USA-Vs-Belgium | 22/09/22

Team USA made light work on Belgium with four players scoring in double digits with #12 Alyssa Thomas almost reaching a triple-double with 14 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists.

The Americans came into this tournament with quite a lot of depth as the likely players who you would expect to dominate certain stats didn’t but that doesn’t mean players like Sabrina Ionesco who is known for her play making ability is out of form. It simply means that there is so much depth that any player on team USA can easily take a backseat role for a game while others step up.

The US bigs were noticeable lacking their usual firepower on the defensive end which may mean this is a weakness the Opals can exploit.

Having the greatest of all time, Lauren Jackson back on board means that Australia now has the intellect to challenge team USA down low.

If the Opals end up playing team USA, there are avenues that can be exploited to get the win for Australia.

Korea-Vs-China | 22/09/22

Photo: Kelly Defina | Getty Images

There is plenty to look out for when you think of the Chinese basketball team, they have many threats at different positions.

A full-strength squad means that the team came into this tournament ready to play and compete to win it all.

The Chinese team made a statement with a massive 63-point win over Korea.

Korea had their moments; however, China was too strong in many areas both on offence and defence.

China easily built momentum with outstanding chemistry and outstanding teamwork to earn their victory 107-44.

The Opals have a strong team for this tournament and can easily make an impact by exploiting a lack of consistency in key areas of the Chinese team.

China has very speedy guards that have an arsenal of scoring skills, not allowing some of their key guards to easily get down the court and into the tall players can be a key to victory.

We all know the infamous game that ended the Opals run at the Tokyo Olympics, the Aussies are set to turn the table on this game now that Australia has Lauren Jackson back in the mix.

The addition of Jackson means that Australia can compete against taller players without feeling undersized. This means that the Opals can focus their game on offence and defence through multiple channels to keep their opponents guessing.

Australia’s depth means that this tournament will be one of the best we have seen in a while.

Belgium-Vs-Bosnia and Herzegovina | 26/09/22

At this current time of when this article is published, we don’t know the current fate of the Opals is unknown whether they will qualify for the quarter finals or not.

A team tough team that is known to provide excellent versatility on both ends of the floor is Belgium.

They recently qualified for the quarter finals by running over Bosnia and Herzegovina by 30 points 85 – 55.

For Bosnia and Herzegovina, they had three players score in double digits, for the Opals they will need to make sure the key players for Belgium can’t get a run early in the game, play with pace, be physical and make sure they are bodying up on all the bigs.

Players to watch for the Opals would definitely be number 11, Emma Meesseman; Number 13, Kyara Linskens who had some amazing defensive rebounding numbers.

If any of these players get an easy outlet to the Belgium key scorers, this would allow them to get into a momentum that maybe hard to stop.

A trio of scoring threats and an efficient play maker in number 55, Julie Allemand who had 9 assists this game can show how lethal Belgium can be.

For the Opals the key is to make it hard for Belgium’s Julie Allemand to go deep and create plays. Forcing they players out of their comfort zone will definitely be the key to getting this win against Belgium.

Australia’s game against Serbia showed how good the Opals focus can be. The defence was full of energy which game Serbia no easy opportunities.

Then the Aussies made the Serbs pay by showing the same passion on the offensive with amazing teamwork and by keeping aggressive.

The Opals have the ingredients to advance to the quarter finals, it will mean using the same focus from the Serbian game to pull off an amazing win if Australia and Belgium are to play each other.