A trip to the gold medal game is on the line when U.S. women’s basketball team faces Australia today at 11:30am ET. The Opals — who won the bronze medal in the 2022 World Cup — were considered to be one of the most formidable teams in the field heading into the Paris Olympics.
3 key questions as Team USA and Australia face off in the Olympic semifinals
Can Sandy Brondello and Australia limit Breanna Stewart? Does Team USA have an answer for Sami Whitcomb?
Photo by Catalina Fragoso/NBAE via Getty Images
Noa Dalzell is a senior writer covering the WNBA and all of women’s basketball for Breakaway, SB Nation’s women’s sports vertical, as well as the Celtics for CelticsBlog.
But, Australia stumbled early on, kicking off Olympic play with a loss to Nigeria. They’ve since vastly improved their play, but the question remains: does this Australia team have what it takes to overtake one of the most dominant Olympic programs in all of sports?
Against Australia, USA Basketball will seek a 60th consecutive Olympic victory (and, this weekend they’ll hope for an 8th consecutive gold medal). The team will undoubtedly continue to heavily rely on A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart, who’ve anchored the frontcourt, while benefitting from contributions from players like Jackie Young, Sabrina Ionescu, Brittney Griner, and Alyssa Thomas — each of whom have played a critical role in key moments throughout this Olympic run.
It’s fair to expect a dominant U.S. victory — every U.S. game has been a blowout so far, after all. But ,no other team in the field boasts as many WNBA players as Australia, so if anyone is positioned to put up a fight, it could be the Opals.
A couple of questions will help determine Australia’s chances:
1. Can Sandy Brondello make Breanna Stewart’s life more difficult?
When the U.S. women’s basketball team takes on Australia in Olympic semifinals today, it will be a reunion of sorts. Australia’s head coach Sandy Brondello faces two of her Liberty star players, Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu.
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Next week, Brondello will be back in New York with Stewart and Ionescu, and the trio will work closely to compete for a championship this fall. But, in this matchup, Brondello will undoubtedly do everything she can to try to minimize Stewart’s damage.
So far, no one has had an answer for the two-time MVP’s two-way impact. Stewart has been USA’s second leading scorer, averaging 18.5 points on 63.8% shooting, and her and Wilson have combined to form a frontcourt that no Olympic team has been able to manage. Brondello is as intimately familiar with Stewart’s game as anyone. Given Stewie’s greatness, that might not make a difference. But, she’ll certainly try.
2. Can Team USA stop Sami Whitcomb?
Sami Whitcomb has been Australia’s leading scorer through four Olympic games, averaging 14.8 points on 50% shooting. Whitcomb is not a major contributor in Seattle — she averages just 5.4 points per game on 15.8 minutes per night — but in Australia, she’s been the focal point of the offense. Containing the 36-year-old will be key — she’s been one of the leading facilitators of the Olympics, averaging 6 assists per night.
It’s likely that Jackie Young will be tasked with keeping up with Whitcomb, but several other guards, including Chelsea Gray and Kelsey Plum, will likely also take a stab at the matchup.
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3. Which version of Australia will Team USA face?
Heading into the Olympic games, Australia was considered one of the top teams in the field. Then, they fell to Nigeria in the opening game of pool play, and just barely squeaked out a win against Canada.
But, to Team USA coach Cheryl Reeve, those initial obstacles may ultimately prove beneficial for Australia.
“They went through a tough stretch in the pool but I think they learned a lot about themselves,” she said, per Olympics.com. “From a coaching standpoint, rotations, etc, that’s the most valuable thing that you learn. They’re on the uptick, and it’s going to be a very difficult game for us.”
