There is a lot of murmur among fans as the USA women’s basketball team is getting ready to start their campaign for the eighth consecutive Olympic gold. While some followers are ardently supporting the team, others are furious about Team USA losing against the WNBA All-Star team on Saturday. Those in favor of Team USA argue that before the Tokyo Olympics too, they had lost the All-Star Game. Nonetheless, they went ahead to bag gold at the quadrennial event. Meanwhile, netizens who are bitter after the loss opine that Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese deserve a place on the roster.

Whether Team USA will be able to clinch gold at this upcoming Olympics or not will be clear once they start their main campaign. But taking cognizance of their recent loss, Essentially Sports takes a look at 3 teams that can present impediments in Team USA’s path and spoil their plan of making history.

Germany

Team USA will play against Team Germany during the warm-up game in London on Tuesday before encountering the same team in Group C in Paris. Thus, Germany can exploit Team USA’s weaknesses considering the warm-up game will set the tone for the strategies to follow. Another thing in favor of the German roster is that they have an ample amount of players who have plied their trade in the WNBA. Hence, they are accustomed to US basketball and the strategies around it.

Whether it is the Sabally sisters or Leonie Fiebich, the German roster can wreak havoc when the situation demands and can foil Team USA’s plan of taking home the gold medal. The German team has already proved its credibility by making history and qualifying for the Olympics for the first time. The women’s side of the sport is catching pace in Germany as they moved to the 19th spot in the FIBA rankings which was six spots better than their previous rank.

Hence, Team USA will have to be careful against the dual threat of the Sabally sisters and keep an eye on their gameplay. If Germany manages to defeat Team USA in the group stage even then Team USA is expected to qualify for the quarterfinals. But a little hope and motivation for Team Germany in this event can prove to be fatal for Team USA in the subsequent stages.

China

In February this year, China was in the second spot only behind Team USA in the FIBA rankings. The two teams had also clashed in the 2022 Women’s World Cup when the Chinese were defeated by USA in the Final. This history certainly has established a rivalry between the two teams.

China occupied the fifth spot in the Tokyo Olympics and this time too they would be looking forward to progressing to the knockout stages. Though they are placed in Group A, if the team performs well then they can clash with the USA either in the quarterfinals or the semi-finals. Therefore Team USA needs to be wary of its competitors.

Furthermore, China is the most dominant women’s basketball team in Asia. They came to this tournament after bagging gold at the Women’s Asia Cup in 2023. The key players to keep an eye on during the Olympics will be Liewi Yang, Xu Han, and Siyu Wang. Xu Han especially can be extremely dangerous for Team USA because she is 6 feet 9 inches tall, which can make it difficult to defend her.

Australia

Another team that can spoil Team USA’s plans of winning the eighth consecutive gold at the Paris Olympics is Australia. They too boast of a lot of WNBA stars including, but not limited to, Rebecca Allen, Sami Whitcomb, Ezi Magbegor, etc. They occupied the third position in FIBA women’s basketball rankings in February this year only behind USA and China.

The Opals are a destructive team considering their WNBA experience. Furthermore, basketball is a fairly popular sport in Australia which has contributed to a strong structure at the grassroots level. The Opals were placed at the third spot during the FIBA Women’s World Cup in 2022, which speaks volumes of their competitiveness.

Another point that stands in their favor is that they were previously coached by the current New York Liberty HC Sandy Brondello and now will be mentored by Shannon Seebohm. Both are coaches of the highest quality. Seebohm has also won the WNBL Coach of the Year four times, most recently with the Townsville Fire. If Team USA are to diminish Australia’s chances at the Paris Olympics then they will have to make sure to play an aggressive brand of basketball.

Though the USA is sure to face tough challenges in the tournament, one thing that goes in their favor is that they have been undisputed champions in the Olympics many times apart from having one of the best women’s basketball circuits in the world. All Team USA needs to do is keep their heads down and prepare accordingly.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting pilot episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and SEC All-Freshman Team Selection, Silas Demary Jr.