.Alexa PhilippouCloseAlexa PhilippouESPNCovers females's university baseball and also the WNBA.Earlier covered UConn and the WNBA Connecticut Sun for the Hartford Courant.Stanford grad and also Baltimore native with additional experience at the Dallas Early Morning Information, Seattle Times and also Cincinnati EnquirerKevin PeltonCloseKevin PeltonESPN Elder Article Writer Co-author, Pro Baseball Prospectus series.Formerly a consultant along with the Indiana Pacers.Created WARP ranking as well as SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ETTwo international competitors will definitely meet again on Friday, as the USA ladies's basketball group confronts the Australian Opals along with an area in the 2024 Paris Games' gold medal suit on the line.Team United States, which is using a touch of 59 successive Olympic triumphes, improved to the semifinals along with an 88-74 overcome Nigeria on Wednesday. Adhering to an upset loss to Nigeria in their Olympic opener, the Opals have strung with each other three straight success, consisting of Wednesday's 85-67 quarterfinal selection over Serbia.Editor's Picks2 RelatedWhile the U.S. females have actually been the gold standard for baseball throughout the planet, succeeding 7 successive Olympic gold medals and 9 total, Australia has been actually a historic powerhouse alongside all of them. The Opals have actually medaled in 5 of recent 7 Summer seasons Games, take away three silvers and also two bronze, although their semifinal run in Paris notes the first time they have actually developed past the quarterfinals due to the fact that the 2012 Greater london Games.2012 additionally was the final time the epic Lauren Jackson dressed on the Olympic stage for the environment-friendly as well as gold-- until now. While Team U.S.A. possesses 42-year-old, six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi, the Opals have Jackson, 43, seeming in her 5th Video games and also initially in 12 years. Jackson has constantly medaled in the competition, as well as though she has observed limited action so far in France, she possesses an opportunity to carry on that touch this weekend.Australia-- which includes 6 active WNBA gamers-- possesses plenty of drive, yet the Opals are 0-20 all time against the U.S. elderly national team, featuring 0-8 in Olympic competition. During the course of the 5 Video games in which they medaled, Australia dropped to the united state either in the semifinals or the gold medal contest. The teams last met in 2020, when the Americans dominated 79-55. ESPN's Alexa Philippou and also Kevin Pelton break a few of the pressing concerns moving right into the matchup.play1:05 Breanna Stewart credits Jackie Young for jump-starting Group USABreanna Stewart chats with Brian Windhorst after Crew U.S.A.'s 14-point draw Nigeria to progress to the semifinals.Team United States switched up its own starting five versus Nigeria, along with Jackie Youthful in place of Diana Taurasi. Performed the technique correct its concerns in the backcourt?Philippou: Starting Young instead of Taurasi-- who had final come off the seat at the Olympics in 2004-- was the best technique. With 15 factors versus Nigeria, Youthful looks taking a job as Team United States's third scorer behind A'ja Wilson as well as Breanna Stewart. (Indeed, Youthful is the simply various other united state player averaging dual designs at 10.3 aspects per video game.) Young, some of 3 Sin city Aces players in the starting five, showed off her 3-point shooting earlier versus Germany, going 5-of-8. But while she went scoreless from deeper on Wednesday, it was her potential to obtain downhill and strike coming from midrange that attracted attention, alongside her hallmark protection in the backcourt. It took till the center of the 2nd fourth for the united state to really put its feet on the fuel against Nigeria, but Youthful's aggressiveness and also energy on each ends ought to remain to return. And Taurasi appeared to carry out well off the seat, where she stepped up as a company with four assists.Pelton: I will really love to see starting point guard Chelsea Gray be actually a danger to score. She skipped all three of her go tries in the quarterfinals, carrying Gray to 1-of-13 until now in the course of the Olympics. Remarkably, the U.S. outscored Nigeria by simply pair of aspects in Gray's 17:27, while all 4 other beginners possessed a plus-minus of plus-17 or even better while on the court.Still, as I discussed in our last roundtable, the united state girls can get rid of one non-scorer in the beginning five so long as she is actually delivering something else to the desk. And also Gray is actually along with her playmaking, having actually today amounted to 22 aids against just 3 turn overs. Thus, I don't think coach Cheryl Reeve needs to have to make further changes.Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE using Getty ImagesWhat troubles carry out the Australians position, and also what might make them a difficult matchup?Top stories of the full week from Get unique access to lots of superior write-ups a year from leading writers. u2022 Solak: Intriguing NFL QB student class "u2022 MLB: Epic AL MVP war, various other honors "u2022 25 crucial gamers in CFP ethnicity" Even more ESPN+ content ".Philippou: WNBA followers are going to be effectively accustomed to this Opals team, which features the Seattle Storm's Ezi Magbegor and also Sami Whitcomb, Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Johnson, Los Angeles Triggers' Stephanie Talbot, Washington Mystics' Jade Melbourne and Indiana High temperature's Kristy Wallace, plus Nyc Right train Sandy Brondello at the helm. Certainly not just perform the Opals have the skill to contend versus Team USA. They have drive as well as willpower following their unsatisfying begin to the Olympics. Brondello has actually been pleased along with her team's grace and guts over recent full week, two premiums a challenger requires when experiencing the Americans.The Opals, whose well balanced assault flaunts five