Caitlin Clark has revolutionized women's basketball and cemented her legacy as one of the greatest players in the history of college hoops. She has also helped generate massive levels of interest in women's basketball amongst the betting community, with many analysts projecting the 2024 March Madness tournament to be the most heavily bet in women's basketball history.
To nobody's surprise, defending runner-up Iowa drew the No. 1 seed and proceeded to storm past 16-seed Holy Cross 91-65. The Hawkeyes must now contend with 8-seeded West Virginia in the difficult Albany Region 2, which also includes powerhouses UCLA (2) and LSU, the latter of which beat Iowa in the national championship last year. This has the makings of an insanely entertaining region of women's tournament action, which should only drum up betting interest more as the Madness unfolds.
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Below, we will dive into Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes' odds before and during the 2024 NCAA women's tournament. We'll also follow the betting odds, action, and trends as the tourney progresses and offer up-to-date advice and betting recommendations as we get closer to the national championship.
Caitlin Clark, Iowa women's odds updated spreads for NCAA tournament games
As one of the top 1-seeds in the women's tournament, Iowa earned the right to play the winner of the play-in match between 16-seeds Holy Cross and University of Tennessee at Martin. Holy Cross ultimately won that match, so the Hawkeyes hosted the Crusaders and promptly eliminated them with a 26-point beatdown. Now Clark and her Iowa teammates will face West Virginia in the second round.
Keep reading for odds on Iowa's second-round matchup versus the Mountaineers, and be sure to check back early and often throughout the tournament as we will regularly update Iowa's spread, moneyline and over/under odds as the Hawkeyes' advance through the tournament.
First, let's take a look at where Iowa stands in BetMGM's updated odds to win the NCAA national championship.
| Outright winner | Odds |
| South Carolina | -150 |
| Iowa | +600 |
| LSU | +700 |
| Stanford | +1400 |
| Connecticut | +1300 |
| Texas | +1800 |
| USC | +2200 |
| UCLA | +4000 |
| Notre Dame | +5000 |
| NC State | +6000 |
| Oregon State | +8000 |
| Baylor | +12500 |
| Indiana | +12500 |
| Colorado | +15000 |
| Tennessee | +15000 |
| Duke | +20000 |
| Gonzaga | +25000 |
| Utah | +25000 |
| Oklahoma | +35000 |
| Creighton | +50000 |
| West Virginia | +50000 |
| Syracuse | +50000 |
| Ole Miss | +50000 |
| Kansas | +75000 |
MORE WOMEN'S MARCH MADNESS:
How to bet on college basketball
Iowa vs. West Virginia
Odds courtesy of BetMGM
- Spread: Iowa -15.5
- Over/Under: 163.5
- Moneyline: Iowa -1600
Oddsmakers love Iowa's chances to advance, albeit not as much as they loved the Hawkeyes in the first round against Holy Cross. In the opening weekend of action, Clark and company were listed as -37.5 favorites, a spread for which we recommended bettors hammer the underdog Crusaders.
We're not as quick to jump on the undies in this one, as Iowa has won three of its past four games by 26 or more points. When these Hawkeyes get cooking offensively — and start taking it to the hole and pounding the glass — they're almost impossible for a slower-paced, low-scoring squad like West Virginia to beat.
PRINTABLE: Download a 2024 Women's March Madness bracket here
Betting trends to watch
The Hawkeyes have gone an incredible 16-2 when favored on the moneyline by -1402 or more. When favored by 16-plus points, Iowa has gone 14-7. The Mountaineers, meanwhile, have lost all five games in which they were moneyline underdogs this season.
West Virginia has averaged just 25.3 rebounds per game over its past four contests. Across the 12 games in which Iowa opponents have pulled down under 30 rebounds, Iowa has gone undefeated and won by an average of 31.9 points per game.
Iowa vs. West Virginia prediction
West Virginia has scored 63 or fewer points in three of its past four games, and it has failed to surpass 70 in eight consecutive contests. That's no bueno against an Iowa team that ranks first in the nation in scoring (92.8 PPG) and offensive rating (119.7), not to mention No. 1 in assists, three-pointers made, and two-point field-goal percentage.
As we have said all season, this Iowa team is far more than just Caitlin Clark — it's a complete squad on both ends of the floor and from just about every aspect of offense. The Hawkeyes should steamroll the Mountaineers in this one, easily covering the spread and moving closer to what feels like destiny: a rematch with rival and reigning-champion LSU.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: Iowa 89, West Virginia 68. The Hawkeyes win (-1600) and cover the spread (15.5). We would bet Iowa's spread with confidence up to -18.5.
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