Unrivaled's 1-on-1 Tournament: How to Watch, Schedule & Key Matchups

Are you a fan of one-on-one basketball? If so, Unrivaled will hold the start of its second annual tournament tonight.

Photo Credit: Unrivaled

Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier was crowned the winner of the inaugural one-on-one tournament, defeating Aaliyah Edwards 2-1 in the finale. With $200,000 on the line, 27 players will compete for the “Crown of One” once again. Absent from this year’s tournament is Collier, who is set to miss the entire Unrivaled season and 4-6 months due to surgery on both ankles.

Unrivaled’s second annual tournament will begin on Wednesday, Feb. 11, and will conclude on Saturday, Feb. 14. It’s a chance for every player to prove who’s the best when only one remains. One-on-one basketball is quite challenging; it’s you, your opponent, and the basketball. Without teammates to help, every player is on their own island.

Testing skills on both ends of the ball, Ballislife breaks down who to watch, the participants, and the first-round, second-round, quarterfinal, semifinal, and championship matchups.

No teammates. No excuses. Just pure talent. Who will be crowned the one?

Unrivaled’s 1-on-1 Tournament presented by @Sprite is back and the competition is pic.twitter.com/OnNdLl6Dry

— Unrivaled Basketball (@Unrivaledwbb) February 3, 2026

2026 Unrivaled 1v1 Schedule

First Round: Wednesday, Feb. 11 | 7 p.m., truTV
Second Round & Quarterfinals: Friday, Feb. 13 | 7:30 p.m., truTV/TNT
Semifinals & Championship Round: Saturday, Feb. 14 | 6 p.m., truTV/TNT

All matchups are listed in Eastern Standard Time (ET), and will additionally be streamed on HBO Max.

Winner Prizes

As mentioned previously, the tournament winner will receive $200,000. Additionally, Unrivaled will award the runner-up and semifinalists, with a total prize pool of $300,000.

First Place: $200,000
Second Place: $50,000
Each semifinalist: $25,000 ($50,000 in total)

Tournament Rules

One-on-one basketball requires stamina and pace; each individual matchup will last up to 10 minutes or until a player reaches the winning score (11 points).

The champion round is exempt from these rules, and the format differs slightly. In a best-of-three format, the winning score will be set to seven points. To enhance player performance, each possession will include a seven-second shot clock.

Bracket Format

While Unrivaled has expanded to eight teams, a developmental pool, and 48 players in its second season, just under 60% of the league will participate in the festivities.

This time, 27 players are split into position-based pods. With players initially separated into Pods A through D, fan voting determined the matchups, seeding, and ranked each player 1 through 8. Position-based matchups cater to players who matchup better physically and offer a cleaner one-on-one look for players with similar skills and size. Often, mixing guards with centers can easily exploit weaknesses and mismatch opportunities.

Absent from the tournament this year are Skylar Diggins, Rickea Jackson, Kahleah Copper, and Jordin Canada, all of whom were first-round matchups. Therefore, No. 2 Kelsey Plum and No. 7 Natisha Hiedeman will automatically face each other in the second round. Similarly, No.1 Allisha Gray will square off against No. 8 Saniya Rivers in the next round.

In addition, Tiffany Hayes will be replaced by Aziaha James. Laces point forward, Alyssa Thomas, will not participate; therefore, Aaliyah Boston will advance to the next round. Earning the No.1 seed, Kelsey Mitchell, Allisha Gray, Paige Bueckers, and Breanna Stewart were voted as top finishers.

The Pods

As the tournament progresses, the second round will feature 16 players and eight matchups, while the quarterfinals will include 12 players and six matchups. The semifinals will highlight the top four players and two matchups, and the Championship will showcase the final two players remaining.

