.Alexa PhilippouCloseAlexa PhilippouESPNCovers females's college basketball and the WNBA.Earlier dealt with UConn and also the WNBA Connecticut Sunlight for the Hartford Courant.Stanford grad as well as Baltimore indigenous with additional experience at the Dallas Early Morning Headlines, Seattle Times as well as Cincinnati EnquirerKevin PeltonCloseKevin PeltonESPN Elder Writer Co-author, Pro Baseball Syllabus collection.Previously a consultant along with the Indiana Pacers.Established WARP ranking as well as SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ETTwo worldwide competitors are going to meet again on Friday, as the United States girls's baseball group confronts the Australian Opals along with a spot 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. Complying with a dismayed reduction to Nigeria in their Olympic opener, the Opals have actually strung with each other three straight success, including Wednesday's 85-67 quarterfinal choice over Serbia.Editor's Picks2 RelatedWhile the U.S. girls have actually been the gold standard for baseball around the planet, gaining 7 successive Olympic gold medals as well as nine general, Australia has been actually a historic powerhouse alongside all of them. The Opals have actually medaled in five of recent 7 Summers months Games, take away 3 silvers and also two bronze, although their semifinal operate in Paris denotes the very first time they have actually developed past the quarterfinals given that the 2012 London Games.2012 additionally was actually the final opportunity the epic Lauren Jackson wore on the Olympic stage for the green as well as gold-- until now. While Crew USA possesses 42-year-old, six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi, the Opals have Jackson, 43, seeming in her 5th Games and to begin with in 12 years. Jackson has actually regularly medaled in the competition, and also though she has actually viewed restricted activity so far in France, she possesses an odds to proceed that streak this weekend.Australia-- which flaunts 6 active WNBA gamers-- has a lot of energy, yet the Opals are actually 0-20 perpetuity versus the U.S. elderly nationwide group, including 0-8 in Olympic competitors. In the course of the five Games through which they medaled, Australia dropped to the USA either in the semifinals or the gold medal competition. The squads final complied with in 2020, when the Americans dominated 79-55. ESPN's Alexa Philippou and Kevin Pelton break down a few of the pressing questions moving into the matchup.play1:05 Breanna Stewart credit histories Jackie Youthful for jump-starting Group USABreanna Stewart talks along with Brian Windhorst after Crew USA's 14-point sway Nigeria to advance to the semifinals.Team United States switched over up its own starting 5 versus Nigeria, with Jackie Youthful in place of Diana Taurasi. Performed the action repair its own problems in the backcourt?Philippou: Starting Youthful instead of Taurasi-- who had last go over the bench at the Olympics in 2004-- was the ideal action. Along with 15 factors versus Nigeria, Youthful looks taking a duty as Staff U.S.A.'s 3rd scorer responsible for A'ja Wilson as well as Breanna Stewart. (Without A Doubt, Youthful is actually the only other united state gamer averaging dual figures at 10.3 aspects per activity.) Young, some of three Las Vegas Aces players in the starting five, showed off her 3-point firing earlier against Germany, going 5-of-8. Yet while she went scoreless from deeper on Wednesday, it was her potential to obtain downhill and also strike coming from midrange that stuck out, alongside her trademark self defense in the backcourt. It took until the middle of the 2nd quarter for the united state to really put its own feet on the gasoline versus Nigeria, but Youthful's hostility and energy on each ends ought to remain to return. As well as Taurasi seemed to be to carry out properly off the seat, where she boosted as a company along with 4 assists.Pelton: I will adore to find beginning point guard Chelsea Gray be a danger to rating. She skipped all three of her go efforts in the quarterfinals, taking Gray to 1-of-13 up until now in the course of the Olympics. Remarkably, the U.S. outscored Nigeria by merely two aspects in Gray's 17:27, while all 4 various other beginners had a plus-minus of plus-17 or far better while on the court.Still, as I mentioned in our last roundtable, the U.S. girls can overcome one non-scorer in the beginning 5 so long as she is actually bringing another thing to the desk. And Gray is actually along with her playmaking, having actually today totaled 22 aids against only three turnovers. Thus, I do not think instructor Cheryl Reeve needs to have to make more changes.Photo through Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty ImagesWhat issues do the Australians posture, and what could make all of them a hard matchup?Top stories of the week from Acquire exclusive accessibility to 1000s of premium posts a year coming from leading writers. u2022 Solak: Interesting NFL QB sophomore training class "u2022 MLB: Legendary AL MVP war, various other awards "u2022 25 crucial players in CFP nationality" More ESPN+ web content ".Philippou: WNBA fans will certainly be properly knowledgeable about this Opals squad, which features the Seattle Hurricane's Ezi Magbegor as well as Sami Whitcomb, Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Johnson, Los Angeles Sparks' Stephanie Talbot, Washington Mystics' Baggage Melbourne as well as Indiana High temperature's Kristy Wallace, plus Nyc Liberty trainer Sandy Brondello responsible. Not only perform the Opals possess the skill to complete against Group USA. They possess momentum and resolve observing their frustrating start to the Olympics. Brondello has been felt free to with her team's poise and guts over the past week, 2 high qualities a rival needs to have when dealing