponents, having experienced Stewart virtual for three years as Hurricane teammates as well as paired up with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.The greatest barrier for Magbegor and Johnson is actually foul difficulty. Magbegor picked up 3 first-half fouls against Canada, as well as Smith had 2 in the 1st fourth versus France, restricting their mins. Back-up George is actually a difficult, skilled gamer (she scored 18 factors in 24 minutes versus Serbia) however no place near as sports on defense.Philippou: Pelton raises a legitimate problem. Yet given the take in Stewart and also Wilson contend this stage-- Stewart is actually selecting her third Olympic gold and also Wilson her second, while Magbegor and also Smith are actually appearing in their very first Gamings-- I will anticipate the Staff United States extremely duo to create the winning plays essential in such a high-pressure situation to advancement to the final.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhich of France as well as Belgium will be a tougher rival for Group USA?Pelton: I'm going with Belgium, which offered the U.S. ladies their toughest Olympic examination but. The Americans dominated through 13 points, although the frame was actually just 7 entering the 4th one-fourth of a team phase activity played in Lille, France, near the borderline with Belgium. All this even with Belgium going simply 5-of-27 in 3-point capturing, with Julie Vanloo particularly struggling from midtown while skipping 10 of her 11 tries. On Wednesday, the Mystics point player went 3-of-5 coming from 3, scoring 13 points with 7 helps (albeit along with nine turnovers) as Belgium travelled past Spain, the just various other team besides the united state that was actually unbeaten in pool play.Philippou: As the bunch country with the crowd on its side and also lots of honor vulnerable, a tough defensive crew in France wouldn't be actually a pushover, either, especially if Marine Johannes can blow up like she did against Germany along with 24 points off the seat and also with Gabby Williams leading the way on each ends.Has Crew USA played its own finest basketball yet?Philippou: In-game consistency, specifically on offense, can still be actually an issue. There are actually times when the shortage of participating in time all 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 lately said on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that USA Baseball is the most unpleasant baseball she has ever before played. After a bit of a slow-moving beginning, the united state ultimately led by 30 in the third one-fourth against Nigeria, yet Reeve could not have actually loved exactly how her staff made it possible for the D'Tigress to create it a 14-point activity before the final buzzer. Via 4 activities, the Americans' lack of 3-point shooting have not truly been actually treated, which might be an issue if opponents get hot from deep.Team U.S.A. can not forget any of the remaining groups in the business, however along with a defensive identification and also aggressive prowess led by Stewart and Wilson, it has revealed it can put games away when it needs to, one thing that ought to transfer over into the last two games.Pelton: On the other side, I believe the capturing is likewise explanation to feel there's yet another equipment for the united state ladies. Collectively, the 12 gamers on the lineup have integrated to shoot 33% on 3-point attempts in the WNBA this period. That will not get a "Splash Siblings" label at any time very soon, but it is actually likewise much better than Crew U.S.A. has handled coming from the shorter 3-point line in FIBA play.Taurasi (1-of-7) and Jewell Loyd (2-of-10) are actually overdue to warm up coming from long assortment. Watch out if they ultimately do.