POD A
POD B
POD C
POD D

1 Kelsey Mitchell
1 Paige Bueckers
1 Allisha Gray
1 Breanna Stewart

2 Kelsey Plum
2 Chelsea Gray
2 Rhyne Howard
2 Aaliyah Edwards

3 Skylar Diggins: OUT
3 Jackie Young
3 Marina Mabrey
3 Dearica Hamby

4 Courtney Williams
4 Arike Ogunbowale
4 Kahleah Copper: OUT
4 Aliyah Boston

5 Veronica Burton
5 Brittney Sykes
5 Rickea Jackson OUT
5 Alyssa Thomas: OUT

6 Jordin Canada: OUT
6 Tiffany Hayes: OUT
6 Sonia Citron
6 Shakira Austin

7 Natisha Hiedeman
7 Natasha Cloud
7 Rae Burrell
7 Dominique Malonga

8 Rachel Banham
8 Kate Martin
8 Saniya Rivers
8 Li Yueru

Updated 2026 Unrivaled First-Round Matchups

Pod A

No. 1 Kelsey Mitchell vs. No. 8 Rachel Banham
No. 4 Courtney Williams vs. No. 5 Veronica Burton

Pod B

No. 1 Paige Bueckers vs. No. 8 Kate Martin
No. 2 Chelsea Gray vs. No. 7 Natasha Cloud
No. 3 Jackie Young vs. No. 6 Aziaha James (replaced Tiffany Hayes)
No. 4 Arike Ogunbowale vs. No. 5 Brittney Sykes

Pod C

No. 2 Rhyne Howard vs. No. 7 Rae Burrell
No. 3 Marina Mabrey vs. No. 6 Sonia Citron

Pod D

No. 1 Breanna Stewart vs. No. 8 Li Yueru
No. 3 Dearica Hamby vs. No. 6 Shakira Austin
No. 2 Aaliyah Edwards vs. No. 7 Dominique Malonga

*(2) Kelsey Plum vs. (7) Natisha Hiedeman (Pod A) and (1) Allisha Gray vs. (8) Saniya Rivers (Pod C) will match up in the second round. Aliyah Boston will advance to the second round, and Laeticia Amhere will not participate in the tournament.

Key Matchups

While several one-on-one matchups are set, Ballislife highlights key matchups and storylines to follow tonight. That includes our top predictions and sleeper picks…

No. 1 Paige Bueckers vs. No. 8 Kate Martin

I’m looking forward to this matchup for several reasons. Aside from the WNBA, this is the first time Bueckers will face Martin in a one-on-one setting. Most notably, these two players met in the 2024 NCAA women’s Final Four. Ultimately, it was Martin and Iowa who defeated Bueckers and UConn 71-69 following an illegal screen by Aaliyah Edwards.

Now teammates for Breeze BC, who doesn’t love a fun one-on-one matchup against their teammate? Bueckers leads Breeze BC, averaging 25 points, 6.3 rebounds, and a league-high 6.7 assists per game. A role player off the bench, Martin is putting up 6.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. Shooting just 17.9% from three, it will be interesting to see how Martin stacks up against Bueckers’ defense.

Who will advance?

Don’t miss @paigebueckers1 @kate_martin22 battle for the crown tonight at 7:00 pm ET on truTV pic.twitter.com/ToLutXpNra

— Unrivaled Basketball (@Unrivaledwbb) February 11, 2026

While Bueckers has been tasked with playing the point, she excels at creating her own off-the-ball shots, though this time there won’t be any teammates or screens. Nicknamed “mid-range mommy,” will Bueckers find her flow by driving downhill and through the middie? Don’t let Bueckers’ lack of 3-point volume fool you—she’s shooting 39.5% from beyond the arc this season.

While there were several upsets last year, I don’t think this will be one of them. This is the chance for Martin to put her abilities on full display. Bueckers is shooting 55.5% from the field, so Martin will have to show out defensively.

No.4 Courtney Williams vs. No. 5 Veronica Burton

I personally am looking forward to this matchup between Courtney Williams and Veronica Burton. Last year, Williams defeated Rhyne Howard in the second round and was eliminated by Napheesa Collier, then a Lunar Owls teammate.

Who will advance?

