BIL has last minute predictions for the final stanzas of the 2026 WNBA regular season.
The leaves are a different color for this version of the final four.
While the WNBA has taken a bit of a backseat to FIBA World Cup play for the time being, the league is nonetheless on pace to produce perhaps its most exciting postseason yet. Scores in year 30, however, still must be settled, as each of the league's 15 teams has four games left on their respective dockets.
With those contests set to get back underway on Sept. 17, BIL has last-minute predictions for the 2026 settlement, accounting for all areas of the standings ...
Wilson Wills On
It's bizarre enough believing that A'ja Wilson needs to prove anything after over a decade of sustained greatness. But, in a downright brutal development for Wilson's opponents, she has gained further fuel for the postseason road ahead since narratives never cease on the modern WNBA landscape.
Wilson has faced somewhat sizable flack for pulling out of Team USA's ongoing FIBA World Cup excursion, one that endured a scary situation against Italy during group play. The Las Vegas Aces franchise face is said to be dealing with back issues as the final stretch looms and left the Americans in the hands of Breanna Stewart, Sin City teammate Jackie Young, and the "young-and-turnt" core.
It's likely too late for Wilson to lead a charge up to the top, as Las Vegas is four games behind Minnesota with a fateful four to play. What she can do is put finishing touches on yet another MVP campaign, one that's facing stiff competition from Minnesota rookie sensation Olivia Miles.
Provided her medically-induced absence doesn't extend to the rest of the regular season, Wilson has a prime opportunity to re-establish her decorated domination over the W, especially if she accomplishes the more manageable goal of securing the second seed with Las Vegas starter NaLyssa Smith confirmed to be out. Those that claim that Wilson is one to let any opportunity for hardware go to waste clearly haven't been watching.
There's No Place Like Home ...for Indiana
Of the current first-round playoff matchups, none are juicier than the potential best-of-three set between the Atlanta Dream and Indiana Fever. Should that matchup become etched in roundball stone, who holds homecourt advantage could be a distinct talking point in deciding a winner.
It's a battle of stars that have armies willing to go to (verbal) war amidst their prolific rivalry (Caitlin Clark/Angel Reese) complemented by both sterling name-brand talent that should pepper the All-WNBA shortlists (Aliyah Boston, Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, Kelsey Mitchell) and x-factors masquerading as depth stars (Jordin Canada, Sophie Cunningham, Tyasha Harris, Naz Hillmon, Makayla Timpson)
Entering these final hours, the Dream and Fever are tied for fourth, with the former currently holding the tiebreaking honor that grants the last first-round homecourt privilege. Both face rather formidable schedules, with Atlanta going to New York in its final couple while Indiana gets Minnesota in a home-and-home. Having previously prevailed without some of its upgrades in last year's postseason (including a healthy Clark), Indiana sneaks away with the edge here ... granting Reese quite the stage for her maiden playoff voyage.
Sixth to the 'Styics
The truly tragic part of a top-heavy WNBA is that four talented teams are guaranteed to go home. In addition to the runner-up of a presumed Atlanta-Indiana series, many believe that such a group could also feature a little engine that could (one captained by young All-Star mainstays Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen), the 2024 champions, and one of the league's rising stars (Paige Bueckers) and her towering breakout companion (Jessica Shepard).
That's the situation that the Washington Mystics, New York Liberty, and Dallas Wings respectively find themselves in, featuring matching 24-16 records at the bottom of the bracket. They might not able to catch the aforementioned Dream and Fever but they should be able to stage an exciting battle before all's said and done.
Give our vote to the Mystics in this intriguing subplot: Satou Sabally-less New York has yet to generate any lasting consistency (though the return of Leonie Fiebich will ensure that they'll be a tough out, if anything) while Dallas was already nursing an injury to top rookie pick Azzi Fudd before getting news of Alanna Smith's dropout from Australian World Cup play. Washington's youth allows it to play with a healthy sense of reckless abandon and earning the sixth seed would be respectable reward for their early efforts.
Malong The Way
Let's not exclude the voyage of the damned, as seven squads are already prepping for next season. That, alas, will remove some inspiring names and stories from the bracket, not least of which is the continued sophomore dominance of Dominique Malonga, our pick for the most likely non-playoff participant to reach an All-WNBA squad.
Many, including the franchise itself, seemed to accept that this would be a quiet before the Seattle Storm this season. This tour has been as advertised, as Seattle finds itself rounding out the 15-team field but the soothing presence of Malonga, combined with the collaborative post antics of lottery entrant Awa Fam, has the Pacific Northwest hopeful for the future.
Malonga has built upon the late momentum she established last year by earning upgrades in almost every major metric. Entering the final four, she's the first player not named Stewart, Wilson, or Napheesa Collier to put up season averages of at least 17 points, nine rebounds, and a block since 2021 and, at 20, she'd be the youngest player of all-time to pull that off. A strong finish to this tour would be the perfect ending to what could well be brilliant foreshadowing.
Recognition among the damned should also be afforded to Marina Mabrey of Toronto, but the Tempo's tumble down the standings while she's in the lineup might preclude her from such consideration. If there's one player among the departed that has secured inclusion on the All-WNBA squads, Malonga feels like the best way to go.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
