Experts: Lynx, Aces Lead 2026 WNBA Title Race — SkimNews
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- All eight experts picked the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx to eliminate the New York Liberty in the first round — a rematch of the 2024 WNBA Finals — with six predicting a three-game sweep and two a two-game series.
- The only first-round series without a unanimous pick was (3) Las Vegas vs. (6) Indiana: six analysts backed the defending champion Aces over Caitlin Clark's Fever, while Myron Medcalf and Neil Paine took the Fever in 3.
- Every expert also tabbed the (2) Golden State Valkyries over the (7) Dallas Wings (five in 2, three in 3) and the (4) Atlanta Dream over the (5) Washington Mystics (split 4-4 between a two- and three-game series), with Angel Reese set to make her postseason debut.
- Four experts forecast a Lynx vs. Aces WNBA Finals — the most common projection — while two picked Aces vs. Dream, one picked Lynx vs. Fever, and one picked Lynx vs. Valkyries.
- The championship vote is split exactly 4-4: four analysts backed the Aces to repeat (Andrews, Copeland, Snellings, Voepel) and four tabbed the Minnesota Lynx (Medcalf, Moody, Paine, Philippou), with six of eight predicting a Game 7.
- A'ja Wilson drew four Finals MVP votes — all from Aces backers — while Olivia Miles (three) and Napheesa Collier (one) collected the remainder from Lynx-title advocates.
Why it matters: With three of four first-round series locked unanimously, any upset would rip up the expert script — and the 4-4 title split elevates the Aces-Lynx rivalry as the league's defining matchup, with A'ja Wilson's three-peat MVP candidacy and a potential game-seven rematch framing the stakes for both franchises.
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