QUINIX Sport News: Unrivaled Power Rankings: Phantom BC takes top spot ahead of inaugural opening weekend

Unrivaled, the new 3-on-3 basketball league co-founded by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, tips off Friday in Miami. The night will usher in a new era of professional women’s basketball, with Unrivaled offering WNBA stars a chance to stay at home during the offseason and take ownership in a league of their own making. 

For the league’s inaugural season, 36 players were invited and split into six teams with six players apiece: Laces BC, Lunar Owls BC, Mist BC, Phantom BC, Rose BC and Vinyl BC. The teams were chosen by the league’s six head coaches, though before they knew which team they would be in charge of, in an attempt to make sure that they are as even as possible. 

Everything about the operation is unique, including the games themselves. The league will use a compressed 70-by-50-foot court that will allow them to play “full-court” even in 3-on-3. Furthermore, there will be an 18-second shot clock and three seven-minute quarters followed by an untimed fourth quarter in which the two teams will play to a “winning score.” 

Given that we’ve never seen professional games under these conditions, let alone any of these teams play together, putting together preseason power rankings is perhaps a foolish task. There’s certainly a good chance that they’re turned upside down after the first week of games. Still, it was a fun process to think about how things might go down in Miami. 

The action will begin with six games on this opening week. All times ET and all games will also stream on Max.

Friday, Jan. 17

• Mist BC vs. Lunar Owls BC, 7 p.m. — TNT 
• Rose BC vs. Vinyl BC, 8:15 p.m. — TNT

Saturday, Jan. 18

• Phantom BC vs. Laces BC, 2 p.m. — truTV
• Lunar Owls BC vs. Rose BC, 3 p.m. — truTV

Monday, Jan. 20

• Vinyl BC vs. Phantom BC, 8 p.m. — TNT
• Laces BC vs. Mist BC, 9:15 p.m. — TNT

With that, here are CBS Sports’ inaugural Unrivaled power rankings.

1. Phantom BC

Phantom BC has the most experienced roster in the league and they just might be the most versatile as well. Their playmaking and shooting is off the charts with Natasha Cloud, Sabrina Ionescu, Marina Mabrey and Satou Sabally on the perimeter, and as much as this figures to be a guards league, having the option to go to Brittney Griner in the paint could cause serious matchup problems for other teams. The only real downside for the Phantom is that Ionescu joined on the condition that she could have a flexible schedule and is expected to miss a few games, which could hurt them in the playoff race. 

Weekly schedule: vs. Laces BC on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET; vs. Vinyl BC on Monday at 8:30 p.m. ET

2. Vinyl BC

This is a team built to play 3-on-3 basketball, so it’s no surprise every player save for Canada has experience playing in Team USA’s 3-on-3 set up at either the youth or senior level. They have the best collection of downhill drivers in the league, proven scorers at all three levels, willing defenders and versatile bigs. Vinyl may not have the biggest names, but this is a balanced team with multiple current teammate combinations in the WNBA, which is a big leg up on the competition in a short season. 

Weekly schedule: vs. Rose BC on Friday at 8 p.m. ET; vs. Phantom BC on Monday at 8:30 p.m. ET

3. Mist BC

The Mist have an interesting combination of youth and experience, as well as previous on-court connections. Breanna Stewart’s time spent with both Jewell Loyd and Courtney Vandersloot should give them a leg up on other teams from an on-court chemistry perspective. Stewart is, at worst, the second best player in the league and Carrington is the best perimeter defender. The biggest question mark for the Mist is Loyd. She’s coming off a terrible season with the Seattle Storm, but that appeared to be heavily influenced by off-court tension. Can she get back to her best in a new environment? If so, the Mist are going to be a problem. If not, it could be a challenge for them. 

Weekly schedule: vs. Lunar Owls BC on Friday at 7 p.m. ET; vs. Rose BC on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET

4. Rose BC 

Athleticism, toughness and versatility on the perimeter seem likely to be key traits in Unrivaled given how much space there’s going to be on the court. That’s great news for Rose BC, who boast an elite perimeter trio in Chelsea Gray, Kahleah Copper and Brittney Sykes. This team is going to compete on both ends and be extremely difficult to play against, especially in the untimed fourth quarter where getting stops and extra possessions becomes vital. However, their offense does have some question marks, particularly their outside shooting. 

Weekly schedule: vs. Vinyl BC on Friday at 8 p.m. ET; vs. Lunar Owls BC on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET

5. Laces BC 

Laces BC feels like it has been overlooked throughout the lead up to opening night because the roster lacks big names. But while the likes of Alyssa Thomas, Jackie Young and Kayla McBride may not make much noise off the court, you won’t be able to miss them once the games start. This team will form its identity around toughness and defense, but quietly has one of the best collections of 3-point threats. Dolson (third), McBride (eighth) and Hayes (10th) all finished in the top-10 in 3-point shooting in the W last season. Are the Laces the most exciting team? No, but they’re going to be a tough out every night.  

Weekly schedule: vs. Phantom BC on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET; vs. Mist BC on Monday at 9:30 p.m. ET

6. Lunar Owls BC 

The Lunar Owls have arguably the best player in the league in Collier, and the potential for a very strong defense, so why do they check in last? First and foremost, Cameron Brink is still rehabbing from a torn ACL and will not play this winter, so they are the only team with five players — a potentially significant disadvantage given the fast-paced nature of the games and the need for subs. Furthermore, their outside shooting is a major concern, as Allisha Gray’s 34.2% mark from behind the arc was the best by any Lunar Owls player in the WNBA last season. 

Weekly schedule: vs. Mist BC on Friday at 7 p.m. ET; vs. Rose BC on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET