The U.S. women's basketball team was as-advertised in its opening game of the Paris Olympics on Monday, exploding in the second half for a 26-point win over Japan, the silver medalists from the last Olympics. That now runs the U.S. team's Olympic winning streak to a ridiculous 56 straight games, and an unprecedented eighth straight gold medal is squarely in its sights.
Of course, the Olympics are a marathon, not a sprint, and they don't hand out medals after a single win. Momentum is only as good as your next game, and for the U.S., that will present another test. Here's everything to know as Team USA gets set to take the court again on Thursday, Aug. 1.
U.S. vs. Belgium preview: How to watch, stream, start time, starting lineups and everything else to know
Who does the U.S. women's basketball team play next at the 2024 Paris Olympics?
Next up in Group C, Team USA is set to take on Belgium. The Belgians suffered a loss to Germany in their Olympic opener, but they won last year's EuroBasket and boast one of the better players in the world in Emma Meesseman.
What time does the U.S. women's basketball team play at the 2024 Paris Olympics?
Tipoff of the U.S. vs. Belgium is set for Thursday, Aug. 1, at 3:00 p.m. ET.
How do I watch the U.S. women's basketball team on TV at the 2024 Paris Olympics?
Live and tape-delayed coverage of the U.S. women's basketball team will be shown on USA Network.
The full TV listings for basketball can be found on the NBCOlympics.com schedule page by clicking the toggle at the top to “TV Only.”
How do I stream the U.S. women's basketball team at the 2024 Paris Olympics?
The complete basketball schedule, including TV listings, is also available on the NBC Olympics schedule page.
All live streams are also available to watch on mobile, tablet and connected TV devices via the Peacock, NBC and NBC Olympics apps.
| DATE/TIME | EVENT | STREAM |
|---|---|---|
| Thurs, 8/1 3-4:45p |
Women's Group C: Belgium vs. USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Sun, 8/4 11:15a-1p |
Women's Group C: Germany vs. USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Weds, 8/7 5-7a |
Women's Quarterfinal 1 | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Weds, 8/7 8:30-10:30a |
Women's Quarterfinal 2 | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Weds, 8/7 12-2p |
Women's Quarterfinal 3 | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Weds, 8/7 3:30-5:30p |
Women's Quarterfinal 4 | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Fri, 8/9 11:30a-1:30p |
Women's Semifinal 1 | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Fri, 8/9 3-5p |
Women's Semifinal 2 | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Sun, 8/11 5:30-7:30a |
Women's Bronze Final 🏅 | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Sun, 8/11 9:30a-12p |
Women's Gold Final 🏅 | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
What is the U.S. women's basketball team's projected starting lineup vs. Belgium?
This is always subject to change, as head coach Cheryl Reeve loves to tinker and this loaded roster isn't hurting for lineup flexibility. That said, the group of Chelsea Gray, Diana Taurasi, A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier started both the team's final exhibition against Germany and its Olympic opener against Japan, both resounding wins. That leaves names like Sabrina Ionescu, Alyssa Thomas, Kelsey Plum and Brittney Griner on the bench. Again: loaded.
Who coaches the U.S. women's basketball team?
USA Basketball elected to run it back with the same coaching staff that led the to a gold medal at the 2022 FIBA World Cup, led by Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve.
| Name | Role | Team/Role |
| Cheryl Reeve | Head coach | Minnesota Lynx head coach |
| Mike Thibault | Assistant coach | Washington Mystics head coach |
| Kara Lawson | Assistant coach | Duke University head coach |
| Joni Taylor | Assistant coach | Texas A&M head coach |
What is the U.S. women's basketball team's head-to-head record vs. Belgium?
Belgium has a limited track record on the international stage, having qualified for the Olympics just once prior to Paris and appearing in the FIBA Women's World Cup only twice. That said, the U.S. did meet Belgium in each of those World Cups, winning both: once in the 2018 semifinal, and again in group play in 2022.
A refresher on how elimination works in Olympic basketball
Let's quickly break down the group phase and knockout rounds. More info available in Basketball 101: Competition Format.
Group phase
Each team will play the other three teams in its group and will earn two points for a win, one point for a loss, and zero points for a loss by forfeit.
At the end of the group phase, the top two teams in each group will automatically advance to the quarterfinals. Additionally, the two best third-place teams will also move on to the quarterfinals. All other teams are eliminated from the competition.
In the event of a tie in the standings between two teams in the same group, head-to-head results will be used as the tiebreaker. In the event of a tie between three or more teams, there is a list of further criteria that will be used to break the tie, starting with the highest point differential in games between the tied teams.
Knockout rounds
The knockout rounds begin with eight teams in the quarterfinals. A random draw will determine the matchups for the quarterfinals, with two important caveats:
- The two highest-ranked teams will be placed in the same pot and therefore end up on opposite sides of the bracket.
- Teams from the same group can't be drawn against each other in the quarterfinals.
From there, the tournament follows a standard single-elimination format. In the quarterfinal round, the winners advance to the semifinals and the losers are eliminated. In the semifinal round, the winners advance to the gold medal game and the losers go on to play in the bronze medal game.