Unrivaled playoffs 2026: Schedule, teams, stats to knowKendra AndrewsFeb 28, 2026, 11:40 PM ETMultiple Authors
tamil yogi
Unrivaled will crown a new champion in 2026.The Rose, who won the 3-on-3 league’s inaugural title a year ago, were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs on Saturday in Miami.Editor’s Picks
Sources: New WNBPA proposal offers concessions
WNBA agents ask players to be looped in on CBA
Sources: WNBA sets deadline to keep ’26 intact
Both first-round matchups ended in upsets as the lower seeds won to advance to Monday’s semifinals. The fifth-seeded Breeze beat the fourth-seeded Rose 69-50, while the No. 6 seed Vinyl upended the No. 3 seed Laces 82-69.
The Phantom and the Mist earned byes into the semifinals. As the top seed, the Phantom will face the Vinyl, the lowest remaining seed, on Monday. The No. 2 seed Mist will play the Breeze.
For the first time, playoff games will hit the road, as both semifinals will be played at Barclays Center in New York. The move comes after Unrivaled played two games in Philadelphia in January, which set the record for the most attended regular-season professional women’s basketball game, selling out the 21,490 seats at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
The championship game is Wednesday in Miami.
A new playoff format highlights the second postseason for the Miami-based league. The top six teams advanced, competing for the title and a $600,000 prize pool, which will be split among the six-player roster. Last year, four teams made the postseason, and each player from the championship team took home $50,000.
Here’s everything you need to know about the four remaining teams vying for Unrivaled’s 2026 title, and how each matchup sets up.
Jump to:
Semifinal preview | First-round results | Breeze | Mist | Phantom | Vinyl
Semifinal schedule
(6) Vinyl at (1) Phantom
Monday, 7:30 p.m. ET, TNT/truTV/HBO Max (Barclays Center, New York)
Matchup to watch: Aliyah Boston, the newly anointed Unrivaled defensive player of the year, is one of the main strengths of the Phantom’s gameplan. The center set a single-season record with 29 blocks in 14 contests, with a league-leading 2.1 blocks per game. She also ranked fourth in the league in rebounds per game (9.7). The Vinyl have their own big body in Brittney Griner, who needs to have a big game. Dearica Hamby, who hit the winning score Saturday on an alley-oop off a Erica Wheeler pass, is also an X factor. She averages a team-high 8.1 rebounds, as well as 1.2 steals per game.
Stats to know: Phantom guard Kelsey Plum finished the regular season third in assists, averaging 5.0 per game. While her scoring has been dazzling throughout the year, the importance of her playmaking can’t be overstated. The two-player game Plum has established with Boston, as well as her ability to find any of her teammates in any spot on the floor, fueled the Phantom to their league-best record. The Phantom lead the league in assists, averaging 14.6 per game.
But the Vinyl advanced to the semifinals on Rhyne Howard’s hot hand. She hit a playoff-record eight 3-pointers in their first-round upset win over the Laces, finishing with 30 points — the third-best single-game scoring performance in league history.
The Vinyl were the last team to clinch a playoff spot, but they pulled the upset in the single-elimination first round to reach the semifinals. Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images(5) Breeze at (2) MistMonday, 8:45 p.m. ET, TNT/truTV/HBO Max (Barclays Center, New York)Matchup to watch: In a game that features some of women’s basketball’s best established veterans such as Breanna Stewart and rising stars like Paige Bueckers, the role players on the Mist and Breeze might be the biggest X factors. Alanna Smith scored 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting for the Mist in their regular-season finale, giving a much-needed boost to secure that win to give them a seven-game winning streak. For the Breeze, the addition of Courtney Williams has given a youthful team more experience that could pay dividends in the postseason. Williams gives them a steady, reliable ball handler behind Bueckers who can execute on the small things that make the difference in the playoffs.
Stat to know: Last month, the Mist became the first team in Unrivaled history to score at least 90 points in three consecutive games. That streak ended in Friday’s regular-season finale, when the Mist beat the Vinyl 72-62. But Allisha Gray, who on Saturday was named to the All-Unrivaled second team, sat out that game due to illness. If she’s healthy, look for her to make an impact. Gray averaged 21.8 points during the regular season, converting 39.5% of her 3-point shots. She also won the regular-season free throw challenge, shooting 100% from the line from Jan. 20 to Feb. 27 (14-of-14).
First-round results
(6) Vinyl 82, (3) Laces 69
The game was won in the third period. The Vinyl trailed by four at halftime, but Rhyne Howard scored 13 straight Vinyl points and finished with 21 of her team’s 29 third-quarter points. Howard single-handedly outscored the Laces, who finished the period with 17 points.
(5) Breeze 69, (4) Rose 50
Paige Bueckers set the tone early. From an and-1 on the opening possession to a 3-pointer in the fourth period, the guard scored from all three levels. Bueckers finished with a game-high 29 points, hitting 11 of 19 field goals, including 4-for-5 on 3-pointers. Dominique Malonga scored six of her eight points in the fourth quarter but her 17 rebounds were even bigger.
