The NCAA Women’s Final Four will tip off Friday in Dallas with one notable exception. For the first time since 2007, UConn will not be joining the festivities.
The Huskies’ streak of 14 consecutive appearances in the national semifinals surprisingly ended with a Sweet 16 loss to Ohio State.
Instead, No. 1 seeds South Carolina and Virginia Tech, No. 2 seed Iowa, and No. 3 seed LSU are the last teams standing.
South Carolina (36-0) has won 42 straight games dating to the start of last year’s tournament and is heavily favored to defend its national championship. The Gamecocks are seeking their third NCAA title under coach Dawn Staley since 2017.
Let’s take a closer look at the remaining field.
Women’s March Madness Champion Odds
Women’s March Madness lines were taken from DraftKings Sportsbook and are current as of Tuesday, March 28, at 8 p.m. ET.
- South Carolina (-330)
- LSU (+700)
- Iowa (+950)
- Virginia Tech (+1100)
Read our Women’s Final Four best bets for both games:
Women’s NCAA Tournament Best Bet
South Carolina (-330) • DraftKings Sportsbook
Ideally, you’d prefer better value here. But at this point, how can you pick anyone but South Carolina to win the national title?
The NCAA Tournament’s No. 1 overall seed has barely broken a sweat to this point.
After beating their four tournament opponents by an average of 22.5 points, the Gamecocks find themselves in the Final Four for the third straight year. Maryland was the only team to even top 45 points against them, and yet the Greenville Regional final was hardly ever in doubt.
At 36-0, South Carolina is on the precipice of becoming the first undefeated national champion since UConn in 2016 and the 10th all-time.
The tournament now moves to Dallas, where South Carolina won its first national championship in 2017. A major test awaits in Iowa and Caitlin Clark, the most dynamic scorer in the country.
But the Gamecocks, who rank first in points allowed per game, field goal percentage defense, and blocked shots per game, seem well-equipped to handle whatever is next.
Women’s NCAA Tournament Contender
Iowa (+950) • DraftKings Sportsbook
I’d like the Hawkeyes (30-6) a bit more if they didn’t have to get past South Carolina and LSU or Virginia Tech. But I can’t entirely count them out.
Did you see the performance Clark put on against Louisville in the Elite Eight? The junior sharpshooter posted the 11th — and perhaps most prolific — triple-double of her college career, with 41 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds.
No matter how good South Carolina is, if Clark is on her game, there might not be much the Gamecocks can do to stop her.
Women’s NCAA Tournament Sleeper Bets
LSU (+700) • DraftKings Sportsbook
Continuing its ascent under Hall of Fame coach Kim Mulkey, LSU returns to the Final Four for the first time in 15 years.
Against Utah and Miami, the No. 3-seeded Tigers (32-2) made up for their inefficiency on offense by grinding it out in the halfcourt. Both opponents shot below 39% from the floor and turned it over more than 15 times.
Angel Reese remains a game-changer for the Tigers. Even though she struggled to score in the Greenville Regional final, the All-American forward helped in other ways, with 18 rebounds, four assists, three steals and a pair of blocks.
Virginia Tech (+1100) • DraftKings Sportsbook
A +4000 longshot entering the Seattle Regional, No. 1 seed Virginia Tech has since seen its national championship odds jump to +1100.
The Hokies — the lone newcomer in this year’s Final Four — have won 15 straight games and are 18-1 since Jan. 12.
They’ll have a chance to knock off LSU so long as Georgia Amoore continues her hot shooting. The junior guard has made 20 three-pointers through the first four rounds — one more than Clark and two shy of the NCAA Tournament record.
