.Alexa PhilippouCloseAlexa PhilippouESPNCovers women's university baseball and the WNBA.Earlier covered UConn and the WNBA Connecticut Sun for the Hartford Courant.Stanford grad and Baltimore indigenous along with additional encounter at the Dallas Morning Updates, Seattle Moments and Cincinnati EnquirerKevin PeltonCloseKevin PeltonESPN Senior Citizen Author Co-author, Pro Baseball Prospectus collection.Formerly an expert along with the Indiana Pacers.Developed WARP score as well as SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ETTwo worldwide rivals will definitely meet again on Friday, as the United States girls's basketball group confronts the Australian Opals along with a place in the 2024 Paris Gamings' gold medal match on the line.Team USA, which is using a touch of 59 successive Olympic victories, advanced to the semifinals along with an 88-74 triumph over Nigeria on Wednesday. Adhering to a dismayed loss to Nigeria in their Olympic opener, the Opals have strung with each other 3 upright victories, featuring Wednesday's 85-67 quarterfinal choice over Serbia.Editor's Picks2 RelatedWhile the USA ladies have been actually the gold criterion for baseball all over the globe, gaining 7 consecutive Olympic gold awards and also nine total, Australia has been actually a historical goliath along with all of them. The Opals have medaled in 5 of recent 7 Summertimes Games, taking home three silvers as well as 2 bronze, although their semifinal run in Paris notes the very first time they've improved past the quarterfinals due to the fact that the 2012 London Games.2012 additionally was actually the final time the epic Lauren Jackson wore on the Olympic phase for the environment-friendly as well as gold-- until now. While Group U.S.A. has 42-year-old, six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi, the Opals have Jackson, 43, showing up in her fifth Gamings and first in 12 years. Jackson has actually always medaled in the competition, and though she has actually observed minimal action until now in France, she possesses an odds to carry on that touch this weekend.Australia-- which boasts six energetic WNBA gamers-- possesses lots of drive, yet the Opals are 0-20 all time against the USA elderly nationwide team, consisting of 0-8 in Olympic competitors. Throughout the five Games through which they medaled, Australia lost to the USA either in the semifinals or even the gold medal competition. The teams last satisfied in 2020, when the Americans dominated 79-55. ESPN's Alexa Philippou and also Kevin Pelton break some of the pressing questions moving into the matchup.play1:05 Breanna Stewart credit scores Jackie Youthful for jump-starting Crew USABreanna Stewart talks with Brian Windhorst after Team U.S.A.'s 14-point get Nigeria to advance to the semifinals.Team U.S.A. switched over up its own starting five against Nigeria, with Jackie Young instead of Diana Taurasi. Carried out the move repair its concerns in the backcourt?Philippou: Starting Young in place of Taurasi-- who had final come off the bench at the Olympics in 2004-- was the appropriate technique. Along with 15 points against Nigeria, Youthful appears to be taking a task as Crew USA's 3rd marker responsible for A'ja Wilson and also Breanna Stewart. (Certainly, Young is actually the just other U.S. gamer averaging dual designs at 10.3 points every activity.) Young, one of 3 Las Vegas Aces players in the starting five, showed off her 3-point shooting previously versus Germany, going 5-of-8. However while she went scoreless from deep-seated on Wednesday, it was her potential to obtain downhill and reach coming from midrange that stood out, alongside her hallmark protection in the backcourt. It took up until the center of the 2nd one-fourth for the USA to really place its feet on the fuel against Nigeria, but Youthful's hostility as well as power on both ends need to continue to pay dividends. As well as Taurasi seemed to be to perform effectively off the seat, where she boosted as a company with 4 assists.Pelton: I 'd enjoy to view starting point guard Chelsea Gray be a risk to score. She overlooked all three of her try tries in the quarterfinals, bringing Gray to 1-of-13 thus far during the course of the Olympics. Amazingly, the united state outscored Nigeria through merely 2 points in Gray's 17:27, while all four various other starters possessed a plus-minus of plus-17 or even better while on the court.Still, as I stated in our final roundtable, the USA girls can overcome one non-scorer in the starting five as long as she is actually delivering something else to the desk. As well as Gray is with her playmaking, having right now totted 22 assists versus just 3 turnovers. Therefore, I do not assume coach Cheryl Reeve needs to have to make more changes.Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE using Getty ImagesWhat complications do the Australians posture, and also what could make all of them a tough matchup?Top stories of the week coming from Acquire special access to hundreds of fee write-ups a year from leading authors. u2022 Solak: Appealing NFL QB sophomore course "u2022 MLB: Epic AL MVP fight, other awards "u2022 25 most important gamers in CFP race" More ESPN+ material ".Philippou: WNBA fans are going to be well accustomed to this Opals team, which includes the Seattle Hurricane's Ezi Magbegor as well as Sami Whitcomb, Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Smith, Los Angeles Triggers' Stephanie Talbot, Washington Mystics' Jade Melbourne as well as Indiana High temperature's Kristy Wallace, plus The big apple Right trainer Sandy Brondello responsible. Certainly not only perform the Opals have the talent to contend versus Group U.S.A.. They have momentum and also fix observing their frustrating start to the Olympics. Brondello has been pleased along with her crew's poise and grit over recent week, two top qualities an enemy requires when facing the Americans.The Opals, whose well balanced assault flaunts five