2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Odds and Predictions

The NCAA Men’s Tournament is not the only opportunity to cash in on championship basketball in March and April. Being played simultaneously, the best women’s college basketball players will vie for the 2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship.

Like the men’s side, the 68-best teams in college basketball were invited to participate in the Big Dance¹. The South Carolina Gamecocks are the odds-on favorites to win the NCAAW Tournament.

South Carolina is attempting to duplicate what the Baylor Bears, led by Brittney Griner, accomplished in 2012. Griner and the Bears went undefeated (40-0) and won the national title².

The unbeaten Gamecocks have come close to losing a few times this season. They showed some vulnerabilities. With that said, South Carolina is still by far the most talented unit that you will find in the NCAAW Tournament.

You can bet on South Carolina and the rest of the NCAA Women’s Tournament bracket at the best March Madness betting sites.

NCAAW Tournament Schedule and How To Watch

For the second straight year, there are 68 teams involved in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.

The women’s March Madness bracket expanded to match the men’s 68 teams for the 2022 tourney³. The field is broken down into four regions: Greenville 1, Greenville 2, Seattle 3, and Seattle 4⁴.

The NCAAW Tournament will begin with the First Four on Wednesday, March 15, and Thursday, March 16. The First Round of the women’s tourney is scheduled for Friday, March, 17, and Saturday, March 18.

On Friday, March 31, the tournament will shift to Dallas for the Final Four. The first game of the Final Four is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EST, while the second matchup will follow at 9:30 p.m. EST.

The NCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship is expected to tip off at 3:00 p.m. EST on Sunday, April 2. The National Championship will be broadcasted live on ABC. ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU will cover the rest of the tournament⁵.

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2023 NCAAW Tournament Betting Odds

The following NCAAW Tournament odds are courtesy of Bovada:

Greenville 1 Region

The Greenville 1 Region is going to be a gauntlet for any team not named South Carolina. The Gamecocks are the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament following a 32-0 season.

On Selection Sunday, the best news any team could receive is that they were not in the region with South Carolina. The next highest seed in the region is the Maryland Terrapins.

According to the oddsmakers at Bovada, Maryland is the eighth likeliest team to win the NCAAW National Championship. In other words, Greenville 1 is South Carolina’s to lose.

South Carolina advanced to 32-0 following a 74-58 win over the Tennessee Lady Vols in the SEC Championship. Zia Cooke led all scorers with 24 points in the winning effort. Aliyah Boston was outstanding once again, as she chipped in with 18 points⁶.

On top of the AP Poll every week for two straight years … that’s elite company!https://t.co/gesys8vzdY pic.twitter.com/EnQleXszQV

— South Carolina Women’s Basketball (@GamecockWBB) March 13, 2023

The Gamecocks do not have to rely on one woman to step up. They are well-balanced and have multiple contributors on their roster. There are three Gamecocks averaging more than 10 points per game⁷.

Note that the South Carolina women rank first in Simple Rating System (SRS)⁸. This system looks at the strength of schedule and the margin of victory. They were easily the top team with a rating of 45.24.

Head coach Dawn Staley has an easy job coaching this group. This may not be the best women’s college basketball team of all time, but they are certainly the most talented in 2023.

If South Carolina does not fall asleep through the Elite Eight, they are close to a lock in the Greenville 1 Region.

Seattle 4 Region

The winner of the Seattle 4 Region will likely have the task of facing South Carolina in the Final Four. The No. 1 seed, Stanford, is the most likely team to come out of Seattle 4.

Stanford is led by 6’4” forward Cameron Brink. If the Cardinal wins the 2023 NCAAW National Championship, it is going to be because Brink took over the tournament.

The junior is just short of averaging a double-double with 14.9 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. She has been hot from the floor, with a field goal percentage of 49%⁹. The native of Princeton, New Jersey, is a threat to score at the rim or on the perimeter.

CAMERON BRINK IS DOING IT ALL 😤 @StanfordWBB | @cameronbrink22 pic.twitter.com/SiJqxyKVr6

— espnW (@espnW) December 18, 2022

Brink helped lead Stanford to a record of 28-5. However, the Cardinal are coming off a loss in the Pac-12 Tournament against UCLA, 69-65. It was their second loss in three games after dropping the regular season finale at Utah¹⁰.

