It’s their turn: The women’s NCAA Tournament starts Friday at 11:30 a.m. ET.
The powerhouse trio of favorites – South Carolina (32-0), Iowa, and LSU – shouldn’t steal the spotlight from a talented group that includes USC, UConn, and Stanford waiting to snatch the trophy from them.
Can Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, NCAA Division I Basketball’s all-time leading scorer, end her collegiate career with the ultimate prize? Will South Carolina finish a perfect season by cutting down the nets? Will LSU or someone else spoil for both?
Doug Bonjour, Phil Naessens, and Garrett Chorpenning weigh in: Keep reading to see our postseason women’s CBB picks for what might be one of the most anticipated NCAA Tournaments in recent history.
✍️ Women’s March Madness Bracket Picks Filled Out
Women’s NCAA Tournament 2024 Region Winner Predictions
- Regional 1 Albany: South Carolina
- Regional 2 Albany: Iowa
- Regional 3 Portland: UConn
- Regional 4 Portland: Stanford
It’s a bit chalky, I know. But I’m taking three of the four No. 1 seeds to reach the Final Four, except USC. While the Trojans have a dynamic talent in JuJu Watkins, I’m siding with experience and going with UConn to join the party in Cleveland.
The Huskies are a bit beat up, but they have a pair of superstars in Paige Bueckers and Aaliyah Edwards to help them overcome their injury woes.
Easiest Final Four Path: South Carolina
As the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed, South Carolina was gifted a relatively favorable road to Cleveland, starting with the first two rounds on campus. The Gamecocks should glide to the Sweet 16 in Albany, N.Y., where they’d potentially face fourth-seeded Indiana. That’s, of course, assuming the Hoosiers advance that far with Mackenzie Holmes injured.
Meanwhile, No. 2 seed Notre Dame is playing well, but depth could be an issue. Kylee Watson injured her knee in the ACC Tournament, leaving the Fighting Irish with potentially just six healthy players.
- South Carolina is the clear favorite to win it all. Read more about Women’s March Madness Tournament Champion Odds.
Toughest Final Four Path: Iowa
The NCAA selection committee did Caitlin Clark no favors. Albany Regional 2 is loaded. In addition to Iowa being the top seed, we also have UCLA and LSU, three of the top eight teams in the AP poll.
UCLA was in the conversation for the final No. 1 seed before its Pac-12 Tournament loss to USC, and LSU is the defending national champion.
With that path, the Hawkeyes will certainly have to earn their way to the Final Four.
Strongest Upset Pick: No. 11 Green Bay over No. 6 Tennessee
Green Bay went 27-6 and made the most of its opportunities against ranked opponents, beating Creighton and Washington State during non-conference play.
Led by Bailey Butler, the Horizon League champions are patient offensively and have the kind of guards who can win close games in March.
Tennessee played South Carolina tight, losing three times by an average of 6.7 points. At the same time, the Lady Vols continue to look far too vulnerable under Kellie Harper’s watch.
✅ Women’s March Madness Bracket Predictions
| Women's Tourney Pick | Doug | Phil | Garrett |
|---|---|---|---|
| Champions | South Carolina | LSU | Iowa |
| Runner-Up | Iowa | South Carolina | South Carolina |
| Final Four Team 3 | Stanford | USC | Gonzaga |
| Final Four Team 4 | UConn | Stanford | UConn |
| Most Outstanding Player | Kamilla Cardoso (SC) | Angel Reese (LSU) | Caitlin Clark (Iowa) |
| Cinderella | MTSU | Mississippi | Colorado |
| Top Team To Lose Early | LSU | Iowa | Kansas State |
| Breakout Player | Hannah Hidalgo (ND) | JuJu Watkins (USC) | McKenzie Forbes (USC) |
✅ Women’s NCAA Tournament Championship Prediction
South Carolina defeats Iowa
With an entirely new starting five, South Carolina powered through yet another undefeated regular season and won the SEC Tournament title to boot. Like last season, the Gamecocks are heavy -140 favorites to win it all, the only team with better than plus odds.
The Gamecocks’ path to the Final Four is not without potential roadblocks. North Carolina, for instance, was one of the few teams to push Dawn Staley’s team to the wire during the regular season.
However, I’m still taking the Gamecocks over the field. They have everything you want in a title contender, including size, good guard play, experience, and grit.
Despite losing all five starters from last season, South Carolina (32-0) responded with its second straight perfect regular season and the SEC Tournament title. As the No. 1 overall seed, Dawn Staley’s team has a relatively favorable path to Cleveland.