Don’t miss @CourtMWilliams @Veronicaab22 battle for the crown tonight at 7:00 pm ET on truTV pic.twitter.com/9egmuM8PgQ

— Unrivaled Basketball (@Unrivaledwbb) February 11, 2026

Williams is a player who creates space and brings energy, and is known as one of the purest mid-range shooters in the game. Recently traded to Breeze BC, Williams is averaging 7.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game this season. Now she faces Burton, who’s emerged as one of the league’s premier defenders. A crucial player for Mist BC, Burton is putting up 9.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and leads the club with 3.8 assists per game.

Burton makes her one-on-one debut tonight, but don’t let that fool you. This should be a defensive showdown you don’t want to miss!

No. 5 Brittney Sykes vs. No. 4 Arike Ogunbowale

I love this matchup for a variety of reasons. Sykes will get her one-on-one debut and leads the top team in Unrivaled, Laces BC, with 18.9 points per game. A guard that can get downhill but also shoot the lights out—Sykes boasts the third-highest 3-point percentage in Unrivaled (42.3%).

I truly feel this will be a tight showdown, especially given the fact that Sykes has scored 25+ points in two of the last three games. While her step-back isn’t nearly as lethal as Ogunbowale’s, I like Sykes’s ability to drive, and I do believe she has the edge on defense (ranks second in the league in steals per game at 1.6).

Who will advance?

Don’t miss @Arike_O @BrittBundlez battle for the crown tonight at 7:00 pm ET on truTV pic.twitter.com/recFdXzgWB

— Unrivaled Basketball (@Unrivaledwbb) February 11, 2026

To me, Ogunbowale is one of the top candidates to win this thing. Defeating Skylar Diggins and Satou Sabally, Arike eventually fell to Edwards in the semifinals. Just one win away from the finals, she’s back for more. Recording an Unrivaled career-high 5 3-pointers on 29 points last February, Ogunbowale is a true 3-level scorer. Averaging 14.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game, she is an essential player on Mist BC. The question remains: how will the defense hold up against Sykes?

This is a matchup that features high-volume shooting guards on two of the top teams in the league. I expect this showdown to be full cinema tonight.

No. 3 Dearica Hamby vs. No. 6 Shakira Austin

A battle of the bigs, Dearica Hamby will square off against Shakira Austin in the first round. Both have been dominant this season, as Hamby leads Vinyl BC in scoring (18.7 PPG) and rebounds (7.8 RPG). Soon to pair up with Angel Reese, Austin is averaging 16.5 points and a team-high 8.6 rebounds for Rose BC.

Although both players’ teams haven’t lived up to par, there’s no doubt this matchup features two of the most prominent inside bigs in Unrivaled. A bona fide starter for Nola Henry and Rose BC, Austin has been monstrous—recording five double-doubles and nearly a 20/20 game (22 points, 18 rebounds) against Hamby and Vinyl BC. While Austin had the advantage on the boards, can she repeat that performance tonight?

Who will advance?

Don’t miss @dearicamarie @Theylove_kira battle for the crown tonight at 7:00 pm ET on truTV pic.twitter.com/6UQppQ7SLO

— Unrivaled Basketball (@Unrivaledwbb) February 11, 2026

I want to give Hamby the edge here, who has 3×3 Olympic and FIBA experience. That said, both are primarily inside bigs, as Hamby averaged just over one 3-pointer per game.

A true battle in the paint, this matchup is rare in the modern 3-point era. Given Hamby has recorded four double-doubles on the season, this will come down to strength, endurance, and rebounds. Both are tough, gritty players. Hamby was eliminated by Skylar Diggins in the first round last year, while Austin defeated Chelsea Gray but fell to Azurà Stevens in the second round.

Perhaps a 3-pointer here or there can make the difference for either player, plus fouls.

While I highlighted just a few matchups of many, there are plenty of high-stakes first-round matchups on tonight’s slate.

Sara Jane Gamelli is the Managing Editor and Senior Staff Writer at Ballislife.com, as well as Director of Ballislife Bets. Follow her on X at @SaraJGamelli.