Welcome! 🎉 In an effort to stop spamming my friends with constant women’s basketball updates, I’ve created this newsletter. I know—so generous of me. No need to thank me! I’m here to keep you informed on most things WBB.

Table of Contents

• Unrivaled Updates and Playoff Preview

  • Lunar Owls (11-1) - Clinched Number 1 Seed

  • Rose (7-5)

  • Vinyl (5-7)

  • Mist (5-7)

  • Laces (5-7)

  • Phantom (3-9)

• Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball

• Hoops & Hype: Media Picks

  • Film Session: WBB Highlights & Insights 📽️

  • Podcast

  • Booked & Busy: WBB Reads 👓

  • Drip Report 💧

Unrivaled Updates and Playoff Preview

This weekend marks the final weekend of the regular season for Unrivaled as it heads into the playoffs next week. The past few weeks have been thrilling, with the Mist making a late push to stay in playoff contention, the Rose surging with a 4-1 record in their last five games, and the Laces slowly reviving as their roster gets healthy. Meanwhile, the Phantom are on the brink of playoff elimination, but their improved chemistry has made them a fun team to watch.

If the standings end in a three-way tie, the tiebreaker rules will determine which team advances.

Lunar Owls (11-1) - Clinched Number 1 Seed

The Lunar Owls remain dominant, securing the No. 1 seed in the playoffs with a win over the Laces—just as they have been all season. They’re as fierce and relentless as ever, but the Rose have proven they can take them down and have only improved since. I’m 98% sure the Lunar Owls are winning it all, and Phee is the clear frontrunner for MVP. Overall, they play with intensity and cohesion, giving everything they’ve got. Sometimes, I wonder if they’re taking it a bit too seriously—but $50K is serious business.

Game Prediction: 2-0

Friday, March 7th @ 8:15 PM on TNT: The Rose is the only team that has been able to beat the Lunar Owls. With that said, the Owls are out for revenge. I have them winning.

Monday, March 10th @ 7:30 PM on TNT: Lunar Owl is taking the W over the Mist

Rose (7-5)

Did you underestimate the Rose coming into this season? Yeah, so did everyone else. But they heard the noise and have found their rhythm at the perfect time—doing it largely without Kahleah Copper, who’s out for tonight’s game, and Azurá Stevens, who remains questionable.

Angel Reese is playing some of the best basketball of her pro career—not just dominating the boards but also showcasing an impressive passing game. That training with Lisa is paying off (and you know Lisa won’t let you forget it). Meanwhile, Chelsea Gray, The Point Gawd, is back in her 2022 Finals MVP form, setting up teammates and hitting clutch shots to close out games. Her chemistry with Angel has been incredible.

On the defensive end, Slim (Brittney Sykes) and Lexie Hull have been locking in, but their finishing needs work. If they can start converting their easier looks—especially layups—the Rose will be an absolute problem for any team in the playoffs..

Also, Gunna attended the game and said he came for Angel Reese. Talk about having Motion.

Game Prediction: 1-1

Friday, March 7th @ 8:15 PM on TNT: It will be a nailbiter and I wouldn’t be surprised if they can pull out the win, but I have the Rose losing to the Lunar Owls

Monday, March 10th @ 8:30 PM on TNT: The Rose will beat the Vinyl

Vinyl (5-7)

The Vinyl have been solidly middle of the pack all season but have still managed to impress. Rhyne Howard is on an absolute heater, lighting it up from beyond the arc, while Dearica Hamby deserves serious MVP consideration—she’s top five in both points and rebounds.

Jordin Canada has had some bright moments, but I haven’t been too impressed overall. The same goes for Aliyah Boston—though she had a strong showing on Saturday. The more confidence she gains, the more she realizes that when she’s locked in, nobody can guard her.

Rae Burrell has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of Unrivaled, with her skill and confidence growing every game. She’s been a joy to watch. On the other hand, it’s been disappointing that we haven’t seen much of Arike due to injury. Not sure if she’ll suit up on Saturday, but hopefully, we get to see her back on the court soon.

Game Prediction: 1-1

Saturday, March 8th @ 7 PM on Trutv or Max: Vinyl will definitely beat the Phantom

Monda,y March 10th @ 8:30 PM on TNT: I think the Rose just has too much for the Vinyl. They would need big games from Aliyah Boston and Jordin Canada to have a chance. I got the Rose winning.

Mist (5-7)

The Mist have finally gotten their act together and started winning games. Last week they pulled off a gutsy win against the Rose with Jewel out and Rickea getting thrown out of the game lol. Aaliyah’s renewed confidence from the 1v1 competition has completely translated to her game—she’s more aggressive than ever. Rickea has stepped up on defense, though her shot still needs work. She also got ejected last game, which was both hilarious and a terrible tech, but she could stand to be a little more level-headed.

