August 2, 2024
Locked On Women’s Basketball: Team USA 3×3 and 5×5 updates
By The Next
Jackie Powell and Noa Dalzell discuss 3x3 and 5x5 basketball at the Olympics, including Team USA and the teams' diverging outcomes so far.
It’s time for another episode of the Locked on Women’s Basketball podcast! In this episode, host Jackie Powell is joined by SB Nation’s Noa Dalzell to discuss what has stood out in women’s basketball at the 2024 Olympics through early Friday morning but before USA’s 3×3 team won their third-consecutive game to creep up to a 3-3 record in pool play through Friday.
Continue reading with a subscription to The Next
Get unlimited access to women’s basketball coverage and help support our hardworking staff of writers, editors, and photographers by subscribing today.
Already a member?
Login
First, they discuss what they took away from Team USA’s 87-74 victory over Belgium on Thursday in 5×5, as well as the “STEW’JA” pairing and what makes it so special to watch. Next, Dalzell recaps where Team USA stands in 3×3. Can the Americans make it through to the next round? Later, Powell and Dalzell preview why Group B in 5×5 (which includes Australia and Nigeria) is the one to watch this weekend.
Add Locked On Women’s Basketball to your daily routine
Here at The Next, in addition to the 24/7/365 written content our staff provides, we also host the daily Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast. Join us Monday through Saturday each week as we discuss all things WNBA, collegiate basketball, basketball history and much more. Listen wherever you find podcasts or watch on YouTube.
Dalzell on some of her takeaways following Team USA’s 5×5 win over Belgium:
You know, it’s just so hard to combat [Team USA’s depth], because every time it felt like maybe Belgium was making a run, [the USA] would just get fresh faces in there. And you know, different people can step up and do different things, this roster doesn’t really have any holes. So if it feels like the roster has holes … you’ve just got to get a different combination out there, because there’s just so many different things that you can do.
Dalzell on Australia being in danger of elimination in 5×5:
There’s a couple of players on [Australia] that are a little bit streaky, and that that has come back to bite them a bit. … You have to have maybe one or two of those players. But one of the things that’s notable about Olympic basketball is that these teams are so deep that … if there’s someone that’s struggling, you can kind of turn to somebody else. And I feel like Australia, there has been some individual struggles that have kind of spilled over.
They’re not out, so they have a chance [to rank in the top eight and advance], but I certainly didn’t expect them to be in this position at this point. But it sets us up for an exciting Sunday where I think Group B (France, Nigeria, Australia and Canada) is going to kind of duke it out for the final standings here.
To stay up to date with every episode of the podcast, subscribe on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts. For all of our Olympics coverage, click here. To read Jackie’s coverage of the Liberty, click here. Lastly, for our WNBA coverage here at The Next, click here.
Win a New York Liberty trading card when you subscribe!
Until the end of November, every new subscriber (and subscription renewal) to The Next will be entered to win a Panini trading card celebrating the WNBA champion New York Liberty — and yes, we can confirm it will be the Ellie rookie card!
