Aaliyah Edwards, Azura Stevens, Napheesa Collier, and Arike Ogunbowale previewed Friday’s Unrivaled 1v1 semi-finals.
Four WNBA stars are on the cusp of bringing home a $200,000 cash prize — and being crowned the winner of Unrivaled’s inaugural 1v1 tournament.
Those players are Azura Stevens (Rose Club), Napheesa Collier (Lunar Owls Club), Aaliyah Edwards (Mist Club), and Arike Ogunbowale (Vinyl Club).
But those four aren’t the only Unrivaled players with money on the line on Friday. Members of the Rose, Lunar Owls, Mist, and Vinyl all have a stake in the game, even if they’re eliminated from the tournament or never participated in it in the first place. That’s because they will be awarded $10,000, by proxy, if their teammate wins it all.
Collier, one of the league’s co-founders, said that part of what lured players to compete in the tournament was the cash prize.
“I think once people saw the prize money, that kind of abated a lot of our worries,” she said. “Because, for 200k — and it was more before we decided to split it up between the teammates of the winner — I think just seeing that money got everyone chomping at the bit to go out there.”
Semi-Finals Matchups and Predictions
The Semi-Finals begin on Friday, Feb 14. on TNT. The first game, between Aaliyah Edwards and Arike Ogunbowale, will take place at 7:30pm ET. The second game, between Napheesa Collier and Azura Stevens, is at 7:45pm.
Then, the two winners will face off at 8pm in a best-of-three Finals series.
Aaliyah Edwards vs Arike Ogunbowale: No one expected Aaliyah Edwards to beat Breanna Stewart 12-0 in the first round of the tournament. But, it wasn’t a fluke for the Washington Mystics rookie, who subsequently had a bye in the second round before handily beating Allisha Gray in the quarterfinals.
Ogunbowale, meanwhile, was one of the tournament’s No. 1 seeds, and after a first-round bye, she’s eliminated both Skylar Diggins-Smith (12-8) and Satou Sabally (12-8). She hasn’t got fire yet, but she’s proven she can at any moment. Still, I give the edge to Edwards, who’s simply been locked into another gear since the tournament began.
Prediction: Aaliyah Edwards advances
Napheesa Collier vs Azura Stevens: Napheesa Collier has been the most dominant player in Unrivaled since the league tipped off last month — and her dominance has continued through Unrivaled’s 1v1 tournament. She eliminated former UConn teammate Katie Lue Samuelson 12-6 on day one to advance to the second round. Then, on the second day of action, Collier beat Sparks rookie Rickea Jackson 12-5 and Lynx teammate Courtney Williams 12-4, using her size and strength advantage against both opponents.
Stevens, meanwhile, had a first-round bye due to opponent injuries but dominated on Day 2. First, she eliminated fellow post-player Shakira Austin 11-4, before beating fellow Los Angeles Sparks teammate Rae Burrell. Stevens said she’s a big fan of the tournament and that she’d like to see it take place elsewhere as well.
“I think it’d be great for them to add them in the W,” Stevens said. “I think every league should add it. I think Unrivaled is setting a pace for all sports leagues to take notice.”
Now, Collier and Stevens — former UConn teammates — will face off with a trip to the finals on the line.
Set Number: X161810 TK1
At 6’6, Stevens has the size/length edge, but the 6’1 Collier plays bigger than her size. Both can knock down the three, so some of it will come down to who can find a rhythm early on, but I give the edge to Collier, who’s simply been unstoppable on both ends so far in Unrivaled.
The winners of each of those matchups will compete in a best-of-three series for the 1v1 title.
My current predictions? Collier and Edwards will face off in a best-of-three final with Collier coming away victorious in the final game, fittingly winning the 1v1 tournament of the league that she helped co-found.
