With the Sweet 16 on the horizon after an exciting two rounds of action in the 2023 Women's NCAA Tournament, we are starting to get a clearer picture of who could be playing in Dallas, TX, at the Final Four. Undefeated South Carolina (34-0) is still the overwhelming favorite to win its second-straight national title (-200) and go back to the Final Four (-550). The No. 1 seed Gamecocks crushed the No. 16 seed Norfolk State Spartans, 72-40, in the first round and followed it up with a 31-point win over No. 8 seed South Florida in the second round.
Even though South Carolina didn't have any issues through the first two rounds, fellow No. 1 seeds Indiana (Greeneville 2) and Stanford (Seattle 4) went down in the second round. The Hoosiers lost 70-68 to No. 9 seed Miami (FL) thanks to a game-winning bucket from Destiny Harden with 3.5 seconds left. Meanwhile, Stanford lost 54-49 to the No. 8 seed Ole Miss on Sunday. The Cardinal struggled from three-point range (28.6 percent) and allowed the Rebels to shoot (45.5 percent) from beyond the arc.
With Indiana and Stanford eliminated, UConn (+500), LSU (+750), and Iowa (+1200) saw their national title odds game improve drastically. Below, we will look at the updated odds on who could be the new queens of college basketball and some sleepers that are only a couple of wins away from reaching the Final Four.
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Tournament HQ | Full Schedule | Printable bracket
2023 Women's NCAA Tournament: Updated National Title odds
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
| Teams | Odds |
|---|---|
| South Carolina | -200 |
| Connecticut | +500 |
| LSU | +750 |
| Iowa | +1200 |
| Maryland | +2000 |
| Tennessee | +4000 |
| Virginia Tech | +4000 |
| Utah | +5500 |
| Villanova | +5500 |
| Notre Dame | +11000 |
| Colorado | +13000 |
| Louisville | +13000 |
| Ole Miss | +13000 |
| Ohio State | +16000 |
| UCLA | +24000 |
| Miami (FL) | +24000 |
2023 Women's NCAA Tournament: Updated Final Four odds
| Teams | Odds |
| South Carolina | -550 |
| UConn | -165 |
| Iowa | -140 |
| LSU | -135 |
| Louisville | +310 |
| Villanova | +330 |
| Virginia Tech | +420 |
| Utah | +430 |
| Tennessee | +440 |
| Colorado | +480 |
| Maryland | +500 |
| Ole Miss | +550 |
| Miami (FL) | +750 |
| Ohio State | +850 |
| Notre Dame | +2300 |
| UCLA | +3500 |
2023 NCAA Women's Tournament: National title favorites
South Carolina Gamecocks (-200)
The Gamecocks started the NCAA Tournament with -210 odds to win the title, but they've improved to -200 after their two wins over Norfolk State and South Florida. South Carolina won those two games by a combined 63 points. The Gamecocks will continue their march toward the Final Four on Saturday afternoon against No. 4 seed UCLA. The Bruins handled their business in the first round against No. 13 seed Portland (67-45 win) and then defeated No. 4 seed Oklahoma (82-73) in the second round. UCLA allows just 61.8 points per game, but that's nothing to South Carolina, who is 33-0 when they score 62 points or more. If South Carolina defeats UCLA on Saturday, they will play the winner of No. 3 seed Notre Dame/No. 2 seed Maryland in the Elite 8, but as we said before the tournament, the expectation is for Dawn Staley and Co. to win the national title in Dallas.
UConn Huskies (+500)
The Huskies have the second-best odds to win the national title and third-best odds to make it to the Final Four. UConn has dominated in their first two wins in the tournament and will look to take down No. 3 seed Ohio State on Saturday afternoon. The Huskies crushed No. 15 seed Vermont, 95-52, in the first round last weekend. Aaliyah Edwards led the way for UConn with 28 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and four steals. In their 77-58 win over No. 7 seed Baylor, Azzi Fudd was one of four Huskies players in double figures. Fudd led the way with 22 points (9-22 FG, 3-12 3pt) with three assists. If Fudd, Edwards, and Lou Lopez Senechal play their game, UConn will be back in the Final Four.
Iowa Hawkeyes (+1200)
With No. 1 seed Stanford out of the picture, the Hawkeyes have a great path to the Final Four. Iowa crushed No. 15 seed Southeastern Louisiana, 95-43, in the first round and followed it up with a 74-66 win over No. 10 seed Georgia in the second round. Iowa will now face off against No. 6 seed Colorado, who beat No. 3 seed Duke in overtime. The Hawkeyes have one of the best players left in the tourney in Caitlin Clark, who has posted a double-double in back-to-back NCAA tournament games. Iowa also has a powerful offense (87.4 points per game). However, Colorado has a good scoring defense that allows just 58.6 points per game. If Iowa can make it through the Sweet 16, it will play the winner of No. 8 seed Ole Miss/No. 5 seed Louisville in the Elite Eight.
2023 NCAA Women's Tournament: National title sleepers
Villanova Wildcats (+5500)
The Wildcats had long-shot odds to win the national championship (+13000) entering the NCAA tournament. However, with No. 1 seed Indiana out of the picture, it's not crazy to think that Villanova could win their region and make the Final Four (+330). The Wildcats have a dynamic scorer in Maddy Siegrist, who has played well in the tourney, averaging 33 points and 5.5 rebounds per game (two games). This season, the Wildcats are 27-1 when they score at least 64 points. Villanova will play Miami (FL) in the Sweet 16, which will not be an easy matchup. If the Wildcats can get past them, they would face the winner of No. 3 LSU/No. 2 Utah in the Elite 8.
Virginia Tech (+4200)
The oddsmakers like UConn to win the Seattle 3 region (-165), but we shouldn't sleep on the Hokies, who have had an incredible season under head coach Kenny Brooks. Virginia Tech has won 13 straight games heading into their Sweet 16 rematch against the Lady Vols, who they played earlier this season. The Hokies won 59-56 in Knoxville despite ACC Player of the Year Elizabeth Kitley posting six points (3-13 FG) and nine rebounds. Virginia Tech will hope for a better performance as they will also have to see Tennessee star forward Rickea Jackson, who didn't play in that Dec. 4 meeting. If Virginia Tech can defeat Tennessee, the only thing standing between it and the Final Four is potentially UConn, who will play Ohio State in the Sweet 16. Bettors should jump on the Hokies' odds to reach the Final Four at +420 before they play later this week.
Louisville (+13000)
The Cardinals are not in unfamiliar territory, as they went to the Final Four last season, losing 72-59 to South Carolina. Louisville will look to make it back to the Final Four, but first, it must defeat Ole Miss, who, upset No. 1 seed Stanford on the road in the second round. The Rebels will be a tough out on Friday night in Seattle as head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin has her team playing great basketball at the right time. The Cardinals will need a great game from senior guard Hailey Van Lith, who is averaging 23.5 points per game on 51.4 percent shooting from the field in the Tournament. If Van Lith plays her game, the Cardinals will be in their fifth-straight Elite 8 and could go head-to-head against No. 2 Iowa in the Elite 8.
