.Alexa PhilippouCloseAlexa PhilippouESPNCovers females's university baseball and also the WNBA.Earlier covered UConn and also the WNBA Connecticut Sun for the Hartford Courant.Stanford graduate as well as Baltimore indigenous with more experience at the Dallas Morning News, Seattle Times and Cincinnati EnquirerKevin PeltonCloseKevin PeltonESPN Senior Citizen Writer Co-author, Pro Basketball Prospectus set.Previously a consultant along with the Indiana Pacers.Cultivated WARP score as well as SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ETTwo international rivals will meet again on Friday, as the United States females's baseball group confronts the Australian Opals with a place in the 2024 Paris Games' gold award match on the line.Team U.S.A., which is actually riding a touch of 59 consecutive Olympic success, improved to the semifinals with an 88-74 overcome Nigeria on Wednesday. Complying with an upset 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 united state females have been actually the gold standard for baseball throughout the world, gaining seven successive Olympic gold medals and also 9 total, Australia has been actually a historical goliath along with all of them. The Opals have actually medaled in five of the past 7 Summers months Games, taking home 3 silvers and two bronze, although their semifinal operate in Paris notes the very first time they have actually improved past the quarterfinals because the 2012 London Video games.2012 additionally was actually the last opportunity the fabulous Lauren Jackson dressed on the Olympic phase for the green and gold-- until now. While Team USA possesses 42-year-old, six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi, the Opals have Jackson, 43, seeming in her fifth Video games and initially in 12 years. Jackson has always medaled in the competition, and also though she has found minimal action thus far in France, she possesses a possibility to continue that streak this weekend.Australia-- which includes 6 energetic WNBA gamers-- has lots of momentum, however the Opals are 0-20 all time versus the USA senior nationwide team, including 0-8 in Olympic competition. During the course of the 5 Games through which they medaled, Australia dropped to the united state either in the semifinals or the gold award competition. The teams final met in 2020, when the Americans prevailed 79-55. ESPN's Alexa Philippou and Kevin Pelton break a number of the pressing inquiries moving in to the matchup.play1:05 Breanna Stewart credit reports Jackie Youthful for jump-starting Team USABreanna Stewart chats along with Brian Windhorst after Group U.S.A.'s 14-point win over Nigeria to accelerate to the semifinals.Team USA shifted up its beginning 5 versus Nigeria, with Jackie Youthful instead of Diana Taurasi. Performed the move fix its own issues in the backcourt?Philippou: Starting Young instead of Taurasi-- who had final go over the seat at the Olympics in 2004-- was actually the best technique. Along with 15 points versus Nigeria, Young seems carving out a part as Crew United States's third scorer behind A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart. (Definitely, Young is actually the merely other U.S. player averaging dual figures at 10.3 points per activity.) Youthful, one of three Sin city Aces players in the starting 5, flaunted her 3-point firing earlier against Germany, going 5-of-8. But while she went scoreless from deep on Wednesday, it was her ability to get downhill and also attack coming from midrange that stuck out, together with her hallmark protection in the backcourt. It took up until the center of the second quarter for the united state to really place its own feet on the fuel against Nigeria, but Young's hostility and also electricity on both ends should remain to return. As well as Taurasi seemed to perform well off the seat, where she improved as a facilitator with four assists.Pelton: I 'd enjoy to see beginning point guard Chelsea Gray be a danger to credit rating. She skipped all 3 of her shot tries in the quarterfinals, carrying Gray to 1-of-13 so far in the course of the Olympics. Incredibly, the USA outscored Nigeria through just pair of factors in Gray's 17:27, while all four other starters possessed a plus-minus of plus-17 or even better while on the court.Still, as I mentioned in our final roundtable, the USA females can easily overcome one non-scorer in the starting five as long as she is actually taking another thing to the table. And also Gray is actually with her playmaking, having now amounted to 22 supports versus simply three turn overs. Thus, I do not believe coach Cheryl Reeve requires to make additional changes.Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty ImagesWhat concerns do the Australians posture, as well as what could make all of them a hard matchup?Top tales of the full week from Obtain unique accessibility to 1000s of costs articles a year coming from top writers. u2022 Solak: Appealing NFL QB sophomore course "u2022 MLB: Impressive AL MVP struggle, other honors "u2022 25 essential gamers in CFP nationality" More ESPN+ content ".Philippou: WNBA fans will certainly be well aware of this Opals squad, which includes the Seat Tornado's Ezi Magbegor and also Sami Whitcomb, Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Johnson, Los Angeles Stimulates' Stephanie Talbot, Washington Mystics' Baggage Melbourne and Indiana High temperature's Kristy Wallace, plus The big apple Freedom trainer Sandy Brondello at the helm. Not only carry out the Opals have the skill to contend versus Group U.S.A.. They have momentum as well as willpower following their unsatisfying beginning to the Olympics. Brondello has been pleased with her staff's grace and grit over the past full week, pair of top qualities a challenger requires when dealing with the Americans.The Opals, whose well balanced attack flaunts five gamers balancing at the very least 8.0 PPG, can easily hurt adversaries inside with Magbegor and Johnson