with the Americans.The Opals, whose balanced assault includes 5 players averaging a minimum of 8.0 PPG, can harm foes inside along with Magbegor and also Smith however also coming from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is the best in the Olympic industry and also considerably higher than Staff U.S.A.'s puny 30.8%. Whitcomb and also Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champion while along with the Las Vegas Aces, lead the team with eight and also seven treys, respectively.Pelton: Theoretically, Australia is deeper and also more gifted than any kind of crew in the business save for the U.S. women. Our experts can debate the very best international gamer at the Paris Gamings, along with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) as well as Satou Sabally (Germany) as powerful prospects. But no crew has a set of players comparable to the Opals' frontcourt duo of Magbegor and Smith, each of whom will possess performed my WNBA All-Star team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was certainly not called to the team this time regardless of similar manufacturing.) And also no team outside the USA possesses almost as a lot WNBA knowledge throughout its roster.Given everything skill, it was stunning when Australia shed its own position video game to Nigeria after that barely trump winless Canada. In their past 2 games, we have actually seen the Opals our team counted on, as they beat surpassed France to advance to the knockout phase as well as led Serbia by as many as 28 in a lopsided quarterfinal victory.A' Ja meals to Stewie for three. LeBron permits. U.S.A. System and Peacock pic.twitter.com/yI8kbWNUpsu2014 NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024 May anyone cease Breanna Stewart and A'ja Wilson?Pelton: No. But if any individual is heading to have them, it's the duo of Magbegor as well as Johnson. Australia's article players position 2nd (Magbegor, 2.4) as well as fourth (Smith, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks per activity and also have the flexibility to speak up for Stewart and Wilson on the perimeter. Magbegor is particularly experienced against each rivals, having actually faced Stewart virtual for 3 years as Storm allies as well as matched up along with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.The greatest hurdle for Magbegor and Johnson is nasty difficulty. Magbegor picked up three first-half fouls against Canada, and Smith possessed pair of in the first quarter versus France, limiting their moments. Backup George is actually a hard, proficient gamer (she racked up 18 points in 24 mins against Serbia) however no place near as athletic on defense.Philippou: Pelton brings up a valid problem. Yet offered the take in Stewart and Wilson contend this stage-- Stewart is actually choosing her third Olympic gold and also Wilson her 2nd, while Magbegor and Johnson are actually appearing in their very first Gamings-- I will count on the Crew USA super duo to help make the winning plays required in such a high-pressure scenario to innovation to the final.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhich of France and also Belgium would be a more durable challenger for Crew USA?Pelton: I am actually opting for Belgium, which offered the USA women their toughest Olympic examination yet. The Americans dominated by 13 points, although the margin was actually merely 7 entering the fourth quarter of a group stage activity played in Lille, France, near the edge with Belgium. All this in spite of Belgium going just 5-of-27 in 3-point capturing, with Julie Vanloo especially straining 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 13 points with seven supports (albeit along with nine turn overs) as Belgium navigated previous Spain, the simply other staff besides the USA that was actually unbeaten in pool play.Philippou: As the host country along with the crowd on its side and also lots of honor on the line, a hard protective team in France would not be a piece of cake, either, specifically if Marine Johannes can easily blow up like she carried out versus Germany along with 24 points off the seat and with Gabby Williams leading the way on both ends.Has Staff USA played its own absolute best basketball yet?Philippou: In-game consistency, especially on offense, may still be actually a problem. There are actually times when the shortage of playing time all together or Reeve's tweaking along with rotations/combinations is still apparent. Nevertheless, there's a main reason why Sue Bird recently claimed on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that USA Basketball is actually the best annoying baseball she has actually ever played. After a little bit of a slow begin, the U.S. at some point led by 30 in the third fourth versus Nigeria, however Reeve couldn't have enjoyed how her staff enabled the D'Tigress to create it a 14-point game just before the ultimate buzzer. Via 4 activities, the Americans' absence of 3-point capturing have not definitely been actually treated, which can be a problem if opponents fume from deep.Team U.S.A. can not overlook any one of the staying crews in the business, yet with a protective identity and also offensive expertise led by Stewart and Wilson, it has actually shown it can easily put video games away when it requires to, something that needs to move over right into the ultimate pair of games.Pelton: On the other hand, I assume the firing is likewise reason to think there's yet another equipment for the united state females. Collectively, the 12 players on the roster have mixed to shoot 33% on 3-point tries in the WNBA this period. That won't make a "Splash Siblings" nickname whenever very soon, but it's additionally far better than Staff 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 outstanding to warm up coming from lengthy variation. Watch out if they eventually carry out.