Did we see the best performance of American women’s basketball in the Paris Games?

Three games are over and three more are left for the U.S. women’s basketball team as it seeks its eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal and 10th overall.

As expected, Team USA remained unbeaten after Sunday’s group stage at the Paris Olympics. The U.S. women extended their Olympic winning streak to 58 games with wins over Japan (102-76), Belgium (87-74) and Germany (87-68).

But the real basketball is ahead, with the knockout rounds beginning Wednesday, when Team USA faces Nigeria (3:30 p.m. ET) in the final quarterfinal of the day.

Nigeria was a Cinderella story at the Paris Olympics. Nigeria won two and lost one of their group games, achieving their first Olympic victory since 2004, beating Australia and Canada, and becoming the first African basketball team – women or men – to advance to the quarterfinals of the Olympic Games.

The U.S. team knows Nigeria well. The two teams met in the opening game of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, with the Americans winning by nine points in one of only two games decided by a single point in the U.S. Olympic winning streak. They also faced each other in the Olympic qualifying tournament in February, which the U.S. women won comfortably (100-46).

If Team USA advances to the semifinals, they will face the winner of the Serbia-Australia matchup. The Opals feature six active WNBA players (Izzy Magpiegor, Alana Smith, Sammy Whitcomb, Stephanie Talbot, Kristie Wallace, and Jade Milburn) plus the legendary Lauren Jackson, and are led by New York Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello.

On the other side of the bracket, Belgium will compete with Spain — the only other undefeated nation. Emma Meesseman, the 2019 WNBA Finals MVP, leads Belgium alongside Julie Vanloo of the Washington Mystics, while Megan Gustafson of the Las Vegas Aces plays for Spain.

The winner of the Belgium-Spain match will face the winner of the Germany-France match. The final matchup will feature a number of familiar faces from the WNBA: the Sato Sabally sisters and Nayara Sabally along with Leonie Fiebich from Germany; and Gabby Williams, Maren Johannes and Eliana Robert from the Olympic host team.

ESPN breaks down what we’ve learned about Team USA in the middle of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

What impressed you most about the way the US team played?

Philip: The same could probably be said at every Olympics, but the depth of the U.S. team is astonishing and remains a big difference from the rest of the field. Kahlil Cooper, the second-leading scorer in the WNBA, was the last player off the bench. Players like Sabrina Ionescu, Alyssa Thomas and Nafisa Collier have all been off the court in injury time. The bench scored 52 of the team’s 87 points on Sunday against Germany. It’s a real treat to see, especially with many of these reserves nearing or in their prime.

The American style of play also stands out. When the U.S. is at its best—forcing opponents to give up the ball, stopping them on defense, using them to score in transition—it’s great basketball. Some of their defensive combinations—the ability to play Jackie Young, A’ja Wilson and Thomas together, for example—are a coach’s dream. The competition will be tighter going forward, but if the team continues on this path and continues to improve, it’s amazing to imagine what it could look like by Game 6.

Belton: Like depth, it’s all about the players’ ability to stay on their toes. Cooper played just six minutes in the first two games, while Young played 22, but when they were called upon to play bigger roles against Germany, they scored a combined 28 points on 10-of-18 shooting, with Young adding four steals.

It’s never easy for players to adjust to smaller roles than the ones they’re used to playing as stars on their WNBA teams, but the culture USA Basketball has developed over seven straight gold medals means there’s no room for complaint about spending time on the bench.

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Windhorst: US Women’s Basketball Team Excels on Defense

Brian Windhorst praised the US women’s basketball team for their impressive defense in the win over Germany.

What might be holding American women back?

Philip: It was a combination of a poor three-point shooting night and a series of errors. The U.S. ranked fifth in team play at 32.7 percent from three, and only three Americans made at least three threes: Young (5-of-8, all attempts Sunday), Ionescu (4-of-10) and Cooper (3-of-4, all attempts Sunday). That trend could make the U.S. team more biased and allow opponents to focus on stuffing the zone.

The U.S. players also had some moments — particularly when they were forced to play a half-court attack and couldn’t move — when they struggled to deal with losing the ball, much of which can be attributed to their still-developing chemistry on the court.

Belton: The lack of three-point attempts is a bigger problem than the team’s accuracy. Only Serbia (16.7) averaged fewer attempts from deep than the Americans (18.3). If an opponent can score a three-pointer, the math could start to work against the U.S. It’s worth noting that this didn’t happen in the U.S.’s only real test, against Belgium, which hit 5-of-27 (18.5%) threes. A hotter night for the Cats could lead to a closer rematch in a potential gold-medal game scenario.

