🏀 Unrivaled Weekly: Don’t ever call her doll

The GIST: The first round of the 1-on-1 Tournament presented by Sprite is done and dusted, narrowing the field to 16 contenders. Ready the crown because one Unrivaled athlete is about to be $200K richer as the tourney continues tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET before wrapping tomorrow.

• But who will it be? We could focus on the voting favorites, like Pod A’s No. 1 seed Kelsey Mitchell or Pod B’s expected representative Paige Bueckers — but we won’t. Instead, let’s discuss our sleeper picks from each group. This one’s for the underdogs.

🌧️ Veronica Burton (Pod A): Burton authored the only first-round shutout, blanking Courtney Williams 11–0. And we didn’t even see VB’s lockdown defense because Williams never touched the ball. After her one and only miss, Burton hauled in the offensive rebound to maintain possession.

• Burton’s size (she’s just five-foot-nine) could disadvantage her if she advances beyond positional pod play, so expect her to make up for it with that aforementioned relentless D.

👟 Arike Ogunbowale (Pod B): Pod B was all chalk, leaving Ogunbowale as the lowest remaining seed, but she certainly didn’t look like it in her first-round win. Widely considered one of the best 1-on-1 players in the game, Ogunbowale’s bag is the deepest in the league.

• Whether it’s a spicy step back, a slick hesitation move, or a fadeaway, she’s an isolation expert and can create space in a multitude of ways. Oh, and she’s as clutch as they come.

💿 Rae Burrell (Pod C): Length, athleticism, and versatility are Sweet Baby Rae’s biggest assets. Burrell’s lightning fast, and at six-foot-two, she has the length to disrupt defensively. Not to mention, she can score at all three levels: at the rim, in the midrange, and from beyond the arc.

• At her best, Burrell is a force to be reckoned with, but she can sometimes struggle with consistency. If she can put it all together, a lucrative payday just might be coming her way.

🌹 Shakira Austin (Pod D): Post players are doing it all — and Austin’s the perfect archetype. She’s a towering six-foot-five with handles and uses her speed and physicality to dominate both sides of the ball. Case in point? Those two first-round blocks on Wednesday.

• Perhaps Austin’s biggest strength is her brain: She adjusts to matchups exceptionally well and loves to lean on counter moves, like reverse pivots and stepthroughs. Buckets, loading.