PARIS (France) - The rivalry is huge on and off the court which means everyone is counting down the hours and minutes to the Semi-Finals clash between France and Belgium at the Women's Olympic Basketball Tournament Paris 2024.
Both teams have been backed by phenomenal support in this competition so far - both in Lille and in the Quarter-Finals at the Bercy Arena in Paris.
On the floor, France had one hiccup against Australia but bounced back to demolish Germany in their last game. Marine Johannes and Gabby Williams showed their awesome connection that could be the key to medal glory.
Belgium came back from the cliff edge having lost their opening two games of the competition and then attained the 27-point win against Japan to advance in what was coined 'The Miracle of Lille'.
Now they've broken yet more new ground as they get set to appear in a first ever Semi-Finals game at only their second ever Games. Also making up for the agony and despair they felt at Tokyo 2020 in debut when they lost in the Quarter-Finals by a heartbreaking margin of one solitary point.
Key matchup
Emma Meesseman vs the multiple French ballers that will be assigned to guard her.
Belgian ace Emma Meesseman can be unstoppable on her day and for many opponents, they quickly find out that this is actually on most days. The tournament's leading scorer, who averages the best efficiency and also blocks the most shots, is now an iconic player for the Cats and beyond.
Meesseman is currently averaging 25.6 points per game at the Olympics, the highest average of any player in the history of the competition. Without her operating at her staggering level, it's tough for Belgium to punch at this very highest level. If she plays as well as usual, their chances of winning are big.
So stopping Meesseman will be something that France will be planning meticulously. With their rotation, it's likely they can afford to mix it up. Last year at the FIBA Women's EuroBasket in a keenly contested Semi-Finals, they had center Sandrine Gruda on her, winger Valeriane Ayayi and forward Marieme Badiane who knows her game so well after playing with her last season at Fenerbahce.
This is the key battle of this game and France need to figure out some way of even just slowing Meesseman down.
X-factor
The perimeter shooting of the Cats
While it is France that are averaging a superior 9 triples per game which is their best average at any edition of the Games. It is maybe the success or otherwise of Belgium's perimeter game that could determine the outcome.
If France collapse on Meesseman, that will help to shut her down and could prove to be fruitful. However, this will open up opportunities on the perimeter for her teammates. If the Cats make outside shots, it's going to be a real headache for the host nation.
On the flip-side, if Belgium don't make scores from long-range, then it's undoubtedly advantage France. The plus for Les Bleues is that they have also conceded only 4.5 triples per game so far - fewer than any other team
Stats don't lie
The tale of the basketball tape is that both teams measure up so closely against each other in an overwhelming number of statistical categories. Belgium do have the edge in assists at 25.8 per game compared to 20.3 and this highlights their great flowing team basketball and willingness to make that extra pass.
France have a big edge in a couple of areas, including bench scoring which showcases the contrast in depth of options between the sides. They get 40.0 points from that source compared to just 10.8 for the Cats.
Additionally, France are more lethal in transition and average 15.8 points per game against only 8.0 for Belgium.
Past matchups
Belgium have had France's number on the international stage, having won three of their previous four meetings.
This includes the Semi-Finals of the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2023 when the Cats claimed a hard-fought 67-63 success.
The only meeting at a global level was at the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2018 when Belgium were dominant 86-65 in the Quarter-Finals.
FIBA