The Gamecocks have everything you want in a championship contender, including size, good guard play, experience, and grit. They’re on a mission, with Raven Johnson having dubbed this their “revenge tour” after falling short in the Final Four to Iowa.
Because of that, they’ll do what they didn’t last year and win it all. — Doug Bonjour
Iowa def. South Carolina
Caitlin Clark’s Hawkeyes won’t have an easy path to the title, but she’s proven time and time and again throughout her career that no moment is too big for her.
The Gamecocks have had a spectacular season, but they’ve suffered a few scares along the way. A close finish with Iowa in the title game would be an honorable way to go out. — Garrett Chorpenning
LSU def. South Carolina (Phil)
Women’s March Madness fans deserve this final, and neither program will disappoint. The Tigers have fallen twice to the Gamecocks, but it’s difficult to defeat a team three times in a season, and it’s more challenging for a team to go undefeated and ship one.
LSU is the defending champs, is deeper than last year’s group, and should sneak out of Rocket Mortage Arena as national champions. — Phil Naessens
✅ Women’s Final Four Teams
UConn & Gonzaga
The Huskies had a down year, but this is still an excellent team led by star Paige Bueckers. UConn wins on both ends of the floor, running an efficient offense and stifling defense.
Defense is an issue, but the Bulldogs can really score. Their low turnovers and efficient three-point shooting can lead them to victories over top teams, as evidenced by their win over Stanford during the regular season. — Garrett Chorpenning
Stanford & UConn
Stanford was slotted as a No. 2 seed in Portland Region 4 when many thought it’d done enough to land on the top line. Regardless, the Cardinal still managed to get a decent draw.
Ironically, top-seeded Texas may have the more difficult path, with Alissa Pili and No. 5 Utah potentially awaiting in the Sweet 16. Stanford could have to deal with No. 3 NC State, but the Cardinal would have the built-in advantage of playing closer to home on the West Coast.
UConn faces some potential roadblocks on the opposite side of the bracket in Portland Region 3, but the third-seeded Huskies — whose streak of 14 consecutive Final Four appearances ended last season — have a top-10 offense and defense, in addition to a pair of superstars in Paige Bueckers and Aaliyah Edwards. — Doug Bonjour
USC & Stanford
USC crushed Stanford by 13 points in the Pac-12 tourney finale. They’ll have a battle to get through Region 3, but they are by far the best team in that region.
Cameron Brink is the likely No. 2 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, and Stanford has the size and finesse to get through Region 4–Texas has the easier draw, but Stanford wins the region. — Phil Naessens
✅ Women’s NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player
Caitlin Clark, G, Iowa
It’s an obvious choice, but picking any player other than Clark feels like a mistake.
She’s one of the most electric players in the world, and a storybook ending feels fitting for her final year with the Hawkeyes. — Garrett Chorpenning
Kamilla Cardoso, C, South Carolina
I’m tempted to pick Clark because she’s that special, but this award is typically reserved for someone on the winning team. Thus, I’ll go with the 6-foot-7 Cardoso, who’s shown an ability to take over games when she’s in a groove.
Cardoso, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, is averaging 9.5 rebounds and 2.1 blocks along with 14.0 points per game. — Doug Bonjour
Angel Reese, Forward, LSU
While Clark has received all the fanfare, Reese quietly continues grabbing boards and scoring buckets. She leads LSU with 19 points and 13.1 caroms per game. If LSU is to defend its crown, Reese must make an even bigger impact than she already does – and she will, because she’s a gamer. — Phil Naessens
✅ Women’s NCAA Tournament Cinderella
Middle Tennessee State
Led by Conference USA Player of the Year Savannah Wheeler and the conference’s top defensive player in Anastasiia Boldyreva, Middle Tennessee has won 19 straight games and are 29-4 overall.
As the No. 11 seed in Albany Region 2, the Blue Raiders open with Louisville, losers of four of their last seven. Inconsistency continues to plague Jeff Walz’s team, which really hasn’t been the same since Hailey Van Lith transferred. — Doug Bonjour
MTSU has already proven it can beat Top 25-caliber opponents, having upset Tennessee earlier this season.
Ole Miss
No program below a three-seed has ever won the Women’s March Madness tourney, and Cinderella is at a premium. Mississippi has a nice draw and can reach at least the Sweet 16.
The No. 7 seed should get past a good Marquette program. They’ll have an edge over probable second-round foe Notre Dame. Fighting Irish blocks leader Kylee Watson is out, which should get them past Notre Dame and into the Sweet 16. — Phil Naessens
