Unrivaled: Will Howard, Vinyl or Stewart, Mist earn playoff berth?

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On Friday afternoon, before Week 7’s action began, Unrivaled announced the league’s playoff prize pool, when the six members of the championship-winning club will get a $50,000 bonus. That cash prized upped the ante for the three clubs—Laces, Mist and Vinyl—vying for the final two spots in the inaugural Unrivaled playoffs.

6 more games left in the regular season. 2 more playoff spots to clinch. ⏳

This is the deciding weekend for the 2025 Unrivaled Playoffs. Along with making history, each of the 6 players on the Championship club will be taking home $50K pic.twitter.com/4WTPmZVZNh

— Unrivaled Basketball (@Unrivaledwbb) March 7, 2025

That certainly was the case for Laces. With Alyssa Thomas, Tiffany Hayes and Jackie Young all good to go, Laces took care of Phantom on Friday night, 73-59, before dispatching fellow playoff contender Mist on Saturday, 76-69. The back-to-back wins earned Laces the third seed. Young came alive in the pair of games, scoring 18 points on Friday before dropping 27 points on Saturday, including the game winner. Laces likewise benefitted from the continued superb scoring of Kayla McBride, who had 25 points and the winning shot on Friday.

That leaves one spot up for grabs between Mist and Vinyl, as the clubs have matching 5-8 records after both lost their lone weekend game. Earning the spot will be difficult, with Mist meeting Lunar Owls on Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by Vinyl taking on Rose at 8:30 p.m. ET. Both games will be broadcast on TNT.

Don’t expect either of the league leaders to let up on the playoff hopefuls. If one of Mist or Vinyl wins and the other loses, the winner will take the fourth seed and the final playoff berth. If the clubs end up with the same result on Monday, tiebreakers will come into play. Because the clubs just played each other twice and split, the second tiebreaker—record against playoff teams—will apply. In that case, Vinyl has the advantage, with a combined 3-5 mark against Lunar Owls, Rose and Laces compared to Mist’s 2-6 record. So, unless Mist beats Lunar Owls on Monday and Vinyl loses to Rose, Vinyl’s win via forfeit over Laces will prove determinative in pushing Vinyl into the postseason over Mist.

Can Mist muster all the oomph needed to beat Lunar Owls? Can Vinyl control their own destiny with a win over Rose?

Can Mist find the playoff light?

As noted above, Mist came up short against Laces on Saturday, with the club’s repeated pattern of down-the-stretch shotmaking struggles biting them. Stewart, who brought out her WNBA ponytail for the occasion, was excellent with a 24-point and 13-rebound double-double. But Mist, while having had a hard time connecting from downtown over the course of the season, arguably didn’t attempt enough 3-pointers on Saturday, going 3-for-6 from behind the arc. In waning minutes, it was especially puzzling to see Mist not seek 3s, as they needed to execute a quick comeback.

Now, the club is in a must-win game against Lunar Owls. Mist has played Owls tough in both matchups, holding a lead entering the fourth quarter in each game. Yet, in rather glaring fashion, Mist stumbled when trying to reach the winning score as Lunar Owls surged. If they’re in that position again on Monday, it’s hard to have confidence in Mist overcoming what looks like late-game mental hurdles, especially with added pressure of a playoff berth on the line.

That said, Mist is talented enough to compete with Owls. Stewart can be the best player on the floor, Jewell Loyd and Rickea Jackson can go on can’t-miss scoring sprees, DiJonai Carrington is a peak defensive playmaker, Aaliyah Edwards still surprises with her skill and strength and Courtney Vandersloot remains one of the game’s best floor generals. Considering they began the season 0-4 and were Unrivaled’s last winless team, a playoff berth, earned via win over Lunar Owls, would be quite the impressive feat.

Can Vinyl discover a playoff groove?

With an opportunity to improve their playoff prospects with a win on Saturday, Vinyl could not keep pace with free-flowing Phantom, with the Ghost Gang, officially eliminated from the playoffs, playing spoiler with the 80-74 win. Marina Mabrey saved her best Unrivaled performance for last, swishing six 3s and scoring 26 points, including the game winner.

Rhyne Howard was even hotter from the behind the arc, making nine 3-pointers on her way to 37 points. She also had 12 boards and five assists. Yet, with a quiet night from Dearica Hamby and limited action for Arike Ogunbowale, on top of an early injury scare that hampered Jordin Canada, Howard’s herculean effort was not enough for Vinyl.

As explained above, Vinyl is in a more advantageous position than Mist entering the final day of the regular season. Still, the club could make things much simpler with a win over Rose. When the clubs matched up on opening night, Howard also was on fire, finishing with 33 points and six 3s. Vinyl surely hopes that Howard has one more scorcher in her.