A visit to the gold medal sport is on the road when U.S. girls’s basketball staff faces Australia at present at 11:30am ET. The Opals — who gained the bronze medal within the 2022 World Cup — have been thought-about to be one of the vital formidable groups within the discipline heading into the Paris Olympics.
However, Australia stumbled early on, kicking off Olympic play with a loss to Nigeria. They’ve since vastly improved their play, however the query stays: does this Australia staff have what it takes to overhaul one of the vital dominant Olympic packages in all of sports activities?
In opposition to Australia, USA Basketball will search a sixtieth consecutive Olympic victory (and, this weekend they’ll hope for an eighth consecutive gold medal). The staff will undoubtedly proceed to closely depend on A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart, who’ve anchored the frontcourt, whereas benefitting from contributions from gamers like Jackie Younger, Sabrina Ionescu, Brittney Griner, and Alyssa Thomas — every of whom have performed a crucial position in key moments all through this Olympic run.
It’s honest to count on a dominant U.S. victory — each U.S. sport has been a blowout to date, in any case. However ,no different staff within the discipline boasts as many WNBA gamers as Australia, so if anybody is positioned to place up a combat, it might be the Opals.
A few questions will assist decide Australia’s possibilities:
1. Can Sandy Brondello make Breanna Stewart’s life harder?
When the U.S. girls’s basketball staff takes on Australia in Olympic semifinals at present, will probably be a reunion of kinds. Australia’s head coach Sandy Brondello faces two of her Liberty star gamers, Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu.
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Picture by David Dow/NBAE by way of Getty Photos
Subsequent week, Brondello will likely be again in New York with Stewart and Ionescu, and the trio will work intently to compete for a championship this fall. However, on this matchup, Brondello will undoubtedly do every part she will be able to to attempt to decrease Stewart’s injury.
Up to now, nobody has had a solution for the two-time MVP’s two-way influence. Stewart has been USA’s second main scorer, averaging 18.5 factors on 63.8% taking pictures, and her and Wilson have mixed to kind a frontcourt that no Olympic staff has been in a position to handle. Brondello is as intimately conversant in Stewart’s sport as anybody. Given Stewie’s greatness, that may not make a distinction. However, she’ll definitely attempt.
2. Can Crew USA cease Sami Whitcomb?
Sami Whitcomb has been Australia’s main scorer by means of 4 Olympic video games, averaging 14.8 factors on 50% taking pictures. Whitcomb is just not a significant contributor in Seattle — she averages simply 5.4 factors per sport on 15.8 minutes per night time — however in Australia, she’s been the focus of the offense. Containing the 36-year-old will likely be key — she’s been one of many main facilitators of the Olympics, averaging 6 assists per night time.
It’s probably that Jackie Younger will likely be tasked with maintaining with Whitcomb, however a number of different guards, together with Chelsea Grey and Kelsey Plum, will probably additionally take a stab on the matchup.
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Picture by Gregory Shamus/Getty Photos
3. Which model of Australia will Crew USA face?
Heading into the Olympic video games, Australia was thought-about one of many high groups within the discipline. Then, they fell to Nigeria within the opening sport of pool play, and simply barely squeaked out a win in opposition to Canada.
However, to Crew USA coach Cheryl Reeve, these preliminary obstacles might finally show useful for Australia.
“They went by means of a troublesome stretch within the pool however I feel they realized loads about themselves,” she mentioned, per Olympics.com. “From a training standpoint, rotations, and many others, that’s essentially the most worthwhile factor that you simply study. They’re on the uptick, and it’s going to be a really troublesome sport for us.”