but also from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is actually the greatest in the Olympic industry and much greater than Staff USA's puny 30.8%. Whitcomb as well as Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champion while with the Las Vegas Aces, lead the staff along with 8 as well as 7 treys, respectively.Pelton: On paper, Australia is much deeper and also extra proficient than any staff in the business save for the USA women. We may question the most effective worldwide gamer at the Paris Games, with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) and also Satou Sabally (Germany) as sturdy candidates. Yet no staff has a pair of players like the Opals' frontcourt duo of Magbegor as well as Smith, both of whom would certainly possess performed my WNBA Dream team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was actually certainly not called to the team this time in spite of similar production.) And also no team outside the USA possesses nearly as much WNBA adventure throughout its own roster.Given everything talent, it was actually stunning when Australia dropped its own position game to Nigeria at that point scarcely defeat winless Canada. In their previous pair of video games, our experts've found the Opals our company anticipated, as they defeat bested France to develop to the knockout stage as well as led Serbia by as several as 28 in an unequal quarterfinal victory.A' Ja dishes to Stewie for 3. LeBron approves. United States Network and Peacock pic.twitter.com/yI8kbWNUpsu2014 NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024 Can any individual cease Breanna Stewart and A'ja Wilson?Pelton: No. But if any individual is actually visiting include all of them, it is actually the duo of Magbegor as well as Johnson. Australia's post players place 2nd (Magbegor, 2.4) and also 4th (Johnson, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks per game as well as possess the range of motion to speak up for Stewart and also Wilson on the boundary. Magbegor is actually specifically experienced against both opponents, having dealt with Stewart virtual for three years as Hurricane teammates and compared along with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.The most significant hurdle for Magbegor and Johnson is nasty difficulty. Magbegor got three first-half fouls versus Canada, and also Smith possessed pair of in the 1st quarter versus France, confining their minutes. Back-up George is actually a challenging, competent player (she scored 18 aspects in 24 minutes against Serbia) however no place near as sports on defense.Philippou: Pelton raises a legitimate problem. But provided the encounter Stewart and Wilson contend this phase-- Stewart is going for her 3rd Olympic gold as well as Wilson her second, while Magbegor as well as Johnson are seeming in their very first Video games-- I would certainly count on the Group USA extremely duo to help make the winning plays essential in such a high-pressure scenario to breakthrough to the final.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhich of France as well as Belgium would certainly be a tougher rival for Crew USA?Pelton: I am actually going with Belgium, which gave the united state females their most difficult Olympic exam but. The Americans dominated by thirteen factors, although the frame was actually merely 7 getting in the 4th one-fourth of a group stage game played in Lille, France, near the borderline along with Belgium. All this in spite of Belgium going just 5-of-27 in 3-point capturing, with Julie Vanloo particularly battling from midtown while missing 10 of her 11 efforts. On Wednesday, the Mystics point guard went 3-of-5 coming from 3, racking up 13 factors with seven helps (albeit along with nine turnovers) as Belgium navigated past Spain, the merely various other staff besides the USA that was actually unbeaten in pool play.Philippou: As the lot country with the group on its edge and lots of pride on the line, a complicated protective crew in France definitely would not be a pushover, either, particularly if Marine Johannes can easily go off like she did against Germany along with 24 aspects off the bench and with Gabby Williams leading the way on each ends.Has Staff U.S.A. played its greatest basketball yet?Philippou: In-game consistency, especially on outburst, may still be a concern. There are actually opportunities when the absence of participating in opportunity with each other or even Reeve's tweaking with rotations/combinations is actually still evident. Besides, there is actually a main reason why Sue Bird just recently stated on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that United States Baseball is the absolute most unpleasant basketball she has ever participated in. After a bit of a sluggish beginning, the united state ultimately led by 30 in the third quarter against Nigeria, however Reeve could not have enjoyed exactly how her staff permitted the D'Tigress to create it a 14-point activity prior to the ultimate buzzer. By means of 4 games, the Americans' shortage of 3-point capturing have not truly been treated, which can be a concern if opponents get hot from deep.Team U.S.A. can't neglect any of the staying crews in the field, yet with a protective identity and offensive prowess led by Stewart and also Wilson, it has shown it may put video games away when it needs to, something that must move over right into the ultimate 2 games.Pelton: On the flip side, I believe the shooting is likewise main reason to strongly believe there's another gear for the U.S. women. Collectively, the 12 gamers on the lineup have actually incorporated to shoot 33% on 3-point tries in the WNBA this time. That will not earn a "Sprinkle Sisters" label at any time very soon, yet it's likewise far better than Crew U.S.A. has dealt with from the much shorter 3-point line in FIBA play.Taurasi (1-of-7) and Jewell Loyd (2-of-10) are overdue to warm from long selection. Watch out if they finally do.