The Olympic women’s basketball quarterfinals take place tomorrow, and with that, the U.S. will face off against Nigeria at 3:30pm ET.
It could be one of the more lopsided quarterfinals games — but then again, Nigeria has been counted out before, and has continued to surprise during this Olympic run. The two women’s basketball programs hail from vastly different historical contexts: the United States women’s team has won a striking 58 consecutive Olympic games — and seven straight gold medals — while Nigeria just made history by becoming the first African nation to ever make the quarterfinals in Olympic basketball history. But, in single-elimination play, that might not matters.
Historical accolades won’t control the outcome of a forty minute basketball game — if Nigeria plays exceptionally well, and if the U.S. struggles, Nigeria have a chance, as wild an upset as it would be.
And while USA Basketball has blown out every opponent so far, several games were close for some time before they pulled away in dominant fashion. Here’s what to expect from this matchup. A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart will continue to lead USA So far throughout this Olympic run, the United States has been led by the dominant front-court tandem of Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson, each of whom are averaging 20.
3 points per game. Both have been incredibly efficient — Stewart is shooting 62.5% from the field, and Wilson 56.
8% — and have played off of each other incredibly well. St.