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The Favorites
UNITED STATES
The U.S. Olympic Team needs no introduction. Despite their misstep in the World Championships in Brazil, the U.S. women still enter the Olympics as the favorites to claim their fourth consecutive gold medal. This roster will have a different look, with veterans Dawn Staley and Sheryl Swoopes retiring from the roster and a younger group rising up to take their place led by the Storm's Bird, Diana Taurasi and Candace Parker. With three-time gold medalist Lisa Leslie anchoring the middle and two-time gold medalist Katie Smith on the perimeter, the U.S. still boasts plenty of experience.
AUSTRALIA
The Australian Defence Force Opals did not have to go through the U.S. to win the 2006 World Championships, defeating Russia in the finals after the upset in the semis, but there's every reason to believe Australia could have beaten the U.S. head-to-head. In Jackson and Taylor, the Opals have arguably the two most efficient star players in the world in their primes playing together. There's plenty of depth, and Australia is potentially stronger than in 2006 with Batkovic back in the lineup. A gold medal would be hugely meaningful to the Opals, and this looks like their best chance. If Australia beats out Russia for first place in Group A, the path to the finals should be relatively clear.
RUSSIA
Having lost to both Latvia and the U.S. in the FIBA Diamond Ball Tournament earlier this week, Russia is just where it wants to be going into the Olympics. That's a joke, but only of a sort. In Brazil, Russia was a disjointed 3-3 in pool play. When it came time to face the USA, however, the Russians pulled off the shocker in the semifinals before falling to Australia. Russia has famously added Becky Hammon, giving the team a major weapon at the point but also cutting into team chemistry. Though turnovers have always been an issue for Russia, Hammon's six and the 26 committed by the team have to be considered a red flag. The most likely scenario for pool play has Russia finishing second in Group A, setting up a semifinal against the U.S. - just as in the last World Championships and the Athens Olympics. This time around, the Americans are better equipped to deal with the towering Russian front line of 6-8 Stepanova and 6-5 Tatiana Shchegoleva.
The Contenders
CHINA
The host country has been an also-ran in recent international competitions, but there's reason to believe that China could emerge as the second-best team in Group B. The Chinese won the Good Luck Beijing Tournament they hosted in April, then finished third in this week's Diamond Ball Tournament, giving Australia a decent game. Head Coach Tom Maher is an international veteran who coached Australia to bronze in 1996 and silver in 2000 before coaching New Zealand in the 2004 Olympics. There's talent there, including veterans Chen Nan and Miao and Sui, who played for the Sacramento Monarchs in 2005. Don't be surprised if China ends up in the semifinals.
CZECH REPUBLIC
The Czech Republic has been consistently strong on the international scene over the last five years, including a fifth-place finish in Athens. A year later, the Czech Republic defeated Russia to win 2005 EuroBasket Women, the team's greatest success. That made last year's fifth-place Eurobasket finish a disappointment, though the Czechs rebounded to earn an Olympic berth in the June Qualifying Tournament. Despite not having any WNBA experience on the roster, the Czech Republic has plenty of talent led by forward Eva Viteckova, the team's leading scorer.
SPAIN
Spain has been just behind the Czech Republic in the last two major worldwide competitions, losing head-to-head matchups in the 5th-6th-place game in the 2004 Olympics and the 7th-8th-place game in the 2006 World Championships. Spain's breakthrough came last summer in EuroBasket 2007, when they reached the final before falling 74-68 to Russia. Even in defeat, Amaya Valdemoro was named EuroBasket MVP. She is as good as any wing player in the world who does not play in the WNBA, and Spain also boasts several guards who have enjoyed cups of coffee stateside along with former George Washington standout Anna Montanana. Spain is not nearly so strong in the post, which has limited the team in the past.
The Field
BELARUS
A newcomer to the world of major international basketball, Belarus had never even qualified for EuroBasket before last summer. The former Russian republic then shocked experts by knocking off the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals and ultimately finishing third in EuroBasket. That was followed by an OT upset of Brazil in June to qualify for the Olympics. The win came with a cost, however, as forward Svetlana Volnaya - a Virginia product who has been in WNBA training camps - underwent surgery on her meniscus shortly thereafter and is apparently unavailable for the Olympics. Yelena Leuchanka, who has played for Charlotte and Washington in the WNBA, gives Belarus a standout with legit size in the middle. Belarus has another good young post player in Anastasiya Verameyenka; the team's guards are not nearly as strong.
BRAZIL
In 2004 and 2006, Brazil was clearly the world's fourth-best team - a notch below the U.S., Australia and Russia but well ahead of everyone else. Though Brazil's fourth-place FIBA Ranking still reflects that strength, the team has experienced a drop-off with the retirement of Janeth Arcain and the loss of other veterans like Helen Luz and Alessandra Olivera. Former Storm forward Iziane Castro Marques was expected to step in and fill the scoring void. That changed when Castro Marques was benched for the second half of the loss to Belarus, refused to reenter the game in overtime and was kicked off the squad by Head Coach Paulo Bassul. Brazil took another hit when Castro Marques' Atlanta teammate Erika de Souza suffered an injury against New York in her first game back from a broken leg and the last game before the break, knocking DeSouza out for the Olympics. Brazil still has some strong players, led by das Neves, Moises Pinto and Storm center Santos, but the team is lacking in star power and had to fight hard against Cuba just to claim the last spot in the Olympics.
LATVIA
Latvia opened some eyes during the Diamond Ball Tournament. Put in a group with the USA and Russia, Latvia defeated the Russians and played the U.S. within 10 points before falling to China to finish fourth in the tournament. The Latvians have a standout guard in Anete Jekabsone-Zogota, the leading Diamond Ball scorer at 22.3 points per game and a talented one-on-one player. Up front, Ieva Kublina (Virginia Tech) and Liene Jansone (Siena) have college experience and Tamane had a cup of coffee with the Mystics.
MALI
Merely qualifying for the Olympics was an amazing feat for Mali. Nigeria and host Senegal had dominated FIBA Africa, but Mali upset Senegal 63-56 in last year's championship game to earn its first Olympic berth. In Maiga-Bä, Mali boasts a WNBA veteran and one of the strongest players of any of the second-tier squads. Still, for Mali to get out of group play would be another enormous accomplishment. No team from Africa has finished higher than 11th in the Olympics.
NEW ZEALAND
The Tall Ferns had to be almost as happy as the Opals when Australia won the World Championship. That meant Australia automatically qualified for the Olympics and left an open spot for New Zealand as the winner of FIBA Oceania to avoid the difficult Qualifying Tournament. The Tall Ferns boast an exceptionally young rotation with some solid talent. 5-5 Angela Marino, who played in the 2004 Olympics at age 18, is a talented if streaky scorer. Center Jessica McCormick spent one season at UW and will transfer to UConn next year. New Zealand also added a pair of Stanford players, Clare Bodensteiner and Jillian Harmon, with Kiwi ties.
SOUTH KOREA
The Athens Olympics saw South Korea finish a disappointing 0-6 and in last place. Korea played those games without veteran star Jung Sun-Min, the Storm's 2003 first-round draft pick who spent one season in Seattle. Jung also missed the 2006 World Championships, when Korea was more competitive, but had 18 points, eight rebounds, six steals and four assists as South Korea beat China to win the FIBA Asia Championship last June. Traditionally, the Koreans have boasted skilled and versatile players who are undersized and have a tough time matching up with top teams in the paint.
Rumors of USA's Demise Exaggerated
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