It’s decision day for D’Tigress as Nigeria battles USA for semifinals ticket

To be or not to be! That is the question that the D’Tigress of Nigeria must answer today as they confront their counterparts from the United States of America, in one of the quarterfinal matches of the women’s basketball of the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

You have to have a long memory to remember the USA not racing their way to the semifinals. Nigeria have already been a sensation, but could they really pull off a sporting miracle?
 
The D’Tigress have already sent positive shockwaves around the world at the women’s Olympic basketball by becoming the first African team to ever make the Olympics quarterfinals, but now they face the best in the business.

Treading new ground for African basketball, Nigeria have an opportunity to pull off not only the biggest upset in Olympic basketball history but also one of the biggest in sporting history.

Having already beaten both Australia and Canada, there is no doubt that Nigeria have made everyone sit up and take note. But the USA are built differently from most teams. The dominant force of this competition for so many years, they will be ready to continue that tradition.

Nigeria depends so much on Ezinne Kalu, who hadn’t played since Tokyo 2020, but once the playmaker walked back into her country’s locker room after three years away, everything changed. The proof of that is in this very fixture even taking place. She has inspired Nigeria with exceptional performances.

Perhaps first in line to try and halt her progress and influence will be Chelsea Gray, who might get the starting thumbs up for the USA. She is passing the rock six times per game herself and having a productive tournament, but stopping Kalu from making Nigeria tick is the priority.

The unprecedented success of