Team USA vs Italy Was UGLY | 28% SHOOTING as USA Escapes a Mess

Team USA survived an ugly matchup against Italy, but the performance raised some serious questions about the U.S. offense moving forward. Tacarra breaks down USA vs. Italy and reacts to a rough shooting night, struggles against Italy’s 2-3 zone, missed opportunities around the rim, and the lack of a consistent go-to scorer when the game tightened up. The U.S. shot just 28.6% from the field, went 1-for-12 from three, made only 16 field goals, and committed 14 turnovers. Italy struggled offensively too, but this was the type of performance that could cost Team USA against a stronger opponent. Caitlin Clark finished 0-for-6 from the field after the conversation surrounding her usage in the previous game, while A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum also struggled to establish themselves offensively. Tacarra discusses who Team USA can trust to create a bucket when the offense stalls and whether this roster has enough reliable three-point shooting. There were positives. Angel Reese made an impact defensively, Breanna Stewart helped on the glass, and Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray made important winning plays late. But overall, Team USA never established a consistent half-court rhythm. This isn’t a panic game — it’s a film-session game. With France up next and the ultimate goal of winning gold in Berlin, Team USA has to reset, adjust to the physicality of international basketball, and find its offensive identity. TIMESTAMPS 0:20 – Opening reaction to a messy game 1:14 – Offensive numbers that explain the struggles 1:43 – Trouble with Italy’s 2-3 zone and transition offense 1:57 – A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum missing from the offense 2:26 – Who can be the reliable shooter when the game tightens? 3:18 – Italy’s poor shooting and how close USA came to losing 3:47 – Defense, rebounding and missed opportunities 4:17 – Caitlin Clark’s quiet night after the usage debate 5:04 – No half-court rhythm and late contributions from Aces players 6:06 – Why this should be a film-session game, not a panic game 6:34 – Physical overseas officiating isn't an excuse 7:27 – Jackie Young leads the scoring in a low-output performance 8:16 – Looking ahead to France and the gold-medal standard 9:10 – Closing thoughts Subscribe to The Mid Majors for unfiltered women’s basketball conversations, reactions, breakdowns and more. #TeamUSA #USABasketball #CaitlinClark #WomensBasketball #FIBA Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.