gamers averaging a minimum of 8.0 PPG, can easily hurt foes inside with Magbegor and also Smith however likewise from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is actually the most ideal in the Olympic field and a lot more than Staff U.S.A.'s paltry 30.8%. Whitcomb and also Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champ while with the Sin City Aces, lead the crew along with eight and also seven treys, respectively.Pelton: Abstractly, Australia is deeper as well as more skilled than any type of group in the field save for the U.S. women. Our team may debate the greatest international gamer at the Paris Games, along with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) and Satou Sabally (Germany) as strong prospects. However no crew possesses a set of players comparable to the Opals' frontcourt duo of Magbegor and Smith, each of whom will have been on my WNBA Dream team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was actually not named to the group this period even with identical production.) And no staff outside the U.S. possesses virtually as much WNBA expertise throughout its own roster.Given the only thing that ability, it was actually surprising when Australia shed its opening game to Nigeria after that barely defeat winless Canada. In their past pair of games, we've viewed the Opals we counted on, as they trump bested France to develop to the knockout stage and led Serbia by as numerous as 28 in an uneven quarterfinal victory.A' Ja foods to Stewie for three. LeBron accepts. United States System as well as Peacock pic.twitter.com/yI8kbWNUpsu2014 NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024 Can any individual quit Breanna Stewart and A'ja Wilson?Pelton: No. However if anyone is visiting have all of them, it's the duo of Magbegor and also Smith. Australia's blog post gamers place 2nd (Magbegor, 2.4) and 4th (Smith, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks per game and also have the mobility to defend Stewart and also Wilson on the boundary. Magbegor is especially experienced versus each challengers, having actually dealt with Stewart in practice for three years as Hurricane allies as well as matched up with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.The biggest difficulty for Magbegor and also Johnson is actually foul difficulty. Magbegor picked up three first-half fouls against Canada, and Smith possessed 2 in the very first quarter versus France, confining their moments. Data backup George is actually a tough, skilled gamer (she racked up 18 factors in 24 mins against Serbia) but no place near as sports on defense.Philippou: Pelton brings up an authentic concern. Yet offered the take in Stewart and Wilson contend this stage-- Stewart is actually going for her 3rd Olympic gold and also Wilson her second, while Magbegor as well as Johnson are seeming in their initial Video games-- I would certainly anticipate the Group USA extremely duo to help make the winning plays essential in such a high-pressure scenario to development to the final.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhich of France and also Belgium would be a more durable opponent for Team USA?Pelton: I am actually selecting Belgium, which gave the USA females their toughest Olympic test yet. The Americans prevailed by 13 points, although the scope was actually merely seven entering into the 4th quarter of a group phase activity played in Lille, France, near the perimeter with Belgium. All this despite Belgium going simply 5-of-27 in 3-point capturing, along with Julie Vanloo specifically struggling from midtown while missing out on 10 of her 11 efforts. On Wednesday, the Mystics point player went 3-of-5 coming from 3, scoring thirteen aspects with 7 supports (albeit with nine turn overs) as Belgium travelled previous Spain, the simply various other group besides the U.S. that was unbeaten in pool play.Philippou: As the lot country with the group on its own side and also a lot of pride vulnerable, a tough protective crew in France would not be actually a piece of cake, either, specifically if Marine Johannes may go off like she carried out versus Germany along with 24 factors off the bench and with Gabby Williams blazing a trail on each ends.Has Group United States played its greatest basketball yet?Philippou: In-game uniformity, especially on offense, can still be actually an issue. There are opportunities when the lack of participating in opportunity with each other or Reeve's tweaking along with rotations/combinations is actually still evident. Nevertheless, there's a reason why Sue Bird just recently said on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that USA Baseball is the best unpleasant baseball she has ever participated in. After a little a slow begin, the U.S. eventually led through 30 in the third fourth versus Nigeria, however Reeve could not have enjoyed just how her staff enabled the D'Tigress to create it a 14-point video game just before the ultimate buzzer. Via four games, the Americans' shortage of 3-point shooting have not truly been solved, which may be a concern if enemies get hot from deep.Team U.S.A. can't disregard some of the remaining groups in the business, yet with a defensive identity and also offensive expertise led by Stewart as well as Wilson, it has shown it can easily put activities away when it needs to, one thing that ought to transmit over in to the last pair of games.Pelton: On the flip side, I presume the capturing is actually additionally factor to believe there's another equipment for the U.S. women. Jointly, the 12 players on the lineup have actually integrated to shoot 33% on 3-point efforts in the WNBA this time. That won't earn a "Sprinkle Sis" label at any time very soon, but it's additionally far better than Staff United States has managed from the shorter 3-point line in FIBA play.Taurasi (1-of-7) and also Jewell Loyd (2-of-10) are actually overdue to warm coming from long selection. Look out if they lastly do.