Unrivaled’s second season is different from the league’s first in many ways. There are two new teams, new coaches took over, stars like Angel Reese and Sabrina Ionescu didn’t return for a second season, and new faces, headlined by Paige Bueckers, Dominique Malonga, and Kelsey Plum, took the league by storm.
Another major difference is the parity that has shown itself early in the season. Any team can lose on any given night. That wasn’t the case last season. The Lunar Owls, led by Napheesa Collier, Skylar Diggins, and Allisha Gray, didn’t lose a game until late February. They started the season with an 8-0 record and finished with only one regular-season loss. For most of the season, the Lunar Olws were the clear favorites to win the championship.
While this season also has some obvious favorites, like the Rose, Mist, and Laces, every team has already suffered a loss, and we have seen a fair share of upsets.
There are no more undefeated teams
Each team has played five games so far, and there are already no undefeated teams left. The Laces currently sit on top of the standings with a 4-1 record. They lost their second game of the season to the Mist. The Laces have a lot of talent and could be a title team, but they also haven’t truly separated themselves like the Lunar Owls did last season.
The Rose started the season off strong, beating the Lunar Owls, the Vinyl, and the Breeze. Chelsea Gray immediately emerged as one of the best players in the league, and her team seemed destined to defend its 2025 championship. Then, the Rose lost to the Hive—one of the new teams in the league with a bunch of players that have little to no three-on-three experience. While the Rose only lost by three points, it was a significant upset. Then, Gray and co also lost to the Laces by four points.
The young Breeze team led by Paige Bueckers also looked like an early favorite to win a ton of games. Between Bueckers, Rickea Jackson, Dominique Malonga, and Cameron Brink, the Breeze have all the athleticism, speed, and versatility in the world. They established their status as a possible contender quickly with a statement win over a more veteran Phantom team and followed that up with a win over the Hive. Then, the Breeze fell to the Rose and Vinyl before beating the Mist by almost twenty points.
Vinyl made it to the finals last season, surprisingly eliminating the Lunar Owls from the playoffs, and they retained Dearica Hamby, Rhyne Howard, and Rae Burrell. They already lost three games, including a bad loss to a Lunar Owls team that desperately misses Napheesa Collier.
Last but not least, the Phantom and Mist both have a 3-2 record. Phantom BC lost to the Breeze and Laces, and Mist BC lost to the Phantom and Breeze despite looking like a serious contender early on.