The WNBA season tips off tonight! With an incoming crop of talented rookies and the Aces chasing a three-peat, there's plenty to watch for. Join me this season as I give you daily expert picks.
Read all of my picks or jump ahead to the game you're most interested in:
Rolling Record
Josie: TBD
fever vs Connecticut preview & pick
Josie's Take: Let's keep things fun and kick off my first-ever expert picks with an underdog pick. I know lots of eyes will be peeled on this matchup as Caitlin Clark makes her regular season debut, but let's not brush over the existing talent in Indiana.
I know Clark, adjusting to pro-life, will add to the Fever. We saw the Rookie Of The Year favorite drop 21 points in the preseason, where Indiana went 1-1 SU. However, there are still last year's leaders like NaLyssa Smith (15.5 PPG, 9.2 REB.) or former first-overall pick Aliyah Boston (14.5 PPG, 8.4 REB.), who comes with a year of experience under her belt.
Both these groups averaged over 81 PPG and had a field goal percentage above just 44% last season. It's worth noting that while Indiana was outscored by an average of 4 points per game in 2023, Connecticut outscored its opponents by 3.7 points.
First game of the season, not many recent glimpses to go off of yet. But, I'm expecting the Fever to be stronger competitors this season.
Pick: Fever +6 (-105)
liberty vs mystics preview & picks
Josie's Take: Folks held their breath last season thinking the Liberty had a likely chance to dethrone the Aces after beating them three times in August ahead of the postseason. New York is a really tough team to overcome, finishing last season with a 32-8 record and outscoring opponents by 8.6 points.
Just constantly on the heels of Las Vegas' dynasty, averaging the second-best 89.2 PPG and shooting 37.4% from beyond the arc to be the best mark in the nation (shout out to Sabrina).
With the worst odds to win the championship, Washington (+10000) isn't expected to be anything special. The Mystics defense was brutal in the preseason, allowing 170 points across two outings. That up against the Liberty's core? No chance.
It makes sense why the OVER has hit in five straight between these two, with each total set at 163.5 points or fewer.
Pick: OVER 163.5 Points (-110)