The updated 2024 NCAA women’s basketball odds are ready for your attention at March Madness betting sites. With tournament taking over the lives of millions of sports bettors, the women’s side has been garnering a lot of attention at online sportsbooks.
Following the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, event will head to Cleveland for the Final Four at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The 2024 NCAA Women’s National Championship is scheduled for Sunday, April 7.
Let’s dive into the latest odds and then reveal my best NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship predictions for 2024.
2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship Odds
The following 2024 Women’s March Madness betting odds are courtesy of BetOnline:
| TEAM | ODDS |
|---|---|
| South Carolina | -150 |
| Iowa | +550 |
| LSU | +750 |
| UConn | +1200 |
| Stanford | +1800 |
| Texas | +2000 |
| USC | +2500 |
| UCLA | +3300 |
| NC State | +5000 |
| Notre Dame | +5500 |
The South Carolina Gamecocks (-150) remain the odds-on favorites to win the 2024 NCAA Women’s National Championship. The favorite’s odds for the Women’s March Madness 2024 have shortened slightly following textbook wins in the opening rounds.
South Carolina’s price has improved from -130 to -150 since the start of March Madness., which equals a 60% implied probability of emerging victorious.
Entering the Sweet 16, the college basketball bookies online are not giving the record-breaking Caitlin Clark as much respect as the Gamecocks.
Currently, at BetOnline, Iowa’s NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship betting odds (+550) are the second-best in the nation. However, the gap between Iowa and South Carolina remains sizable.
Women’s March Madness 2024 Favorites
For our first 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship picks analysis, I am going over the favorites to win the national title game:
South Carolina Gamecocks (-150)
Last season, the Gamecocks entered March Madness with the best odds to win the women’s NCAA Tournament, too.
That ended in defeat to Clark and the Hawkeyes with a 77-73 upset in the Final Four. It was the first loss of the season for South Carolina, who finished with a perfect mark in the regular season through the Elite Eight.
The 2024 season has played out similarly for South Carolina, but can they come up with a different script in the NCAA Tournament this year?
Gamecocks Record and Form
The Gamecocks wrapped up the regular season with a 76-68 win over the Tennessee Volunteers. With the victory, the South Carolina women’s squad won their 29th game of the regular season to finish 29-0. If you add all March Madness victories up to their latest win over North Carolina, South Carolina has an overall team record of 35-0.
South Carolina kept on rolling in the SEC Tournament, but had a scare against the Tennessee Volunteers in the semifinals. The Gamecocks survived, 74-73, and then handled the LSU Tigers in the SEC Championship, 79-72.
In the SEC Tournament, the Gamecocks beat Texas A&M, Tennessee, and LSU by an average of 6.3 points per game. This is significantly less than the 27-point margin, but the competition stiffens up this time of the year, so the drop isn’t concerning.
The Gamecocks have throttled the competition through the Second Round of the women’s tournament. In the opening round, South Carolina embarrassed Presbyterian by a score of 91-39.
Despite tougher competition in the next round, they easily handled the North Carolina Tar Heels for an 88-41 win. Note that South Carolina hasn’t lost a game since the shocking loss to Iowa in the 2023 Women’s NCAA Tournament.
South Carolina NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) Rating
The NET rating, which considers several variables, including strength of schedule, offensive/defensive efficiency, quality of wins, and home/loss record, paints the Gamecocks in a favorable light1.
Despite the hype surrounding Clark, South Carolina ranks first in NET in the country2.The wide margin of victory and convincing wins for the Gamecocks certainly played a role in their No. 1 ranking. Overall, South Carolina is second in scoring, with an average of 86.3 points per game through the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament3.
Additionally, South Carolina has some good wins in their portfolio, which includes a 76-70 victory over LSU on Jan. 25 and another victory in the SEC Championship game. What’s more than a perfect record, the Gamecocks did it by playing in a tough conference.
Gamecocks Head Coach
Four-time Olympic gold medalist Dawn Staley has transformed South Carolina into a national powerhouse.
Over the last three years, Staley has directed South Carolina to an overall record of 100-3 and an NCAA title in 2021. During that time, he has won SEC Coach of the Year honors in three consecutive seasons.
On March 18, Staley won well-deserved National Coach of the Year honors from the USBWA. It’s the third consecutive year that Staley’s won the award, and the fourth time in the last five years.