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The Numbers Behind the US Women’s Basketball Team’s Win Over Germany

Learn some of the key stats and facts behind Team USA’s 87-68 win over Germany in women’s basketball.

Which player impressed us the most? Which player disappointed us the most?

Philip: Brianna Stewart and Wilson were sensational, the first duo in U.S. women’s basketball history to each score at least 20 points in the first three games of a single Olympics. (They each average 20.3 points per game.) If anything, one could argue that Team USA had to rely on them too much: They scored 44.2 percent of the team’s points, which if maintained would be a Team USA record in a single Olympics.

Diana Taurasi and Chelsea Gray were a bit lackluster in the starting defensive line, scoring four points on 2-of-16 shooting (0-of-8 3-pointers) in three games, though Gray’s 13-assist performance against Japan was impressive. The U.S. largely found its footing against Germany once it came off the bench at the end of the first quarter, and neither player showed up after that point, with Ionescu and Joelle Lloyd starting the second half and Kelsey Plum and Young also playing big minutes.

Young and Cooper, in particular, stood out as players who had not seen much playing time earlier in the tournament, but they sparked against Germany and provided evidence that they deserved more minutes.

It will be worth watching to see if coach Cheryl Reeve makes any changes to her starting five ahead of the knockout stages and whether she relies on the goalkeepers at key moments. The experience of Tawraise and Gray is still useful in such situations.

Belton: Along with Stewart and Wilson, let’s give a shoutout to Thomas, who finished third in last year’s WNBA Most Valuable Player voting. A starter alongside Stewart and Wilson at the 2022 FIBA ​​Basketball World Cup, Thomas has adapted well to the game-changing role of reserve, scoring 14 points and grabbing nine assists over the past two games. The U.S. has outscored opponents by 45 points with Thomas on the court in those games and has posted minus-13 points off the bench against Belgium and Germany.

Team USA won the gold medal in 2008, with starting midfielder Sue Bird averaging 3.0 points per game as she focused on setting up the more talented scorers around her, so there’s proof of concept for this type of backline role. However, her average points per game is 1.4 points. sum Because starting goaltending duo Taurasi and Gray may not be able to qualify for the medal round.

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The stats behind Team USA’s qualification to the quarterfinals

Brianna Stewart and A’ja Wilson lead Team USA to the quarterfinals after beating Belgium at the Paris Olympics.

What will most determine the quarterfinal match between the USA and Nigeria?

Philip: How Nigeria responds to their famous defensive pressure. As midfielder Ezeni Kalu said after a win over Australia in which Nigeria racked up 15 steals and forced 26 fouls, “When we’re on the pitch, we feel the blood. Nobody defends like us, and that’s what keeps us going.” Nigeria forced France into 17 fouls and Canada into 26 (16 of them steals) in the following matches.

In their Tokyo Olympics match against Nigeria, the U.S. team turned the ball over 25 times, with Nigeria having 11 steals. Turnovers have been a problem at times for the U.S. players, so they will have to be disciplined, communicate and hope that the chemistry they have improved over their time in France will reduce potential errors.

Belton: On the flip side, the U.S. women also need to take full advantage of their size advantage against a Nigeria team that has no players over 6-foot-2 for at least 10 minutes per game. In that previous Olympic match, the U.S. grabbed 44% of available offensive rebounds and got double-digit rebounds from Stewart, Wilson and Brittney Griner. That way, the U.S. scored 81 points — despite problems turning the ball over and hitting 5 of 20 three-pointers.

Will Team USA win an eighth consecutive gold medal? Why or why not?

Philip: This team is too dense and talented to let their streak stop, and Stewart and Wilson are too good to let that happen. Every group stage game has been a valuable learning experience for the team as they work to put all their pieces together and figure out which formations/rotations work best. As a result, Team USA will play their best basketball of the tournament next week.

Meeting neighbors France or Belgium in the final could be a tough matchup in a hostile environment, but the U.S. women are ready to do what they have done in each of the past seven Olympics and bring home the gold.

Belton: In a one-off knockout scenario, it’s possible the U.S. women could fall victim to an upset. However, I’m still not sure which country is capable of pulling it off. Spain, the only other unbeaten team in the group stage, won all three of its games by a total of just 10 points, and is the underdog against Belgium in the quarterfinals on ESPN BET.

France were dominant in their first two games, but couldn’t cope well against a slow-starting Australia in the group final, leading to a tougher quarter-final against Germany. I wonder if the hosts’ high-pressing style is as effective against elite opponents as it is against weaker ones.

If another team doesn’t prove they can compete in the medal rounds, I don’t see any team I would give a bigger chance to than the boxer against the United States.