players averaging at least 8.0 PPG, can injure adversaries inside with Magbegor and also Johnson yet also coming from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is actually the greatest in the Olympic field and much more than Crew USA's tiny 30.8%. Whitcomb and also Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champion while with the Sin City Aces, lead the group along with eight and seven treys, respectively.Pelton: Abstractly, Australia is actually much deeper and much more accomplished than any staff in the field barring the united state girls. We may discuss the most ideal international gamer at the Paris Video Games, with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) as well as Satou Sabally (Germany) as tough candidates. But no group has a set of gamers just as good as the Opals' frontcourt duo of Magbegor and Johnson, each of whom would have gotten on my WNBA All-Star team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was actually certainly not named to the crew this period in spite of similar development.) And no crew outside the united state has almost as a lot WNBA adventure throughout its roster.Given all that ability, it was astonishing when Australia lost its position activity to Nigeria at that point hardly beat winless Canada. In their previous 2 activities, our team've seen the Opals we anticipated, as they trump outdoed France to develop to the knockout stage and also led Serbia by as many as 28 in an askew quarterfinal victory.A' Ja meals to Stewie for three. LeBron authorizes. United States Network and Peacock pic.twitter.com/yI8kbWNUpsu2014 NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024 Can easily anyone stop Breanna Stewart and also A'ja Wilson?Pelton: No. However if any individual is going to include all of them, it's the duo of Magbegor and Johnson. Australia's post players rank 2nd (Magbegor, 2.4) and also fourth (Johnson, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks every activity and have the movement to defend Stewart and also Wilson on the perimeter. Magbegor is particularly experienced against both challengers, having experienced Stewart in practice for three years as Tornado colleagues and paired up along with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.The biggest hurdle for Magbegor and Smith is filthy trouble. Magbegor grabbed three first-half fouls against Canada, and Smith had two in the initial one-fourth versus France, limiting their moments. Back-up George is actually a challenging, skilled player (she scored 18 factors in 24 minutes versus Serbia) however no place near as athletic on defense.Philippou: Pelton brings up an authentic worry. Yet provided the experience Stewart and also Wilson contend this phase-- Stewart is actually going with her 3rd Olympic gold as well as Wilson her second, while Magbegor and also Johnson are actually seeming in their very first Games-- I will expect the Group United States incredibly duo to produce the winning participates in required in such a stressful situation to breakthrough to the final.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhich of France and Belgium will be actually a more durable opponent for Staff USA?Pelton: I'm choosing Belgium, which gave the united state ladies their toughest Olympic examination however. The Americans dominated by thirteen factors, although the scope was just 7 getting in the 4th one-fourth of a group stage game played in Lille, France, near the perimeter along with Belgium. All this despite Belgium going only 5-of-27 in 3-point shooting, along with Julie Vanloo particularly struggling from downtown while missing out on 10 of her 11 tries. On Wednesday, the Mystics point guard went 3-of-5 coming from 3, racking up 13 points along with seven aids (albeit along with nine turnovers) as Belgium navigated previous Spain, the simply other team besides the USA that was actually unbeaten in swimming pool play.Philippou: As the lot nation along with the crowd on its side and a lot of pleasure on the line, a challenging protective team in France definitely would not be a piece of cake, either, specifically if Marine Johannes can easily go off like she performed against Germany with 24 factors off the bench and along with Gabby Williams leading the way on each ends.Has Team USA played its own absolute best basketball yet?Philippou: In-game consistency, particularly on outburst, can still be a problem. There are actually opportunities when the lack of participating in opportunity together or even Reeve's tweaking along with rotations/combinations is actually still apparent. It goes without saying, there's a reason Sue Bird just recently said on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that USA Baseball is the absolute most annoying basketball she has actually ever played. After a little a sluggish start, the united state inevitably led by 30 in the third quarter versus Nigeria, yet Reeve couldn't have loved exactly how her group permitted the D'Tigress to make it a 14-point video game before the last buzzer. By means of 4 games, the Americans' lack of 3-point firing hasn't really been fixed, which may be an issue if enemies fume coming from deep.Team U.S.A. can't disregard any of the staying groups in the business, however with a defensive identification as well as aggressive prowess led by Stewart and also Wilson, it has actually revealed it can put activities away when it needs to have to, one thing that must move over into the ultimate 2 games.Pelton: On the other side, I believe the capturing is likewise factor to think there is actually one more equipment for the USA girls. Jointly, the 12 players on the roster have actually combined to fire 33% on 3-point efforts in the WNBA this time. That won't get a "Sprinkle Sisters" label any time quickly, but it is actually likewise better than Group United States has taken care of from the much shorter 3-point line in FIBA play.Taurasi (1-of-7) and also Jewell Loyd (2-of-10) are past due to warm up coming from lengthy array. Look out if they ultimately perform.