Four former Cardinal will feature in this year's WNBA playoffs

Dylan Grausz | Sep 21, 2024

Indiana Fever guard Lexie Hull (10) celebrates after scoring a three-point field goal during the second half of a game against the Seattle Storm on Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Fever defeated the Storm 92-75. / Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With the regular season now over, the WNBA calendar now flips to postseason play, with eight teams vying for a chance to be the last ones standing and hoist the championship trophy. Out of the six former Cardinal currently in the W, four of them will participate in the postseason as Nneka Ogwumike (Seattle Storm), Lexie Hull (Indiana Fever), Haley Jones (Atlanta Dream) and Alanna Smith (Minnesota Lynx) are looking to rally their squads and put together the performance of a lifetime in order to lead their team to the finals that begin in October. Let’s take a look at each team’s road to clinching and what their first round matchups look like.

Seattle Storm

Sep 11, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Seattle Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike (3) shoots the ball against LA Sparks forward Azura Stevens (23) in the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Winning five out of their final six games, the Storm went on a tear in the month of September, with Ogwumike especially being crucial during the stretch run, leading the way in scoring the last three games, including moving into the WNBA top-10 all-time list for scoring with her 23 -point performance against the LA Sparks on September 15, helping Seattle take home the 90-87 victory. Earning the No. 5 seed for the playoffs, the Storm will take on the No.4 seeded Las Vegas Aces in the best-of-three first round, playing the first two games at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas before coming home for a potential game three on September 26. Game one will be on ESPN at 7 p.m. on Sunday.

Indiana Fever

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) and Indiana Fever guard Lexie Hull (10) talk during a timeout on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, during the game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Indiana Fever defeated the Dallas Wings, 110-109. / Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Caitlin Clark may have taken the WNBA by storm, achieving numerous feats including being the first rookie to record a triple-double, setting the WNBA single season assists and rookie scoring record, but the team’s play this season has them back in the playoffs for the first time since 2019, with players such as Lexie Hull (5.5 points, 1.1 assists, 2.5 rebounds) providing exceptional depth to a roster that also has Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell.

Finishing with a 20-20 record, including a 4-4 record in September, the Fever earned the No. 6 seed for the playoffs, with the seventh and eighth seeded teams both having losing records. To end the regular season, the Fever fell in back-to-back games to the Aces before beating the Dallas Wings 110-109 thanks to a 35-point game from Clark. In their final game of the season, they lost by one point to the Washington Mystics. In the playoffs, the Fever will take on the No. 3 seeded Connecticut Sun, heading to Mohegan Sun Arena in Montville for games one and two before heading home for a potential game three. Game one will be Sunday at 12 p.m. on ABC.

Atlanta Dream

Indiana Fever forward Temi Fagbenle (14) reaches for the ball against Atlanta Dream guard Haley Jones (13) on Thursday, May 9, 2024, during the preseason game against the Atlanta Dream at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Indiana Fever defeated the Atlanta Dream, 83-80. / Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

An 0-7 July seems like an afterthought for Atlanta, who after going 8-8 the final two months of the season, did just enough to sneak into this year’s playoff tournament. Getting hot at the end of the regular season, the Dream won their last three games, beating the Washington Mystics 76-73 in overtime on September 15 followed by an 86-70 win over the Chicago Sky on September 17 before capping off the campaign with a 78-67 win over the New York Liberty.

Finishing with a 15-25 record, the Dream earned the final spot in the playoffs, clinching the No. 8 seed and a date with the Liberty in the first round, playing the first two games at the Barclays Center before a potential game three at State Farm Arena if needed. Game one will be on Sunday at 10 a.m. on ESPN.

Minnesota Lynx

Aug 11, 2024; Paris, France; Australia forward Alanna Smith (11) drives to the basket against Belgium centre Becky Massey (25) in the women's basketball bronze medal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images / James Lang-Imagn Images

All season long, the Lynx have looked like the one of the best teams in the league, and in the final two months of the season, have only furthered that notion with a 13-2 record in the months of August and September, with the team’s only two losses in that span occurring in the final game of each month.

Ending the year hot, beating Chicago, New York and Connecticut in three out of their final four games, the Lynx finished the season with a 30-10 record, earning the No. 1 seed in the playoffs where they will face the Phoenix Mercury at home for the first two games, hoping to take the series there in order to avoid a road game in game three. Smith also ended the year with career highs in almost every major statistical category, averaging 10.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists in her first year in Minnesota, proving to be a very important addition to a team that hadn’t had a winning record since 2021. Game one of their series will be on Sunday at 2 p.m. on ESPN.