Eight teams make the WNBA playoffs, and as it stands, all but one squad — the 5-22 Indiana Fever — are in contention. That means 11 teams are fighting to get into the postseason with one month remaining in the 2022 regular season.

While the Sky, the Sun, the Mystics, the Aces and the Storm are all above the .500 mark, the remaining six teams are the ones to watch as the playoff race intensifies. With just two games total separating them, the Dream, Liberty, Wings, Sparks, Mercury and Lynx all have a chance to receive bids.

Despite similar records and a playoff race that seems wide open, these teams are not created equal. Three will be in, and three will be out. Let’s predict which side of the aisle each team will be on by mid-August.

Mercury: 11-16, ninth in standings

It’s hard to believe the Mercury were the Finals runner-up last season, but since the Sky topped them 3-1, a lot has happened. Of course, Brittney Griner’s detainment in Russia looms large. Her on-court presence has been vital for the Mercury since she entered the league in 2013 — she averaged 20.5 points and 9.5 rebounds last season. But more than that, her absence is weighing mentally on every member of the Mercury.

Then, there was the “contract divorce” with 12-year veteran Tina Charles 18 games (and 12 losses) into the season, and Twitter-fueled drama between Skylar Diggins-Smith, Diana Taurasi and coach Vanessa Nygaard that leant itself to Diggins-Smith trade rumors around the All-Star break.

All that to say, there are a lot of factors working against the Mercury. And yet, I still like their chances to make the playoffs.

Skylar Diggins-Smith and Diana Taurasi had to be separated after a heated exchange on the bench. pic.twitter.com/QGCghYuHAf

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 18, 2022

The supposed drama between Diggins-Smith and Taurasi is meaningless. On the court, the two play well together and that’s all that matters. Plus, they have loads of postseason experience and talent around them. Shey Peddy and sharp-shooter Sophie Cunningham continue to perform, and if the Mercury have a healthy Diamond DeShields and Kia Nurse down the stretch, they can be a dangerous team.

A big factor in the Mercury’s losing record has been their inability to hit the glass. Phoenix has been out-rebounded in all but six games this season, including Sunday’s loss to the Dream, in which Atlanta grabbed 43 boards to Phoenix’s 28.

In or out? In.

Dream: 11-14, sixth in standings

Of these six teams, the Dream and the Wings have the best winning percentage (44%), which is a good start for a Dream squad that’s trying to make the playoffs for the first time since 2018. Their win over the Mercury on Sunday snapped a three-game slide that included losses to three of the teams that appear to be playoff locks — the Sky, Mystics and Sun. With that victory, the Dream are 7-2 against the other five teams fighting for playoff position.

Rookie of the Year frontrunner Rhyne Howard leads the team with 14.7 points per game and a team-best 1.9 assist-to-turnover ratio. She’s aided on the offensive front by Tiffany Hayes (14.5 points per game), who’s played just five games after returning from a knee injury on July 3. Overall, though, the Dream have struggled to produce offensively. They’re last in the league — behind even the Fever — with an average of 77.5 points per game. The Dream also average a league-worst 17.2 assists per game, and turn the ball over a league-high 17 times a game.

Yet, the Dream have still managed to win against the teams they need to beat to get into the postseason. Their rebounding stats against the Mercury point to a bigger trend this season, with Atlanta ranking fifth in the league on the boards. The Dream are also helped by a solid bench. Second-year guard Aari McDonald is playing 25 minutes a game and averaging 10.6 points and 1.7 steals to lead the secondary unit.

In or out? In.

Wings: 11-14, seventh in standings

The Wings are a hard team to figure out. Offensively, they have three consistent weapons in Arike Ogunbowale (19.5 points per game), Allisha Gray (14.3) and Marina Mabrey (12.7), and they take care of the ball. Dallas averages a 15.3 percent turnover rate, which is the second best in the WNBA.

Despite that, their offensive efficiency is lacking. As a team, the Wings shoot 42 percent from the field and 35 percent from beyond the arc, and their shot selection isn’t always the best. Take their most recent loss to the Sky. Dallas went into the fourth quarter up by six points before Chicago closed out the win on a 30-16 run in which the Wings made just four field goals. Overall, the Wings have struggled with consistency, winning consecutive games just once since May 24. They’ve also played half their season without Satou Sabally (11.3 points, 4.8 rebounds per game) while she was nursing a knee injury, which didn’t help matters.