Stewie is still doing Stewie things—basically a walking double-double. She’s played herself back into shape, which has been a huge boost for the team. Slooty, who’s always in shape, has looked sharp and determined, with a reliable three-ball. She even iced the last game with a smooth stutter step into a layup for the win.

Jewel has been solid, hitting shots when needed, though I expected her to play a bigger role. That said, she looks way happier than she did last season, which is great to see.

Game Prediction: 1-1

Saturday, March 8th @ 6 PM on Trutv or Max: The Laces are finally back and healthy (minus Kate Martin), but they still don’t look fully in game shape. I’m torn—they could be good enough to make a run, or they might just fall flat. You know what? Fuck it, I’m going with the Mist.

Monday, March 10th @ 7:30 PM on TNT: The Mist is going to lose to the Lunar Owls.

Laces (5-7)

The Laces have been down B-A-D, but finally, there’s light at the end of the tunnel. With their squad (minus Kate Martin) officially back in action, things are looking up. Kayla McBride and Stef Dolson have been holding it down, with key contributions from temporary players Natisha Hiedeman, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, and Kiki Jefferson. They did a solid job keeping the team afloat—Betnijah even hit a game-winner in her first appearance—but she has since left Unrivaled with an undisclosed injury. (If this turns out to be season-ending for the WNBA, I might die)

With a fully healthy roster, the Laces have a real shot at shaking up the playoffs and making a championship run. Kayla McBride has been playing at an MVP level, and if she keeps this up, she could seriously take home the award. Can’t wait to see if they’re truly back to their winning form.

Game Prediction: 1-1

Friday, March 7th @ 7:15PM on TNT: I think the Laces will beat the Phantom.

Saturday, March 8th @ 6 PM on Trutv or Max: I got the Mist as they re peaking at the right time while the Laces are still building back.

unrivaledbasketball

214K followers

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Phantom (3-9)

Last week, the Phantom lost their game and are basically out of playoff contention—unless they can somehow pull off a win this weekend. Despite all that, they’ve been really fun to watch. You can see how much the team has bonded and gelled over the course of the season.

In a positive turn, Marina finally joined them on the floor. Unfortunately, Sabrina will no longer be with the team as she begins her Nike Asia tour in the Philippines starting March 10th. Some people are framing it like Sabrina fleeced Unrivaled, but let’s not forget they reached out to her last-minute after Kelsey Plum pulled out, fully aware of Sabrina’s prior commitments. They knew she was leaving and signed her knowing she was the best player on her team—so it wasn’t like she was slacking.

Natasha Hiedeman has been reassigned to them and she showed out in her first game back which ALMOST lead the Phantom to a comeback

BG became the first person to dunk in Unrivaled!

I’m loving the vibes with this squad, and I hope if the team stays the same next year, they get off to a stronger start.

Game Prediction: 0-2

Friday, March 7th @ 7:15 PM on TNT: I think the Laces will beat the Phantom pretty handily.

Saturday, March 8th @ 7 PM on Trutv or Max: I think this game will be a lot closer than the Friday game and the PHantom COULD pull out a win. But I think the Vinyl will ultimately get the W

Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball

Last week, AU officially wrapped up its fourth and best season yet! After moving from Dallas to Nashville this year, they saw an impressive 89% increase in attendance. They also signed a multi-year deal with Nashville city officials, ensuring AU will be back in the city for the foreseeable future.

I wish I could’ve watched more of AU this season, but I missed half of it since I don’t have ESPN+ (lol). Still, I loved the games I did catch on WNBA League Pass. I’ll definitely try to schedule my annual trip back to Nashville next year to see AU in action!

2025 AWARDS

• 2025 Champion: Maddy Siegrist (Dallas Wings)

• Second Place: Oydessy Sims (Sparks)

• Third Place: Crystal Bradford (Aces)

• Fourth Place: Maya Caldwell (Atlanta Dream)

• Defense Player of the Year: Shey Peddy

• All-Defensive Team

  • Shey Peddy

  • Crystal Bradford

  • Alysha Clark (Storm)

  • Oydessy Sims

  • Elizabeth Williams (Sky)

• Newcomer of the Year: Tyasha Harris (Dallas WIngs)

Hoops & Hype: Media Picks

Check out some of the cool podcasts, videos, reads, and fashion I saw this week.

mistbc

28K followers

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mistbc

28K followers

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Film Session: WBB Highlights & Insights 📽️

Podcast

Booked & Busy: WBB Reads 👓

Drip Report 💧