WNBA Opening Day Predictions
- By Shorty
- May 14, 2016
- 3 min read
The WNBA will kick off on Saturday will a full line-up of opening day games to get fans excited for it's 20th season. Five games are on schedule to tip off and I will give my quick predictions on the possible outcomes of each match up.
Dallas Wings vs Indiana Fever
Time: 6:00 PM ET on ESPN 3
Predictions: The new look Dallas Wings will welcome back their top scorer in Skylar Diggins who sadly missed much of 2015 with a torn ACL. They have added a lot of new talent from the draft and will look to get off to a hot start. However, they will go up against last year's eastern conference champs in the Indiana Fever. Tamika Catchings will look to begin her legacy tour in style on the defensive end while Shenice Johnson adds to a balanced offensive attack. I have the Fever winning the opening day game.
New York Liberty vs Washington Mystics
Time: 7:00 PM ET on ESPN 3
Predictions: Let's call this a rematch of last year's eastern conference semis, the New York Liberty were the best team in the WNBA record-wise and are poised to come out strong on Saturday. The Liberty will be without their best guard in Epiphany Prince, but the solid post duo of Tina Charles and Kiah Stokes can be tough for most teams to handle. For the Mystics, they will look to Emma Meesseman and Stefanie Dolson to counter in the post while Tayler Hill and Tierra Ruffin-Pratt look to get things going from the perimeter. I think this will be a close game with the Liberty winning the match up.
Phoenix Mercury vs Minnesota Lynx
Time: 7:30 PM ET on ESPN
Predictions: The most ANTICIPATED game of the day will be a show-down between two of the most prominent teams in the W. Diana Taurasi and Penny Taylor will make their first trip to Minnesota in uniform after taking all of 2015 off to rest. Add DeWanna Bonner, Brittney Griner, along with Candice Dupree and you got yourself a squad that is what they would call "Out 4 Redemption". On the other side, the Lynx have been the best team in the WNBA winning 3 titles in the last five years, they are also known to rarely lose at Target Center. The Mercury are on track to redeem themselves, but it will be up to Maya Moore, Lindsey Whalen, and Sylvia Folwes to say "NOT IN OUR HOUSE!". This is a tough one. I had picked the Mercury to win, but I'm having second thoughts. I think Phoenix will be the best team in the league, but I think it will take Taurasi and Taylor time to get back into the flow of the game. I will give the Lynx the slight edge in this one.
Connecticut Sun vs Chicago Sky
Time: 8:00 PM ET on ESPN 3
Predictions: The Connecticut Sun are coming off a disappointing campaign in the previous season after being hit by the injury bug. With a new coach in Curt Miller and a returning star player in Chiney Ogwumike, this young and talented team will aim to hit from all cylinders as coach Miller has given them the green light to fire from 3 point range. The Chicago Sky is team that (Like the Mercury) wants to redeem themselves after a great season led by MVP Elena Delle Donne, to only have it ending in the eastern conference semis. This match may come down to youth vs experience, in that case I'm going for the Sky in this one.
Atlanta Dream vs San Antonio Stars
Time: 8:00 PM ET on ESPN 3
Predictions: In the final game of the opening day schedule, presents two teams filled with a lot question marks. The Dream will have their scoring opinions in Angel McCoughtry and Tiffany Hayes, but there is a complete drop off afterwards. The guard situation is also puzzling with the trade of Shoni Schimmel to bring in Layshia Clerendon, who isn't a pure PG, I expect the Dream to eventually share PG duties by committee. The Stars are in rebuild mode and they have players on the roster that will need time to develop. Kayla McBride will lead the way while rookie Moriah Jefferson will have a tough task learning how to run an offense at the next level. I'm still confused about the trade for Monique Currie, but I won't get any further into that. If McCoughtry finds herself in a situation where she goes into "take over" mode, I'm picking the Dream to close out in a victory.
Those are my predictions for the 20th season of the WNBA opening day match-ups. If you have your own predictions, let me know what you think. WNBA 20, Let's GO!
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