With the 5-on-5 competition well underway, the second half of the Paris basketball equation joins the party as 3x3 pool play gets rolling on Tuesday, July 30. All eight teams on both the men's and women's sides are set to take the court, with intriguing games all over the place. Here's everything to look out for.

(And if you need a refresher on 3x3 rules and format, as well as what's gone down since the Tokyo Games, you can find those right here.)

U.S. women begin gold-medal defense

There's been a total roster overhaul since the U.S. won the first-ever 3x3 women's basketball gold in Tokyo, but it's a testament to America's depth of talent that Team USA again enters as the clear favorite. 

3x3 veterans Cierra Burdick and Hailey Van Lith join Los Angeles Sparks star Dearica Hamby and 2022 No. 1 overall pick Rhyne Howard, a roster that combines top-end talent with international pedigree. (Burdick and Van Lith were both part of the team that won gold at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.) First up on the schedule? Germany, while matchups with fellow medal contenders France, Australia and Canada loom.

Marquee matchup for U.S. men

After missing the Olympics entirely last cycle, the U.S. men have found redemption thanks to the addition of Jimmer Fredette (yes, that Jimmer Fredette) and Dylan Travis. The quartet of Fredette, Travis and holdovers Kareem Maddox and Canyon Barry have racked up some impressive results over the last 18 months, including a win at the Pan American Games and a silver medal at last year's World Cup. 

That's got Team USA hoping for a gold-medal run in Paris. Are they up for it? We won't have to wait long for an indication: The U.S.'s first game on Tuesday comes against Serbia, the No. 1-ranked team in the world and the team that beat them in the gold-medal game at the World Cup in 2023.

Collisions between medal contenders

USA-Germany is just the beginning of what is a loaded women's slate on Tuesday. World No. 1 Canada takes on World Cup bronze medalists Australia, while world No. 5 China faces a France team that will be playing on home soil and has secured a medal in each of the last four World Cups. By the end of Day 1, we'll have a very good idea of what the women's landscape looks like.