Canadian Edwards two wins shy from winning 1v1 Unrivaled tournament

The first edition of Unrivaled’s 1v1 tournament wraps up Friday evening, with four players remaining to compete for the championship. 

After starting as one of the lower seeds in a field of 32 players, Canada’s Aaliyah Edwards is just two wins shy of winning the event. 

The 22-year-old entered the week +5000 longshot to win the tournament, largely due to being a +320 underdog in the opening round against two-time WNBA MVP and three-time WNBA Champion Breanna Stewart. 

However, Edwards dominated the opening round, beating Stewart 12-0, and, thanks to a bye, secured her spot in the third round. 

The Canadian entered the second day of competition, needing one win to make it to the semi-finals, and was +700 on FanDuel to win the tournament. 

In the third round, Edwards defeated Allisha Gray 12-6. Following the win, she spoke about her progression as a player after one year of being a pro. 

"You shouldn't be surprised," Edwards said on court following her win. “I played my first year in the league, and now I'm tapping into myself. The confidence and the work are showing."

The 6-foot-3 forward had a solid rookie season with the Washington Mystics in the WNBA, where she averaged 7.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. 

The confidence and hard work for Edwards has led her to the semis, where she is a +100 underdog against Arike Ogunbowale to reach the final. 

You can watch the semi-final and final LIVE streaming on TSN+ Friday night starting at 7pm EST / 4pm PST 

On the other side of the bracket, the favourite and 2024 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, Napheesa Collier is -330 to beat Azura Stevens and reach the final. 

Collier is -105 to win the event, while Stevens is currently +500. 

Now that we have gotten you up to speed on where the event stands let’s check in with TSN.ca’s Brianne Spiker and get her thoughts on the two semi final matchups tonight and get her pick to win the event. 

Spiker's Take 

What a difference a year makes for Edwards. As she said, the confidence after a full year in the WNBA is shining through and she's pulling out moves she rarely had the opportunity to display previously. After dispatching Stewart and Gray in her last two matchups, I have Edwards edging Ogunbowale and straight to the final but it's going to be a close one. 

On the other side, I have Collier defeating Stevens and going to the final. In my eyes, Collier is by far the best player remaining in this group and she has a case at being one of the top three players in the world currently. She can beat you in all kinds of ways on both sides of the ball and is a matchup nightmare for any team or player. 

In the event of a Collier vs. Edwards final, I'm sticking with Collier to win it all for the reasons I mentioned. Edwards has made a hell of a run and will be a handful for Collier but I believe Collier will have the edge. 

Spiker's pick: Napheesa Collier -105