Here are five things to know about Caitlin Clark, guard for the Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team.
Caitlin Clark could soon make another debut in Connecticut.
That was where the star guard for the Indiana Fever played in her first ever WNBA regular-season game four months ago, and it's likely where she will play in her first postseason game.
With the WNBA playoffs set to start on Sunday, the Fever have locked up the No. 6 seed. Two teams are vying for the No. 3 seed with the regular season concluding Thursday, but a first-round series with the Connecticut Sun is most probable for Indiana.
Much has changed since that May 14 matchup between the two in Clark's first game. The Sun won 92-71, with Clark scoring 20 points on 5-for-15 shooting and committing 10 turnovers.
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It was the first of five straight losses to open the season for the Fever, who started just 1-8. Clark and the Fever hit their stride after the Olympic break, winning seven of eight games to move above .500 for the first time since 2019 when they were 4-3. The team then went on to clinch its first playoff berth since 2016.
There they will be one of the main storylines in what is arguably the most highly-anticipated postseasons in league history as A'ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces go for a three-peat and the current top-seeded New York Liberty seek their first title in franchise history.
Here's everything you need to know about the WNBA playoffs.
When do the WNBA playoffs start?
The WNBA playoffs begin on Sunday, Sept. 22.
How many teams make the WNBA playoffs?
The top eight teams in the WNBA -- regardless of conference -- make the playoffs.
What are the WNBA playoff matchups?
Here are the current matchups for the first round of the WNBA playoffs ahead of the final day of the regular season on Thursday. Teams in bold are locked into their seed.
- No. 1 New York Liberty vs. No. 8 Washington Mystics/Chicago Sky/Atlanta Dream
- No. 2 Minnesota Lynx vs. No. 7 Phoenix Mercury
- No. 3 Connecticut Sun vs. No. 6 Indiana Fever
- No. 4 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 5 Seattle Storm
How many games are in a WNBA playoff series?
The first round of the playoffs features a best-of-three format where the higher seed hosts the first two games of the series and, if necessary, the lower seed hosts the decisive Game 3.
The semifinals and WNBA Finals both have a best-of-five format where the higher seed hosts Games 1, 2 and 5.
Who will the Indiana Fever play in the playoffs?
Clark and the Fever will face either the Sun or Aces in the first round of the WNBA playoffs.
Connecticut will secure the No. 3 seed with a home victory over the Chicago Sky or an Aces loss to the Dallas Wings in the regular-season finales on Thursday. A Sun loss in the finale, combined with a win by the Aces, would give Las Vegas the No. 3 seed via the regular season head-to-head tiebreaker.
Against the Fever this season, the Sun won three of four games, with Indiana winning the most recent matchup 84-80 on Aug. 28. The Aces, the league's two-time-defending champion, swept the season series against the Fever.
Who is the top seed in the WNBA playoffs?
The top seed in the WNBA playoffs will be the Liberty, who are on a quest to capture the first championship in franchise history. The Liberty, who lost to the Aces in the 2023 WNBA Finals, clinched the top spot on Tuesday after improving to 32-7 with a victory over the Washington Mystics.
The Minnesota Lynx, which defeated the Liberty in three of four games this season, will be the No. 2 seed.
Has there ever been a three-peat in the WNBA?
Only once. But it could soon happen again.
The Aces, who last season became just the third franchise to win back-to-back titles, are seeking a third consecutive WNBA championship. The Houston Comets are the only team in league history to win three or more titles in a row, having won the league's first four championships from 1997 to 2000.
The Aces -- led by reigning MVP A'ja Wilson, who recently became the first player in league history to score 1,000 points in a single season -- will likely secure the No. 4 seed and have home-court advantage in a first-round matchup with the No. 5 Seattle Storm.
