U.S. women are heavy favorites for 5th straight gold

Tamika Catchings knows there's no denying it.

Winners of four consecutive gold medals in the Olympic Games, the heat is on the U.S. women's basketball team to capture its fifth straight and keep that remarkable streak in tact. With another veteran-laden, powerhouse roster that includes the likes of Syosset's Sue Bird, the Americans are favored to do just that.

"There's a focus and a lot of -- I wouldn't say pressure -- but there's a lot of hype for this team," Catchings said. "It's really important for us to really get together and focus."

Team USA hasn't lost a single game in the past four Olympics, and sports a 33-game winning streak. This year's assembled mass, guided by UConn coach Geno Auriemma, has a versatile cast and features a trio of veterans playing for the U.S. for a record-tying third time. That would be Bird, whom Auriemma recently called the best point guard in the world, Catchings and Diana Taurasi.

Joining them is a deep roster of talent that includes Candace Parker, Sylvia Fowles and Seimone Augustus, who all won gold medals in Beijing. Swin Cash won Olympic gold in 2004, while Maya Moore, Tina Charles, Lindsay Whalen, Asjha Jones and Angel McCoughtry will be playing in their first Olympics. But those five were on the team that won the 2010 world championship.

"Everyone that comes in is supposed to come in and cause chaos," Moore said. "Get up and be aggressive and try to wear teams down and see if teams can hang with us. We want to be the aggressor. Transition is definitely where we want to be as a team, getting out and running and taking advantage of athleticism and unselfishness."

"I really feel like probably the biggest asset that we have, is that we have a good core group of players that we can build off of," Catchings said. "Having players that have gone through that whole Olympic experience and [FIBA] world championship experience, we know what it's like to play overseas. We've all kind of been in that whole realm.

"Every single one of us brings something positive to this team and if everybody does their job as a whole we can win this."

That would be perfectly fine with Fowles.

"It would mean a lot, not just for us," the center said, "but our fans, our family, our friends. For those fans who have supported us from Day One and been following us, it would mean a lot to represent your county and come back with another gold.

"I think we have all the pieces of the puzzle to win the gold. Each game is going to be a challenge for us and we can't overlook anyone. So, if we take care of business by taking one game at a time, we'll be fine."

The chief challenge to the U.S. figures to be Australia, which has lost in the gold-medal game in the last three Olympics.