What To Watch For: U.S. Women's National Team vs. Select Team

Jack Maloney

With a few practices out in Los Angeles this weekend, the U.S. Women’s Olympic Team got the on-court portion of their journey underway.

Tonight, they’ll get their first game under their belt, but not against another country. It will be an All-American affair, as the Olympic Team takes on the USA BASKETBALL Women’s Select Team in a pre-Olympic exhibition game at USC’s Galen Center (10 PM ET, NBA TV).

Here’s what to watch for:

First Looks

With this being the first time we’ll see each team in full force, here’s a refresher on who will be stepping out on the court.

USA Women’s Olympic Team

  • Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx)
  • Sue Bird (Seattle Storm)
  • Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever)
  • Tina Charles (New York Liberty)
  • Elena Delle Donne (Chicago Sky)
  • Sylvia Fowles (Minnesota Lynx)
  • Brittney Griner (Phoenix Mercury)
  • Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta Dream)
  • Maya Moore (Minnesota Lynx)
  • Breanna Stewart (Seattle Storm)
  • Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury)
  • Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota Lynx)

USA Women’s Select Team

  • Kelsey Bone (Phoenix Mercury)
  • Kahleah Copper (Washington Mystics)
  • Stefanie Dolson (Washington Mystics)
  • Natasha Howard (Minnesota Lynx)
  • Jewell Loyd (Seattle Storm)
  • Tiffany Mitchell (Indiana Fever)
  • Aerial Powers (Dallas Wings)
  • Sugar Rodgers (New York Liberty)
  • Odyssey Sims (Dallas Wings)
  • Kiah Stokes (New York Liberty)
  • Elizabeth Williams (Atlanta Dream)

Teammates Turned Opponents

With both teams consisting entirely of WNBA players, there are of course a few teammates who will be on opposite sides of the court for the first time this year.

  • Breanna Stewart vs. Jewell Loyd: The No. 1 overall pick in each of the last two WNBA Drafts, Seattle’s dynamic youngsters have formed quite the partnership in their first year together. There will be no high-flying alley-oops between Stewart and Loyd tonight, but it will still be cool to see the last two top picks going against each other for once.
  • Sue Bird vs. Jewell Loyd: With Bird also on the Olympic team from the Storm, an interesting dynamic could come into play if Bird and Loyd end up guarding each other. The lessons Bird has passed on to Loyd so far in Seattle will truly be put to the test.
  • Tina Charles vs. Kiah Stokes: Sugar Rodgers will also be on the floor representing the New York Liberty tonight, but the possibility of Charles going head-to-head against Stokes in the post is fascinating. Charles is the league’s leading scorer, at 21.4 points per game, while Stokes is one of the best post defenders in the league, currently sixth in blocks at 1.5 a game.

Lighting Up the Scoreboard

Of the 10 leading scorers in the WNBA this season, seven will be in action tonight, including Tina Charles (21.4) and Elena Delle Donne (21.2), the only players in the league averaging over 20 points per game. With all of that firepower in action, there should be plenty of points put up on the board tonight.

Minnesota Magic

The Minnesota Lynx boast an impressive four players on the Olympic team, and with Natasha Howard suiting up for the Select squad, there will be enough Lynx in the gym to create an all-Minnesota lineup. No other WNBA team will have more than three players in action.

Huskies In The House

With five former UConn players on the Olympic roster, and two on the Select team, Huskies make up nearly one-third of the players in action tonight. Which just goes to show how well their success at the college level translates to the WNBA.