Sky Guard To Take on Kelsey Mitchell in Unrivaled 1-On-1 Tournament
Chicago Sky guard Rachel Banham will take part in the second edition of Unrivaled's 1-on-1 tournament. The 2025 Sky starter most recently logged 12 points in 19 minutes of play as she earned her first start of the Unrivaled season in a 4-point loss to the Laces. The Owls sit in last place in Unrivaled with a record of 2-8. They earned their pair of wins behind notable nights from wing Marina Mabrey.
Forward Napheesa Collier came out on top in the inaugural tournament as she defeated now-Lunar Owls forward Aaliyah Edwards in a 3-game series. The tournament has since settled into a quartet of position-based pods, with four bye spots between Pods A and C.
A handful of former Sky players, including guard Courtney Williams and forward Li Yueru, were listed on a 28-player roster on a 32-spot bracket. A $300,000 prize pool includes $200,000 for the tournament's champion, $50,000 for its runner-up and $25,000 for each semifinalist, according to a January release. Each game will feature a 7-second shot clock. Games will conclude at the end of a non-stop 10-minute game clock or when a player reaches the winning score, which was eight in each of the final best-of-three round games and 11 in every other round of last year's tourney. The first four rounds will be single-elimination.
The tournament will begin on Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. EST and run until Feb. 14, when the winner will be crowned after two semifinals and up to three finals games in one day. Feb. 11 matchups will be broadcast on truTV, while Feb. 13 games will be aired on TNT and truTV starting at 7:30 p.m. EST, the release continued. Feb. 14 bouts can be viewed on TNT and truTV starting at 6 p.m. EST. Fans can also catch every round on HBO Max.
Rachel Banham v. Kelsey Mitchell
Mitchell will enter as one of four 1-seeds in the 1-on-1 break. She'll join Paige Bueckers, Allisha Gray and Breanna Stewart, all of whom have carved out roles as leaders on their respective squads. The former Ohio State Buckeye currently ranks first on the Hive with just over 17 points per game on an efficient 51.7% clip from the floor. She last faced Banham and the Lunar Owls on Jan. 26, when she notched 17 points and scored the game-winner in a close 3-point victory. The winner of the 1-on-1 matchup will move to take on either Williams or former Northwestern guard Veronica Burton, who is leading the league with 1.8 steals per game for the third-ranked Mist.
Though an Unrivaled rookie, Mitchell is no stranger to 3-on-3 ball after taking to San Juan, Puerto Rico to represent USA Basketball in the 2023 FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup. She joined former Sky forward Katie Lou Samuelson on a high-powered squad that took home the gold with a 1-point win over Brazil. Mitchell has gained some prominence on the 5-on-5 stage, particularly in her last eight seasons with the Indiana Fever. The 3-time WNBA All-Star faced Banham and the Sky five times last season, where she averaged just under 23 points per contest in three home games and two on the road.
Mitchell's straight-line speed and shiftiness, especially with the ball in her hands, can make her a formidable foe whether she charges to the basket with a full head of steam or stops on a dime for a pull-up shot. Though she excelled at scoring inside off shrewd cuts for the Fever last season, her bread-and-butter plays as an individual scorer came from driving layups and flashy jumpers from close to or just beyond the 3-point line. Banham will need to be sharp, active and disciplined on defense to keep the speedy guard at bay and limit her bag in the 1-on-1 battle.
While Banham seemed to be more prone to heaving up long-range bombs in solo situations, she still had her moments from midrange and off contested drives and floaters with the Sky last season. Still, about half of her 41 unassisted makes during the Sky's 2025 campaign came from the 3-point line. Only three of her first 35 field goal attempts in Unrivaled have come from inside the arc. Banham still ranks at about sixth place in Unrivaled with a 40.6% clip from 3-point land on just over three attempts per game. Should she not opt for a more balanced attack in her first 1-on-1 tournament, getting hot early from outside with calculated gambles may be key to gaining some much-needed momentum and staying on pace with the top-seeded guard.
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Alex Sabri began contributing to the BIGPLAY Network in September 2025. He also contributes to Chicago Sky on SI and FanSided's High Post Hoops. The Purdue and Cleveland State graduate has over two years of journalism experience in collegiate and professional sports, as well as local journalism, and a few more years of sports blogging experience. Though he specializes in covering Ohio sports for BIGPLAY, his interests include the NBA, WNBA, NFL, Cleveland Guardians and college football and basketball.