USA vs. France Women's Basketball: Gold Medal Start Time, Live Stream & TV Info

Forty consecutive Olympic wins and four straight gold medals don't mean anything if Saturday's game goes awry for the U.S.

The Americans will defend their gold medal in the women's basketball final on Saturday, and only France stands in the way of them and Olympic history.

Team USA's journey to this stage has gone perfectly. The Americans haven't lost a single game, and they have been challenged just enough to stay on their toes. Most likely, they already know they're still the best team in the world—by a long shot—but with a win in Saturday's final, it will be official once again.

In the semifinals, the U.S. took down Australia 86-73 in what can only be described as a character game. The Americans found themselves behind at the beginning of the second half—that's not something that happens every day to a team used to winning by an average of 38 points per game—and it was up to the young bench players to right the ship.

Lindsay Whalen led a 16-6 third-quarter run for the Americans, according to the Associated Press, and limited Australia to 4-of-18 shooting in the quarter en route to building a lead they wouldn't relinquish. And just like that, the road to the gold was paved.

The U.S. is preparing to take on its toughest challenge yet in France, which—like the Americans—hasn't been beaten this summer. The French may not be dismantling their opponents with the same fervor as the U.S., but wins are wins, and France has just as many as the Americans.

Here's where and when you can watch the U.S. defend its gold medal this weekend.

Where: London, England

When: Saturday, August 11 at 4 p.m. ET

TV: NBC

Live Stream: NBCOlympics.com

U.S. Key Player: The Bench

It's not one player, but it's a unit of players that proved itself by coming up big against Australia on Thursday. In fact, without that spectacular performance from the bench, the U.S. might be playing in the bronze-medal game on Saturday instead of the gold-medal game.

There were a lot of bad signs for Geno Auriemma's crew at halftime on Thursday. For one thing, the U.S. was down, which hadn't happened in an Olympic game in 12 years, according to the AP. For another, its opponent was putting up a fight, which certainly wasn't something this particular team was accustomed to.

Diana Taurasi was on the bench with four fouls in the third quarter, which meant it wasn't going to be up to the usual suspects to turn things around. But Whalen and her cohorts didn't disappoint: Whalen tallied the first six points of that critical 16-6 run, and Seimone Augustus added four more, via the AP.

Once again, it was a team effort that led the U.S. to victory, and that's been the story for this squad all summer. Even if Taurasi and Tina Charles lead in scoring—which they did on Thursday—it's up to the role players to solidify the win. This isn't a team that can depend on one or two players to be the difference-makers, and that's precisely why this group is so dangerous. It has enough weapons to succeed, even when Taurasi is on the bench during the game's most critical juncture.

In the event that those very same bench players need to come up big against France on Saturday, they now have the confidence to know they can get the job done. 

France Key Player: Celine Dumerc

For the first time, France's women's team is playing for the gold—and it has Dumerc to thank.

Like the U.S., France has proven it can win the easy games and the hard games. Unlike the U.S., this isn't a team that has been blowing out its opponents every game, but perhaps that works in France's favor. It knows it can win tightly contested matchups, and it knows it can win under pressure. Before facing Australia, the U.S. hadn't faced any pressure situations.

Particularly impressive under pressure has been Dumerc, who put her team in the position to be vying for the gold in the first place: During France's quarterfinals matchup against the Czech Republic, it was her three-pointer with just over a minute left that put France ahead for good and earned her nation a three-point victory.

In the semis versus Russia, Dumerc tallied 11 points and again proved to be the calm, collected force France needed to prevail.

During the Olympics, France has won its fair share of tight games—a three-point win over Great Britain, a four-point victory over Canada—and it is crucial that it has a player like Dumerc, who isn't afraid to take the reins when the pressure is at its peak.

Prediction: U.S. Wins

I can't pick against a team that's won 40 straight Olympic games, and I especially can't pick against the team that won the way it did on Thursday. Now, Team USA's Olympic journey is complete: It has won the easy games, it has won the hard games, and now it's ready to win the big game.

With that slight scare against Australia out of its system, the U.S. isn't taking anything for granted anymore and will come back stronger than ever against France.