BREAKING: USBWA names Dawn Staley Coach of the Year! pic.twitter.com/cP8SUfThD8
— Women’s Hoops Network (@WomensHoops_USA) March 18, 2024
Although Staley was unable to put South Carolina back in the winner’s circle in consecutive seasons, the 53-year-old Hall of Fame player has the Gamecocks in a perfect spot for redemption.
South Carolina Star Players
South Carolina has had so much success due to Staley’s ability to extract production from everyone on the floor.
Even the bench players are contributing for the Gamecocks. There isn’t another team in the NCAA Women’s Tournament that can go deep in their bench and win games.
22-year-old center Camila Cardoso is the centerpiece of the Gamecocks on defense and offense. Recently named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, Cardoso is averaging 13.9 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 2.6 blocks per game.
After serving a one-game suspension due to a brawl with LSU in the SEC Tournament, Cardoso returned to the court to score 12 points and grab 10 rebounds versus the Tar Heels.
Cardoso leads South Carolina in points, rebounds, and blocks this season, but she has more than enough help. This team is not a one-woman operation. Five Gamecocks are scoring in the double digits.
One who isn’t, Raven Johnson, leads the team with 4.8 assists per game and is active defensively with 2.1 steals per contest4. There is an incredible amount of depth on this roster, and the team doesn’t rely on one or two players to win.
Iowa Hawkeyes (+550)
The most electric women’s college basketball player will call it a career to become a pro after four years in Iowa City.
The only question remaining is whether Clark will have a national championship to depart to the WNBA with. In 2023, Iowa let one slip through their fingers in the championship game.
Following an upset over South Carolina, the Hawkeyes had one more challenge against LSU. The Tigers pulled away for a dominant 102-85 win to capture the NCAA Tournament women’s crown.
At +550, Iowa’s NCAA Basketball Championship odds do not suggest that this tournament will be easy. However, with the best player in the nation, Iowa will be a popular pick for many people’s women’s March Madness predictions in 2024.
After a thrilling 94-89 OT victory over Nebraska in the Big Ten Championship, Iowa’s 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament odds improved from +650 to +600.Currently, Iowa is +550 after dispatching the West Virginia Mountaineers to advance to the Sweet 16.
Hawkeyes Record and Form
Iowa posted a regular season record of 26-4 going into the Big Ten Tournament. With wins over Penn State (95-62), Michigan (95-68), and Nebraska (94-89 OT), the Hawkeyes carried a mark of 29-4 entering the NCAA Tournament.
Their record has improved to 31-4 going into the Sweet 16. In their last loss, Iowa was stunned in an uncompetitive 86-69 loss at Indiana on Feb. 22.
Earlier in February, Iowa was shellshocked in an equally surprising loss, with an 82-79 loss versus the unranked Nebraska Cornhuskers. They also looked incredibly ordinary in their 10-point Round of 32 win over West Virginia, which was a tied game late.
The popular opinion among casual college basketball fans is that Iowa is unbreakable with Clark at the controls. However, there have been times when Iowa has looked ordinary in 2024.
Ohio State is the only team in the Big Ten to record 16 conference wins, one of which was over Iowa on Jan. 21.
Iowa is still a well-respected powerhouse and coming off a conference championship. Whenever Clark is on the floor, the Hawkeyes are always going to have a chance to win.
Iowa NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) Rating
According to the NCAA’s NET metric, Iowa is only fifth in the nation. The all-encompassing barometer has Stanford, Texas, UConn, and South Carolina ahead of the Hawkeyes.
Iowa did manage to finish ahead of Ohio State, even if the latter nipped Iowa for the regular season Big Ten title. To the Hawkeyes’ credit, they had the best NET rating in the competitive Big Ten.
Considering Iowa’s betting odds for the women’s NCAA Championship, there isn’t a correlation between their NET ranking. Iowa has the second-shortest odds to win, yet fifth in NET, according to the NCAA.
Hawkeyes Head Coach
It may seem like Clark is the head coach of Iowa. Perhaps to your surprise, however, the Hawkeyes have an actual head coach calling the shots. 62-year-old Lisa Bluder is leading the team’s coaching staff.
This week, she was again named a finalist for the 2023-24 Naismith Coach of the Year honors. She won he first award in 2019 after starting her coaching career in the mid-1980s.
Bluder owns a cumulative head coaching record of 881-394. Since taking over the Iowa women’s basketball program in 2000, Bluder boasts a mark of 524-253.
Last season’s trip to the NCAA Women’s National Championship was the first time in school history. It was also Iowa’s first Final Four appearance since 19935.
