2024-25 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship Odds and Predictions

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After one weekend of play, we are down to the Sweet 16 in the 2024-25 NCAA women’s basketball championship. There weren’t many surprises through the first two rounds of the tournament. Two No. 10 seeds – Oregon and South Dakota State – pulled upsets in the first round but failed to win in the second round.

Unlike the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, the lowest seeds to advance to this year’s women’s Sweet 16 are a trio of No. 5 seeds – Tennessee, Kansas State, and Ole Miss. All four No. 1 seeds – USC, UCLA, South Carolina, and Texas – all advanced to the Sweet 16. Head coach Dawn Staley and her South Carolina Gamecocks are making their 11th straight trip to the Sweet 16. The Gamecocks are the defending NCAA champions.

The big news in the 2024-25 NCAA women’s basketball tournament happened on Monday, March 24 in a second-round game between top-seeded USC and Mississippi State. Trojans star JuJu Watkins drove to the basket just five minutes into the game and crumpled to the floor after her right knee gave out. Watkins missed the remainder of the game and will miss the rest of the tournament. She suffered a torn ACL. USC went on to win the game easily 96-59.

With the tournament now down to 16 teams, it’s time to take a new look at the 2024-25 NCAA women’s basketball championship odds and predictions. You can check the latest NCAAW odds at these top sports betting sites. You’ll find them a little different than they were in February and just before the start of the tourney.

Women’s NCAA Basketball Championship Odds

Check out the latest NCAAW Basketball Championship odds:

Women’s College Basketball Championship Favorites

The following NCAAW Women’s teams are considered the odds-on favorites to win the 2024-25 NCAAW College Basketball Championship:

UConn Huskies +155

After the first two rounds of the 2024-25 women’s NCAA tournament, one thing is clear. UConn will carve up any defense in this tournament. It’s not often a team wins a game by 69 points. It’s even rarer when that game is in the season-ending national championship tournament, but it’s exactly what UConn did.

The Huskies beat Arkansas State 103-34 in Round 1. Leading scorer Azzi Fudd had 27 points. Teammate Paige Bueckers had 11 in that game and then came back in the second round to pour in 34 in a 91-57 win over South Dakota State. The Huskies have it all. They can score and they play outstanding defense. They haven’t given up more than 58 points since early February. The Huskies will face No. 3 Oklahoma in the Sweet 16.

UConn has won 12 games in a row and their only losses this season are to three teams that still remain in this tournament – Notre Dame, USC, and Tennessee. If you pulled the trigger earlier, you got the Huskies at +350 back in February. If you don’t pull the trigger now, the only direction these odds are moving is away from you.

South Carolina Gamecocks+190

Staley has been absolutely amazing over the last decade-plus. Her teams have dominated women’s college basketball and this season is no exception. However, the Gamecocks did lose three times this season and do not have the dominant player or players that they have had in previous seasons.

South Carolina’s last loss came against UConn and it was pretty decisive. The Huskies rolled to an 87-58 win over the Gamecocks. If the two should meet again, it would be in the national championship game.

The Gamecocks do not have a dominant scorer. They are led by freshman Joyce Edwards who averages 13.2 points per game. South Carolina ranks 33rd in scoring defense allowing 57.3 points per game. That has been their saving grace all season and that defense is why they are still favorites to win the national title. The Gamecocks will face No. 4 Maryland in the Sweet 16.

UCLA Bruins +700

UCLA beat Southern and Richmond to advance to the Sweet 16. The Bruins have a win over South Carolina already this season. UCLA is big, plays great defense, and goes eight deep into the bench. Three of their rotation players are 6-4 or taller, including 6-7 Lauren Betts who leads the Bruins in scoring (19.7 ppg) and rebounding (9.7 rpg).

USC lost to crosstown rival and championship contender USC twice this season. Then, the Bruins beat the Trojans in the Big Ten conference championship game. UCLA beat 10 ranked opponents this season. The Bruins will take on No. 5 seed Ole Miss in their Sweet 16 game.

Texas Longhorns +750

Texas earned the No. 1 seed in Region 3 – Birmingham after finishing the season 31-3. The Longhorns won their first two tournament games rather easily. They beat William & Mary 105-61 and then took care of Illinois 65-48 in the second round.

