Unrivaled: Who will be the X factors in Vinyl-Laces, Breeze-Rose?

The 2026 Unrivaled Playoffs tip off on Saturday night with a pair of quarterfinal games.

First, No. 6-seed Vinyl takes on No. 3-seed Laces at 8:30 p.m. ET, then No. 4-seed Breeze will challenge defending champions and No. 5-seed Rose at 9:45 p.m. ET. Both games will be broadcast on truTV.

Which clubs will join No. 1-seed Phantom and No. 2-seed Mist for the semifinal showdowns in Brooklyn on Monday night?

No. 6-seed Vinyl vs. No. 3-seed Laces (8:30 p.m. ET, truTV)

Laces and Vinyl split their season series, with Laces winning on opening day, infamously holding Vinyl scoreless in the fourth quarter, before Vinyl exacted revenge in the rematch with a seven-point victory.

Vinyl’s win marked Rae Burrell’s entry into the starting lineup, and since then, Sweet Baby Rae has looked like a star. Burrell led Vinyl with 22 points, including the game winner, in that win over Laces. And more recently, she’s been even better, recording games of 24 points, 30 points and 23 points in Vinyl’s last three contests, with her productivity boosted by 9-for-19 3-point shooting.

Head coach Teresa Weatherspoon clearly has chosen to empower Burrell, even if, in spite her star turn, it seems a bit odd to feature her over the likes of Rhyne Howard or Dearica Hamby, multi-time WNBA All-Stars who also were 2024 3×3 Olympians.

Considering Laces likely will be prepared to, and are well equipped to, slow down a prioritized Burrell, with both Jackie Young and Brittney Sykes profiling as two players who possess the combination of quickness and strength to stick with the explosively athletic Burrell, it might be wise for Weatherspoon and Vinyl to orient their offense back towards Hamby, in particular.

While Hamby can struggle to finish against interior length, Laces do not have a player who stands taller than 6-foot-2. And while Alyssa Thomas can give any player trouble despite her size deficit, Hamby, like Thomas, can thrive through physicality. In Vinyl’s win over Laces, Hamby was an efficient 5-for-7 on 2-pointers, suggesting she should get more scoring chances. Her 11 boards also captained Vinyl’s 32-24 rebounding advantage.

The same applies to Brittney Griner. While BG’s size advantage is not always as significant as it often seems it should be, Laces’ more limited interior length should make things smoother for her. Similar to Hamby, she finished efficiently in the last matchup against Laces, going 6-for-7 from the field and, critically, also competing on the glass with five rebounds.

Headlined by Thomas, Laces is a club that embraces defensive physicality. But Vinyl has shown they can match it. Vinyl also has demonstrated that, despite their maddening inconsistency, they should not be doubted. Last year, after stumbling into the postseason, they upset Lunar Owls in the first round.

Is a similar script waiting to be written?

No. 5-seed Breeze vs. No. 4-seed Rose (9:45 p.m. ET, truTV)

The matchup between MVP candidates Chelsea Gray and Paige Bueckers is the headliner in the second quarterfinal. Secondary to the Point Gawd-PB5 showdown is a brewing battle of the bigs, with the forceful pairing of Angel Reese and Shakira Austin clashing with the finesse of Cameron Brink and Dominique Malonga.

However, the outcome of this game might be in the hands of Kahleah Copper and Lexie Hull on the Rose side and Rickea Jackson and Courtney Williams for Breeze. Those four players will be relied upon to be two-way difference makers, and whichever pairing hits key shots, makes smart plays and avoids untimely mistakes likely will push their club to the victory.

Rose generally wins when they commit to playing defense. That needs to start with Copper. Her individually-productive season has been undercut by Rose’s record with her in the lineup. Undefeated before Copper’s season debut, Rose has been up and down since she’s been active. Although a potentially electric scorer, Kah needs to divert her energies to the defensive end, whether than involves taking on the challenge of guarding Bueckers or marking Jackson with attentive off-ball defense.

If Copper doesn’t have it, head coach Nola Henry and Rose should be ready to turn to Hull. Hull will expend every ounce of energy on the defensive end, from fighting through screens, chasing loose ball and crashing the glass. The question for her comes on the other end: Can she cash her 3s? Historically, Hull is a streaky 3-point shooter. It will not be surprising if she goes 4-for-4 in a Rose win, or 1-for-7 in a loss.

For Breeze, Jackson is capable of stealing the star spotlight with a undeniable two-way impact. When she finds an offensive rhythm, she can be an unstoppable scorer, and when’s she engaged defensively, she can cause issue for opposing perimeter players. Encouragingly, Jackson also has turned in some big rebounding games for Breeze this season; that kind of extra effort on the glass will be crucial.

Williams has been game-changing addition for Breeze. She’s given them a reliable ball handler who can run the offense when Bueckers sits. A low-turnover playmaker who can create her own shot, Williams also does the little things, as she competes on defense and the glass in ways that exceed her smaller stature. Breeze will look for Williams to do a lot—but not too much. Never lacking in confidence, there’s a risk that, if Williams’ midranger is off, one (or two or three) too many middie misses could cost the club the game.

Rose prevailed by four points in the first game between these two clubs, reliant on an absurd 37-point outburst from Gray to secure the win. The second time around, Breeze boat raced Rose, running away with a 25-point victory as Bueckers and Jackson combined for 52 points.