Teaira McCowan says NOT TODAY. pic.twitter.com/YmYTQRDSVf

— espnW (@espnW) April 1, 2018

But Dallas can find an advantage on defense with the continued development of players like Teaira McCowan (the 2018 NCAA Defensive Player of the Year at Mississippi State), Veronica Burton (a three-time Big Ten DPOY) and Awak Kuier, who at 6-foot-4 has an even bigger wing span that can disrupt offenses. If Dallas can find a way to score with more regularity and its defense continues to blossom, the Wings will be a playoff team.

In or out? In.

Liberty: 9-16, 11th in standings

After starting the season 1-7 and losing 2021 All-Star Betnijah Laney to a knee injury, things looked dismal for the Liberty. Since then, they’ve gone a much more respectable 8-9 that included a 7-4 month of June.

Guard Sabrina Ionescu has been an obvious bright spot for the up-and-down Liberty, leading her team in points (17.3), rebounds (7.1) and assists (6.2). And fellow 2022 All-Star Natasha Howard also does a little bit of everything, averaging 15 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks per contest. The Liberty have several other intriguing weapons, starting with Han Xu and Marine Johannès. Han has made a name for herself as a 6-10 center who can shoot 3s, while Johannès is an elite playmaker who serves as a second point guard.

But despite an arsenal of scoring options, the Liberty don’t generate offense in two key places. The first is at the free-throw line. New York attempts 15 free throws a game, which is last in the league. Secondly, the Liberty don’t create chances on the offensive glass or off of turnovers. They are 10th in the WNBA in both offensive rebounds (6.9) and 11th in turnovers forced (12.6). Plus, New York is currently on a four-game losing streak, something their 36.0 win percentage can’t afford.

In or out? Out.

Sparks: 10-14, eighth in standings

The Sparks started their season with a bit of drama, as GM and coach Derek Fisher was fired after a 5-7 start. Things haven’t improved much under Fred Williams, with L.A. going 5-7 since then for a 10-14 overall record.

Fisher’s time with the Sparks was clearly up, as he failed to achieve a winning record during his three and a half seasons, but changing leadership midseason almost always means sacrificing results the rest of the way. hat being said, the Sparks have a lot of offensive weapons and they are in the top half of the league with a 45.2 field goal percentage. All-Star Nneka Ogwumike is leading the way with 18.3 points per game, and Liz Cambage brings a size advantage at 6-9 and offensive might at 13.3 points a contest. Katie Lou Samuelson (10.8) and Brittney Sykes (10.7) round out Los Angeles’ double-digit scorers.

The Sparks’ struggles come on the defensive end. Their opponents shoot 45.9 percent from the field, the second-highest mark in the WNBA. They also give up a league-worst 1.14 points per scoring attempt and 0.95 points per play, the second-worst mark. And the defensive woes don’t stop there: The Sparks grab just 24.5 defensive rebounds per game, ranking 10th in the WNBA. The inability to shut down opponents is a dagger in a postseason race, so despite players like Ogwumike thriving on offense, the Sparks face an uphill battle.

In or out? Out.

Lynx: 10-17, 10th in standings

After the Fever, the Lynx have the worst win percentage at 37 percent. They still have a chance at the postseason; it’s just dwindling.

When the Lynx are at their best, they look like a postseason squad. From July 6-12, Minnesota enjoyed a three-game win streak that included victories over the league’s top teams — 102-71 over the Aces and 81-78 over the Sky — and an 118-107 OT win over the Mercury. During that stretch, Ariel Powers was unbeatable, averaging 29.7 points a game. Her offense is much-needed for the Lynx, half of whose wins this season have come when Powers is the leading scorer.

Sylvia Fowles leads the Lynx with 15.1 points and 10 rebounds a game in her final season, numbers that are comparable to her career stats. Unfortunately for Fowles, the Lynx don’t share her consistency. They’ve had both a four- and a five-game losing streak this season, and they have also lost twice to the five-win Fever.

In or out? Out.

Eden Laase is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

With half of the Elite Eight now set, a few Big Ten underdogs still have a shot at disrupting the No. 1 seed stronghold at the 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament this weekend.

The No. 3-seed Purdue Boilermakers are through to the quarterfinals after defeating No. 2-seed SMU 3-1 on Thursday, while the No. 4-seed Indiana Hoosiers, No. 3 seed-Wisconsin Badgers, and the still-undefeated overall No. 1 seed Nebraska Cornhuskers all face stiff Sweet Sixteen competition on Friday afternoon.

Coming off a strong regular season, the Big Ten could still field half of the quarterfinal round — though that would require the first No. 1-seed upset of the 2025 national tournament in the form of an Indiana victory over top-seeded Texas.