Stanford is one of only a few teams that were able to hang with South Carolina this season. On November 20, 2022, Stanford and South Carolina went into overtime. South Carolina pulled away for a 76-71 win, but credit the Cardinal.

Iowa is the No. 2 seed in the Seattle 4 Region. They have +1800 NCAAW Tournament odds to win the National Championship. Caitlin Clark will be under plenty of pressure to carry the Hawkeyes in March.

The Cardinal are not immune from being upset before getting to the Final Four. However, Stanford will have to be caught on a bad day for an upset to happen.

Expect the Cardinal to meet the Gamecocks for a rematch in the Final Four.

Greenville 2 Region

The Greenville 2 Region features three teams that have a decent chance of going to the Final Four. This is the most wide-open region in the 2023 NCAAW Tournament.

Indiana, LSU, and Utah all have a case in the Greenville 2 Region. We think that the committee got it wrong here, though. LSU and Utah should trade spots as the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds.

The Tigers are likely to give the favored Hoosiers a run for their money. In the end, the No. 1 seed should emerge victorious in Greenville 2.

No. 2️⃣ in the final AP poll of the season. 😤 pic.twitter.com/msjQe119tx

— Indiana Women’s Basketball (@IndianaWBB) March 13, 2023

For the first time ever, the Indiana women’s basketball squad is a No. 1 seed. They enter the NCAAW Tournament with a record of 27-3 after a loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament.

Indiana had won 14 straight games before losing to Iowa and then Ohio State two games later¹¹. Since February 26, the Hoosiers dropped two of their three losses this season.

The ladies out of Bloomington are sixth in the NCAA with 81.5 points per game. They own an SRS of 34.45 for the fifth-best mark in college women’s basketball¹².

Mackenzie Holmes has been a steady performer for the Hoosiers. She has notched 22.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game this season¹³. Sydney Parrish will have to be the x-factor for the Hoosiers, though.

Look for Indiana to reach the Final Four. If that occurs, they should face stiff resistance from UConn or Virginia Tech in Dallas.

Seattle 3 Region

The Seattle 3 Region features interesting seeding. Virginia Tech is the No. 1 seed, but many would tell you that another team deserves top honors.

The Connecticut Huskies are the No. 2 seed following a 29-5 season and Big East Championship. UConn has won eight of their previous nine outings going into the NCAAW Tournament.

Betting against Geno Auriemma with his team playing with confidence is not a sharp move. He is getting the most out of this squad and peaking at the right time.

Still savoring these moments pic.twitter.com/ivRuL9Mns9

— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) March 9, 2023

With 11 National Championships under his belt, Auriemma is aware of what it takes to win games in March. He has led the Huskies to 22 Final Four appearances in 37 seasons¹⁴.

UConn had the third toughest strength of schedule in the NCAAW this season. It was not a walk in the park for them. As a result, they had an SRS of 34.64 for fourth in 2022-23¹⁵.

Lou Lopez Senechal and Aaliyah Edwards are two of the most potent combos in women’s college basketball. They are both averaging more than 15 points per game going into the First Round¹⁶.

The Huskies might be the No. 2 seed, but they are playing like the best heading into the Seattle 3 Region. Look for UConn to return to the Final Four.

2023 NCAA Women’s Tournament Prediction

South Carolina has a big bullseye on their backs entering the NCAAW Tournament. It is going to take a lot to take this team down before the Final Four.

At the Final Four in Dallas, Cameron Brink might have to have the best game of her career to get the Cardinal to the NCAAW National Championship.

There is not another team in the tournament that can compete with the Gamecocks’ depth. Consequently, a star from an opponent must have a career performance to hand them their first loss of the season.

We are not writing off the Huskies this year. If you want to bet on an underdog, the Huskies at +800 or better are worth a look. Auriemma has beaten some good teams over the years.

South Carolina is still a decent value despite having -200 NCAAW Tournament odds. They should probably be closer to -300 at the best college basketball betting sites.

The Gamecocks are unlikely to steamroll through the tournament as easily as Baylor did in the NCAAW Tournament in 2012. They might run into a tough game or two.

However, Dawn Staley’s squad looks like the next team in women’s college basketball to go undefeated.