Indiana Fever Star Set to Take on Former No. 1 Overall Pick of the Atlanta Dream

Sep 22, 2024; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Indiana Fever guard Lexie Hull (10) and Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) watch from the bench in the fourth quarter during game one of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark Smith-Imagn Images | Mark Smith-Imagn Images

Unrivaled's one-on-one brackets have been released, and former Stanford Cardinal and current Indiana Fever guard Lexie Hull now has a ranking, and more importantly, an opponent.

On Monday, the first round of the 1v1 tournament will begin, and it will be Lexie Hull, a No. 7 seed, taking on Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard. Howard was the first overall selection in the 2022 WNBA Draft, and was named Rookie of the Year and also to the All-Rookie team her first season. Howard is a No. 2 seed.

Hull, who plays for Rose Basketball Club in the Unrivaled League, had been playing the fewest minutes on the team, averaging 8.8 per game while scoring 6.2 per contest through six matchups. One way she could make a run in this tournament is by utilizing her three-point shooting ability.

This past season with the Fever, she shot 47.1% from beyond the arc, which was the second-highest mark in the WNBA, behind only Emily Engstler (47.4%) of the Washington Mystics.

Just because Hull hasn't been asked to score as much for her teams doesn't mean she's not able to. There have been numerous occasions where she'll get hot and carry her team at times, so she could be a bit of a sleeper in this tournament.

That said, Howard is the more established player, even though they were drafted in the same class, and averaged 17.3 points per game with Atlanta this past season. In Unrivaled, she's scoring 17 points in 13 minutes per game, meaning she's efficient. Howard is the ninth-highest scorer in Unrivaled through the league's first six games.

This matchup should be an interesting one to keep an eye on, with Hull being a good defender that can shoot it from deep, while Howard shot 37.1% from the field to earn her 17.3 points per game during the WNBA season. If Hull is able to be scrappy, collecting every loose ball and coverting from deep, then she certainly has a shot to pull off the upset in the first round.

Whomever wins this matchup will face the winner of the Tiffany Hayes (No. 3) versus Courtney Williams (No. 6) contest in the second round. The ultimate boss in their part of the bracket will be one of Unrivaled's co-founders, Napheesa Collier, who is also leading the league in points per game with 29.3. Her team, the Lunar Owls, is also the only undefeated team left.