Bolstered by their defensive leader, senior middle blocker Madi Sell, the Hoosiers booked just their second-ever Sweet Sixteen trip with last week's win over No. 5 Colorado, with Indiana now hoping their lucky run continues against the 2022 and 2023 champion Longhorns.

Meanwhile, the No. 1 Huskers will look to keep rolling against No. 4-seed Kansas while the No. 3 Badgers aim to snag another Big Ten spot in the Elite Eight by ousting No. 2-seed Stanford on Friday.

How to watch the 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament this weekend

The NCAA volleyball tournament's Sweet Sixteen action will wrap with four games on Friday, starting with No. 1 Texas vs. No. 4 Indiana at 12 PM ET.

The Elite Eight will then meet at the net on Saturday and Sunday to determine the last-standing teams heading to next week's Final Four in Kansas City.

All of this weekend's NCAA tournament games will air live across ESPN platforms.

Team USA is on a roll, officially taking the four-game 2025 Rivalry Series against Canada before the slate of friendlies is even over, with the US collecting three consecutive wins so far — and one shot left at making it a clean sweep.

The US downed their northern neighbors by a commanding 10-4 scoreline in Edmonton on Wednesday, marking Team USA's first-ever 10-goal victory against the reigning Olympic champs — all while upping the 2025 series' goal tally to 20-6.

While each team fine-tunes rosters ahead of the 2026 Olympics, one test remains for both international hockey titans before the Winter Games take the ice in February.

"The work doesn't stop. Our Olympic team is not named. There's still one more game to go," said USA captain Kendall Coyne Schofield, acknowledging that her squad is not taking their foot off the gas despite the recent lopsided results.

"We have one more game against them before the Olympics," echoed Canada captain Marie-Philip Poulin. "We're all aware of that."

How to watch Team USA vs. Canada in the 2025 Rivalry Series

The puck drops on the final match of the sixth annual hockey Rivalry Series between the USA and Canada in Edmonton, Alberta, on Saturday.

Live coverage of the clash will begin at 9 PM ET on the NHL Network.

The latest FIFA women's soccer rankings dropped on Thursday, with Spain widening their lead at No. 1 after winning a second consecutive UEFA Nations League title earlier this month.

The USWNT held steady at No. 2, ceding 7.48 points after losing an October friendly to No. 22 Portugal before going on to secure four straight wins over Portugal, No. 35 New Zealand, and No. 13 Italy to close out 2025.

Elsewhere in the FIFA Top 10, No. 3 Germany and No. 6 Brazil both saw boosts after successful fall runs, while Canada skidded to No. 10 amid a recent five-match winless streak, with Les Rouges's last victory coming against No. 43 Costa Rica last June.

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The biggest changes, however, occurred outside the top ranks, as No. 96 Nicaragua, No. 118 Burkina Faso, and No. 137 American Samoa all rose by 16 spots.

Notably, upcoming USWNT opponent Paraguay saw the largest drop in this month's Top 50, sliding five spots to No. 46.

Ultimately, as the USWNT battled to keep pace in a year of roster experimentation — and without a major competition on the team's 2025 docket — the many international competitions in Europe benefitted victors and challenged losers in this week's FIFA rankings update.

The No. 16 USC Trojans are gearing up for another top-ranked test, hosting the reigning national champion No. 1 UConn Huskies in the weekend's flashiest NCAA women's basketball matchup on Saturday.

Coming off their second ranked win of the season, USC topped No. 20 Washington 59-50 last Sunday, with 22 points and 12 rebounds from freshman Jazzy Davidson helping pull the Trojans to a 7-2 record.

"I saw a resolve in our team," said head coach Lindsay Gottlieb afterwards. "I knew we could get the next stop, I knew we could get the next play."

USC will face a particularly familiar foe against the Huskies — this time without sidelined star junior JuJu Watkins — after UConn knocked the Trojans out of the NCAA tournament two years in a row.

Notably, sophomore guard Kayleigh Heckel departed USC over the summer for the Huskies, with the former Trojan averaging 7.7 points per game entering Saturday's clash with her old team.

"I just try to take one game at a time, but I'm excited to go back," Heckel said ahead of her first trip back to LA since transferring. "I had a great freshman year there, and I learned a lot, and it was a great experience, a lot of fond memories. So I'm looking forward to it."

How to watch No. 1 UConn vs. No. 16 USC on Saturday

The Trojans will host the Huskies with tip-off set for 5:30 PM ET on Saturday.

Live coverage of the clash will air on FOX.