What to know about every playoff team
(1) Phantom (11-3 in regular season)
The Phantom are the hottest team heading into the postseason. They have won seven consecutive games, which matches the second-longest winning streak in Unrivaled’s two-year history. It’s a complete shift from a year ago, when they failed to make the playoffs after finishing with the worst regular-season record in 2025. But with nearly an entirely new group — led by first-time Unrivaled player Kelsey Plum — the Phantom have led the standings all season.
Their mix of veteran and younger players has provided a balanced offensive attack, with four players averaging double-figure scoring. Plum leads the group with 22.6 points per game in the regular season, which is the third-best scoring mark in the league. Aliyah Boston’s numbers dipped slightly at the end of the regular season, but she was one of just two players averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds per game most of the way; she also leads the league in blocks (2.1 per game).
The Phantom’s defense has been their biggest asset; they give up 66.5 points per game, the second fewest in the league. Last year, they gave up the most points.
(2) Mist (10-4)
The Mist are built around veterans Breanna Stewart, Allisha Gray and Arike Ogunbowale — and they appear to be peaking at the right time, putting together balanced scoring performances that could be crucial in the postseason.
In the regular season, the team ranked first in scoring with 77.7 points per game, and the Mist also lead Unrivaled in offensive rebounds (9.1 per game), rebounds (34.8) and steals (5.9). Last week, they set the record for most points scored in an Unrivaled game, putting up 95 against the Breeze. They are also the only team to score 90 points in three straight games, on Feb. 9, Feb. 21 and Monday.
Gray, who was ill and sat out Friday’s regular-season finale, is averaging 21.8 points and made it to the championship game of the one-on-one tournament. Stewart is right behind her, putting up 21.4 points.
The Mist’s Arike Ogunbowale is averaging 14.6 points per game. Rich Storry/Getty Images<!–(3) Laces (10-4)Alyssa Thomas and Jackie Young arrived in Miami fresh off WNBA Finals appearances. After missing the majority of Unrivaled’s inaugural season, they have stayed healthy, but it’s Brittney Sykes who has led the Laces to the No. 3 seed. She leads the team in scoring with 20.3 points per game, while Young is averaging 16.6 points and Thomas 11.0.
The Laces went on a five-game win streak early in the season and have dropped consecutive games only once — on Feb. 20 against the Phantom and Monday against the Rose. But in the postseason, they’ll need to rediscover their early-season dominance.
Brittney Sykes leads the Laces in points per game. Tomas Diniz Santos/Getty Images
–><!–(4) Rose (6-8)The defending champion Rose have a chance to win back-to-back titles. Led by Chelsea Gray and recently returned Angel Reese, they could be peaking at just the right time.
Gray has been the best player in the league all season, averaging 24.2 points (second in the league) and 6.3 assists (first). She won this season’s one-on-one tournament and tied the record for most 3-pointers made in a game with 10 in the Rose’s playoff-clinching victory last week.
And now, Gray is reunited with Reese, who rejoined Unrivaled on Feb. 20 after initially not returning for a second season. Having Reese back gives the Rose a much-needed presence inside. She has played in just three games, but Reese is already averaging 10.3 rebounds, which ranks third in the league.
“It feels really good to be back,” Reese stated. “Being in a healthy environment where the fans just love basketball feels really good. I’m happy to be here. Unrivaled has done a great job being able to bring out fans that really support each player.”
–>
(5) Breeze (6-8)
The young core of Paige Bueckers, Dominique Malonga, Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson has lived up to the expectations. With an identity built around defense, the Breeze lead the league in blocks (3.6 per game) and rank first in rebounds (34.9).
Bueckers’ game has translated beautifully to the condensed 3-on-3 game. She’s fourth in the league in scoring and second assists, averaging 22.1 points and 5.5 assists heading into Friday.
“She’s a savant in a lot of ways,” Breeze coach Noelle Quinn stated after her team clinched a playoff spot. “Championships are fleeting, but impact and connection last. She understands that at a young age. She’s one-of-one, and she makes this team go.”
The key for the Breeze in the postseason will be finding a consistent secondary scorer behind Bueckers, especially as they face more dangerous offenses.
(6) Vinyl (5-9)
The Vinyl were the last team to secure a spot in the playoffs, and they did it behind a career-high 30-point performance from Rae Burrell. But like so many of their other strong showings throughout the season, the Vinyl had a balanced attack.
Rhyne Howard, Brittney Griner and Erica Wheeler played crucial roles in that win, and when the Vinyl can get multiple players involved, they are at their best. Dearica Hamby and Howard have been the team’s leading scorers this season, averaging 17.1 and 16.3 points, respectively. Hamby also ranks eighth in rebounding (8.1 per game).
Inconsistencies have been an issue for the Vinyl. They never lost more than three in a row but also never won more than two straight. In a win-or-go-home format for the postseason, they will have to figure out how to break this pattern.
“There are going to be ups and downs,” Burrell stated. “I feel like as a team, we’ve been persistent. … We have been looking toward what’s next, what game is next. We’re continuing to grow as a team and just staying together.”
