USA Basketball goes for 58 consecutive Olympic wins against Germany tomorrow: here’s what you need to know

The U.S. women’s basketball team will face Germany in their final pool match tomorrow, August 4, at 11:15 a.m. Both teams have already qualified for the women’s quarterfinals with 2-0 records, but this match and goal differential will determine their actual tournament standings. The winner of the U.S. vs. Germany match will take first place in Group C, which also includes Japan and Belgium.

Here’s what you need to know about Sunday’s matchup.

This is Germany’s first Olympic Games and so far they have exceeded expectations.

The German women’s basketball team has never played in the Olympics before, but watching their games this week, you’d never guess that. Germany started their Olympic games with an upset win over Belgium, the 2023 EuroBasket champions, who also nearly beat the United States.

Sato Sabari, who missed the entire WNBA season thus far while recovering from shoulder surgery, appears to be back to her pre-injury form, scoring 17 points in her Olympic debut against Belgium and then scoring 33 points on 11-of-17 shooting in a 75-64 win over Japan on Friday.

Her sister, Liberty’s Nyala Sabari, also had a strong game against Belgium, scoring 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting, but suffered a head injury in that game and missed the ensuing game against Japan. It’s unclear whether she will be available for Sunday’s game.

Liberty rookie forward Leonie Fiebic was also key for Germany, as she scored 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting against Belgium in her first Olympic game, then added six points, six assists and six rebounds in a win over Japan.

For Germany to have any chance of beating the United States, Barry Sato, Leonie Fiebig and the rest of the German players on the team will have to give it their all.

The United States swept Germany in a pre-Olympic friendly.

When the two teams met in exhibition play, the USA dominated, easily beating Germany 84-57. Wilson led the USA from start to finish with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Sato Sabari struggled in her first game back from injury, shooting just 3-of-17 from the field. She has played much better since the season opener and could be the difference between winning and losing this game.

Three-point shooting was key in this game, with the U.S. making 11 three-pointers compared to Germany’s six. Luisa Geiselsoderr led Germany with 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting, and Germany will need to improve their three-point shooting to make this game competitive.

Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson are already off to a historic start

Photo by Garrett Elwood/NBAE via Getty Images

Two of the most dominant players in women’s basketball, Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson, have formed a dominant frontcourt so far. Wilson is averaging 23.5 points and 13 rebounds through two games, while Stewart is averaging 24 points and 7.4 rebounds. This is the first time in history that two U.S. women’s players have each scored 20 or more points in the first two Olympic basketball games.

Teammates said Wilson and Stewart are the team’s two leaders at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“They both lead by example,” Napheesa Collier said. From ESPN“It’s really fun to see how hard they work, their mental state, how overwhelming they are.”

Team USA is 2-0 but trails France in overall point differential (+39 vs. +42), so the outcome of Sunday’s match, and the exact margin of error, will likely affect seeding. The Americans will be looking to win their 58th straight match.

The match will begin at 11:15 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 4. Regardless of Sunday’s outcome, the U.S. and Germany will both meet in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, Aug. 7.