Women’s March Madness Prediction: South Carolina, UConn Teams to Beat March 19

Will it be more of the same this season?

The 10 teams with the shortest NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship Winner Odds include all four No. 1 and No. 2 seeds as well as third-seeded Notre Dame and LSU.

When looking at the women’s basketball futures, defending champion South Carolina (+240) and UConn (+260) have the shortest championship odds.

Women’s March Madness Analysis

Can Anybody Topple the No. 1 Seeds?

It might be a surprise to some that the 1989, 2012 and 2015 women’s March Madness brackets are the only ones where the Final Four featured all No. 1 seeds.

These are the most picked champions in the women’s NCAA tournament according to users in the Tournament Challenge app.

Who ya got? Make YOUR bracket today ➡️ https://t.co/Kl6GVRx0QH pic.twitter.com/WJfqYAkRfC

— ESPN (@espn) March 18, 2025

However, the slipper didn’t stay on Cinderella’s feet for very long in recent tournaments. The last team that wasn’t a top 16 seed to reach the Final Four being the 2016-17 Washington Huskies.

Based on the sports betting odds, the likely regional finals would feature UCLA vs North Carolina State, South Carolina vs Duke, Texas vs Notre Dame and USC vs UConn. That would be four No. 1 seeds, three No. 2 seeds and third-seeded Notre Dame.

If I’m picking a No. 1 seed to fall short of the Final Four in Tampa, it could be Texas simply because of the presence of Notre Dame.

Pick: Bet South Carolina (+240) to Win the National Championship

Kansas State Could Be Cinderella Team

Picking upsets in the women’s bracket will be no easy task even in a season full of unpredictable results.

If there is a team outside of the top 16 seeds I would keep an eye on, it could be Kansas State.

The Wildcats have played 14 games without their leading scorer and rebounder. However, per college basketball news, Ayoka Lee has been cleared to play in the NCAA Tournament.

Kansas State’s Ayoka Lee is good to go for the NCAA Tournament, a team spokesperson told @On3sports.

Here’s a video of Lee in practice today. pic.twitter.com/bgN5d1wcrc

— Talia Goodman (@TaliaGoodmanWBB) March 13, 2025

Any team with a dominant post player and veteran point guard (Serena Sundell) can’t be overlooked.

If Kansas State gets by MAAC champion Fairfield, there could be a matchup with Kentucky with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line.

Guarding JuJu Watkins of USC could be an issue if the Wildcats get that far, but that is why they play the games.

Vanderbilt has the top-scoring tandem in the country with freshman Mikayla Blakes and sophomore Khamil Pierre both averaging more than 20 points per game.

The Commodores will likely need to contend with ACC tournament champion Duke to advance to the regionals with South Carolina waiting on the other side of the Spokane 4 region.

JuJu Watkins, Paige Bueckers Among Marquee Stars

Stars still matter in March Madness.

Watkins could be the National Player of the Year and USC will go as far as the dynamic sophomore takes them. USC is +750 to win it all in college basketball betting lines.

Hannah Hidalgo is one reason why Notre Dame is a dangerous team. UConn features former National Player of the Year Paige Bueckers and freshman star Sarah Strong. Bueckers and Watkins are in the same region and could meet in the Elite Eight. The Trojans handed the Huskies one of their three losses in December, per NCAAW betting trends.

UCLA’s 6-foot-7 Lauren Betts can be unstoppable down low. Florida State features the nation’s leading scorer in Ta’Niya Latson and a potential WNBA draft pick inside in Mikayla Timpson.

Texas star Madison Booker and South Carolina’s Joyce Edwards could be other popular college basketball player prop options.

Odds and information are accurate at the time of writing. Please check with official sources for the latest updates before placing any bets.

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