The Longhorns lost to South Carolina 67-50 on January 12. Texas then went on to win 15 games in a row before losing in the SEC tournament final to … you guessed it … South Carolina. The Longhorns have just three losses this season. Two came against the No. 2 team in the country, South Carolina, and the other came in overtime against No. 8 Notre Dame.

Should Texas take care of business in the Sweet 16, the Longhorns could face the Fighting Irish once again. Notre Dame, the No. 3 seed, takes on No. 2 TCU in the other half of the Region 3 bracket. That would set up an interesting Elite 8 showdown.

Best Women’s College Basketball Championship Betting Value

The following NCAAW teams offer betting value to win the Women’s College Basketball Championship:

The real value pick here is UCLA at +700. Who is the No. 1 team in the nation right now? If you didn’t know, it’s the Bruins. There are a number of reasons why, but the biggest is they are 30-2. Both of those losses came against USC and they avenged those losses in the Big Ten title game.

Plus, don’t forget that should they face USC in the national semifinals, assuming they can win their Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games, the Bruins would play the Trojans minus USC’s best player – Watkins.

UCLA will face Ole Miss in the Sweet 16. No offense to Ole Miss, but the Rebels lost 10 games this season. They are 22-10, which is respectable, but the Rebels are no match for a much bigger and more athletic Bruins lineup. In addition to the 6-7 Betts, the Bruins play 6-3 Timea Gardiner, 6-4 Angela Dugalic, and 6-4 Janiah Barker.

The Bruins are a top 40 defense giving up just 57.6 points per game. They are also a top 20 offense averaging 78.9 points per game on offense. UCLA presents matchup problems for every single team remaining in the tournament.

Women’s College Basketball Championship Longshot

It’s still hard to think about Texas as a longshot, but at +750 this late in the tournament the Longhorns are exactly that, a longshot. The Longhorns have had a great season. As mentioned, they lost just three times and two of those losses were to the defending champion South Carolina Gamecocks.

Texas has been to four of the last five Sweet Sixteens. They’ve also made the Elite Eight in three of the last four tournaments. Head coach Vic Schaefer has put together a nice run in his five seasons with the Longhorns. Schaefer’s teams are 142-35 (.802) and have finished each season ranked in the top 20 in the nation.

He’s got plenty of talent with 6-1 sophomore Madison Booker (16.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg) and 6-4 senior Taylor Jones (12.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg). The Longhorns also have some size with 6-6 Kyle Odacre and 6-1 Aaliyah Moore in the mix.

Texas hasn’t been to the Final Four since 2003. Schaefer has been to three Elite Eights. Should he get there this year, he’ll take on either Notre Dame or TCU. As we mentioned the Irish are one of the Longhorns three losses this season. They have not played TCU, which is 33-3 this season and the No. 2 seed in the region.

Should Texas get to the Final Four, they have the roster that can compete with any of the best teams in the country. The odds may not feel like a longshot, but at this point in the competition any team not named South Carolina, UConn, or UCLA is pretty much a darkhorse.

Women’s College Basketball Championship Predictions

If you have followed us here at Scores & Stats through the 2024-25 NCAA women’s tournament, you know that we jumped on board with UConn before the end of the season. At that point, we got the Huskies at +350.

Winning a tournament like this takes a few things. One is at least one star player and some key role players as well. Experience goes a long way as does having a head coach that can guide a team to a championship.

UConn checks all of the boxes. Paige Bueckers is probably the most underrated player in America. Her teammate Azzi Fudd is outstanding and the roster is deep. The Huskies lead the nation in scoring defense, another key in a championship run.

Geno Auriemma? He’s a legend in the sport. Coach Geno has guided UConn to 11 national championships. He holds the NCAA record for most wins by any basketball coach in history (1,246). His teams have made 26 straight trips to the Sweet 16 and they’ve been to 15 of the last 16 Final Fours.

Don’t forget. UConn ended South Carolina’s five-year home winning streak when the Huskies went on the road and pounded the Gamecocks, beating them by 29 points on South Carolina’s home floor. They are deep. They are talented. They are well-coached and they’ve been here before. We’re sticking with UConn as our national champion.

Bet: UConn Huskies +155

Recent NCAAW Basketball Championship Winners

The following is a list of the most recent NCAAW Basketball Champions: