NCAAW Title Game Parlay: South Carolina To Write Perfect Ending
South Carolina and Iowa took different paths to Sunday’s national title game as the undefeated Gamecocks pulled away with a dominant third quarter to top North Carolina State 78-59 in the first of the national semifinals while Iowa had to hold on for a 71-69 win over UConn. When looking at the NCAAW picks, South Carolina is favored against Iowa just as was the case in the 2023 Final Four meeting.
South Carolina at -275 to win Sunday’s game isn’t too appealing as a standalone wager, but it could be part of a parlay as the 2023-24 college women’s basketball game comes to an end.
The NCAAW betting lines have South Carolina as a 6½-point favorite with the Gamecocks being a rare single-digit favorite with Iowa listed as an underdog for the first time in the 2024 March Madness bracket.
When looking at NCAAW futures odds, South Carolina was first at -200 and Iowa was second at +300 in the odds of winning the women’s national title heading into Friday’s semifinals.
When it comes to NCAAW picks and parlays, here are three options to consider heading into Sunday’s championship game.
The Hawkeyes and Gamecocks meet on Sunday, April 7, at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland at 3 p.m. ET. You can watch the game on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN+.
South Carolina To Win Outright (-275)
South Carolina is one of the top defensive teams in the country. South Carolina leads all NCAA Division I teams in field-goal percentage defense, holding opponents to 32.2% shooting, and also ranks first in scoring margin, winning by nearly 30 points per game. The Gamecocks are also in the top 20 in scoring defense and 3-point percentage defense.
The Gamecocks seem to have all the boxes checked with size in the frontcourt, elite point guard play, and multiple perimeter scorers. South Carolina has struggled to cover against the Moneyline but has delivered outright victories each time as the NCAAW betting favorite.
You’ve got one more game day to prep for this season, FAMS!https://t.co/YxT8anE6id pic.twitter.com/0P0WIo3HJY
— South Carolina Women’s Basketball (@GamecockWBB) April 6, 2024
Iowa relies on record-breaking Caitlin Clark to do much of the heavy lifting but the Hawkeyes have been getting contributions from the other starters in recent March Madness games.
This is Iowa’s second straight title game appearance. Last year’s game ended with a loss to LSU and it could be a similar result to another SEC team on Sunday.
North Carolina State To Cover as 6½-Point Underdogs (-120)
Iowa has not had an easy path to the national title game with wins over a Colorado team that spent multiple weeks ranked in the top five in the national polls, a victory over defending national champion LSU in a rematch of the 2023 title, and a down-to-the-wire slugfest with 11-time national champion UConn.
Don’t expect Iowa to fade quite as easily as North Carolina State did in the second half against the undefeated Gamecocks.
South Carolina was impressive with the way it pulled away from North Carolina State. However, the Gamecocks began March with three of the first four games decided by single digits and the other win coming by 11 points.
South Carolina was tested in both regional games in Albany, topping Indiana by four points and beating Oregon State by 12.
Iowa has won 11 straight games and is 7-2 against teams ranked in the Top 25 in the Associated Press poll so it might not be the worst choice to take a chance on the Hawkeyes to hang around in the matchup with South Carolina.
Iowa-South Carolina Game to Go Over 159½ Points (-120)
With the way that South Carolina can shut down the best offensive teams, it is quite the compliment to the dynamic Caitlin Clark that the total in the national title game is set at 159½.
It will be fun to watch how South Carolina looks to defend Clark, the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I basketball history. UConn turned to former Big East Defensive Player of the Year Nika Muhl and she made life difficult for the best player in the country.
South Carolina can throw different players at her and with no player on the South Carolina roster under 5-foot-9, the Gamecocks could throw some players with size at the record-breaking Iowa star.
Kate Martin is averaging 13.6 points in the NCAA tournament while Hannah Stulke is averaging 13.5 points and 7.3 rebounds over the last four games, and Sydney Affolter is putting up 12.2 points in the NCAA tournament so this is not a one-player team.
The 2023 national title game was an offensive showcase. Don’t be surprised to see a physical South Carolina team make points harder to come by in Sunday’s title contest when looking at the college basketball bets today.
Questions of the Day
What happened the last time Iowa and South Carolina played?
Iowa was the 11½-point underdog and came through the +500 to win the game in the 2023 national semifinals with a 77-73 win.
Which players came through as top player prop options for Iowa and South Carolina in Friday’s semifinals?
Iowa’s Hannah Stuelke led the Hawkeyes with 23 points against UConn and that paid out at +520. For South Carolina, Kamilla Cardoso delivered at +293 when she scored 21 points and Raven Johnson’s 12 points paid out at +216.