Bluder will be eager for another strong run, but Clark needs some help to win a national championship. I am not as confident in Iowa’s chances as many other pundits.
Iowa Star Players
Clark is the biggest star in women’s basketball at the moment. The six-foot senior leads the Hawkeyes in points, rebounds, assists, and steals. Without Clark on the floor, Iowa likely would have suffered an early exit in the NCAA Tournament.
She feels comfortable from anywhere on the floor, including from deep range behind the three-point stripe. In her final collegiate season, Clark is averaging an astonishing 31.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 8.9 assists per game.
In 2023-24, the leading scorer in NCAA history is connecting on 38% of shots from three-point land. Also, Clark has been efficient from the charity stripe, with an 85.9% free throw percentage. The dynamic guard led Iowa to 92.8 points per game — the most in women’s college basketball.
Clark will have to play out of her mind for Iowa to return to the National Championship. Certainly, I am not going to put that past her, so Iowa can’t be discounted in the NCAA Tournament.
Nevertheless, she will likely need considerable support from Hannah Stuelke and Kate Martin to leave college as a champion. This team doesn’t look deep enough at the moment, so I don’t see much value in the odds for the Hawkeyes.
Best Sleepers for the NCAAW Basketball Tournament
With some juicy underdogs on the women’s 2024 March Madness odds board at online sportsbooks, consider including some long shots for your NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship picks.
Following the updated odds after the completion of the Second Round, I have identified two sleeper teams that have solid betting value for the rest of the NCAA Women’s Tournament:
- UConn Huskies (+1200)
- USC Trojans (+2500)
UConn is off to the Sweet 16 for the 30th consecutive season. Head coach Geno Auriemma’s 39 seasons leading the Huskies are nothing short of legendary. The 70-year-old Hall of Fame coach is still hungry for success!
According to the NCAA’s NET rankings, not many teams are stronger than the Huskies. In fact, only the Gamecocks have a higher rating than UConn this season.
Following a 72-64 win over Syracuse in the Second Round, it certainly looks like the 31-5 Huskies have a better chance of winning than their odds indicate. Fortunately, I grabbed UConn at +2000 last week, but don’t oppose adding more to the Huskies at +1200, too. They are still alive and going strong.
Aside from UConn, the USC Trojans are fetching strong value to win. The Trojans are a much more dangerous team than their title odds of +2500 suggest.
With JuJu Watkins and Mackenzie Forbes running the offense in the backcourt, USC can beat any team in the nation on a good night.
With 13 wins in their previous 14 attempts, USC is amongst the hottest teams playing basketball in March.
NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship 2024 Prediction and Betting Pick
One year ago, South Carolina painfully exited the floor with a loss in the Final Four. Staley and her cast of impressive players have been thinking about the 77-73 loss to Iowa for the better part of the last year.
In 2024, it feels like the Gamecocks are on a redemption tour. As the most complete and well-rounded team in the NCAA Tournament, it’s going to take a lot for another team to match South Carolina’s physicality and energy.
For this singular reason, South Carolina is a top selection of my NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship predictions in 2024. Whether it’s the offense or defense, South Carolina is in a strong position to excel in March.
Following their dominance through the first two rounds, my opinion has not changed regarding South Carolina or the rest of this tournament’s trajectory. The favorite is not showing any signs of regressing and likely won’t through the national title game in April.
While UConn has been impressive in the men’s NCAA Tournament, the Gamecocks women’s squad is leaving no doubts about who the biggest favorite is in March Madness.
Following a tough loss last year, the Gamecocks are not taking any game for granted. Although you will have to pay -150 as opposed to plus money on another bet, the undefeated Gamecocks are still worth considering at this price.
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Sources
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College basketball’s NET rankings, explained | NCAA.com. Retrieved From “https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2022-12-05/college-basketballs-net-rankings-explained”
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DI Women’s Basketball Rankings – NCAA Women’s Basketball NET Rankings | NCAA.com. Retrieved From “https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/basketball-women/d1/ncaa-womens-basketball-net-rankings”
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NCAA College Women’s Basketball DI Stats | NCAA.com. Retrieved From “https://www.ncaa.com/stats/basketball-women/d1”
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South Carolina Gamecocks 2023-24 Women’s College Basketball Stats | ESPN. Retrieved From “https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/team/stats/_/id/2579/south-carolina-gamecocks”
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Lisa Bluder – University of Iowa Athletics | Hawkeyesports.com. Retrieved From “https://hawkeyesports.com/coach/lisa-bluder/”
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