After a thrilling regular season that was among the most competitive ever in women’s college basketball, the Women’s NCAA Tournament is finally here, and it promises a slew of delightful matchups during the best month on the sports calendar.
There will be some changes to get used to with this year’s edition. For example, there will only be two regional sites, but the amount of depth at the top combined with the hot shooting nature of several mid-majors could end up making this one of the most unpredictable brackets ever.
With that in mind, here are a few plays to think about when it comes to betting on March Madness on the Women’s side.
Let’s dive into it!
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South Carolina: -145 to win it all
Despite parity being far more of a factor during the regular season, it’s hard to go with anybody other than the Gamecocks to cut the nets down in Dallas and make it back-to-back national titles. Head coach Dawn Staley’s team rolls into the tourney a perfect 32-0 and has only really played three close games all season. They have an extremely favorable path that includes the first two rounds at home, a regional in nearby Greenville and a trip to a very familiar Dallas, where the program won it all back in 2017.
It’s never fun (nor all that profitable) to bet the overwhelming favorite, but there’s a reason why this group has been head and shoulders above the rest of the competition in 2022-23 and looks borderline unstoppable entering March Madness. There are some tricky potential matchups with No. 2 seed Maryland, who has one of the top players in the country in Diamond Miller, or a pesky No. 4 seed in UCLA, but the top overall team in the tournament has Player of the Year candidate Aliyah Boston leading the way for a group that is as safe a bet as any to go wire-to-wire at No. 1.
The Long Shots To Win It All
Indiana: +1000 to win it all
There was a ton of national attention on the Big Ten this year, and rightfully so, with three programs in contention to snag a No. 1 seed. It was the Hoosiers who ultimately landed one after winning their first regular season title in 40 years and fending off some impressive competition inside the league to do so. Head coach Teri Moren has really developed the program into one of the most consistent in the country, and they have a superb backcourt with veteran guards Sydney Parrish and Grace Berger combined with All-American forward Mackenzie Holmes.
The Hoosiers are coming off an unexpectedly early exit in the conference tournament last week, but the additional rest could end up being a positive factor going into their early-round games. They have a pretty straightforward path to Dallas, too, with second-seeded Utah and three-seed LSU proving to be the biggest obstacles in their path.
Maryland: +2500 to win it all
Much like Indiana, Maryland was battled-tested in conference play and boasts a veteran crew of big-time players. Diamond Miller should end up being a top two WNBA draft pick by the time she leaves school, and she is complemented by Abby Meyers and Shyanne Sellers, both scoring in double-digits. They’re active on defense and are not afraid of a looming contest against South Carolina.
Meeting the Gamecocks in the Elite Eight is a tough draw, but if they escape Greenville with a win, the title is there for the taking.
Utah: +4000 to win it all
The Pac-12 has produced a number of championship threats over the years, and the best from out West might not be perennial power Stanford but a Utah side that won a regular season conference title and rose to No. 3 in the Top 25 rankings at one point. Alissa Pili was Pac-12 Player of the Year for a good reason, while sharp-shooter Ginna Kneepkens is up for National Player of the Year.
This team matches up well against the top seeds in their region and would benefit from avoiding South Carolina until the final.
Bryan Fischer is a college football writer for FOX Sports. He has been covering college athletics for nearly two decades at outlets such as NBC Sports, CBS Sports, Yahoo! Sports and NFL.com among others. Follow him on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.
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