2025 Women’s March Madness Odds: Will South Carolina Repeat?

With the NCAA Women’s 2024 National Championship in the books, I examine the early 2025 Women’s March Madness odds at sports betting sites.

Caitlin Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes were outmatched in the paint and had to settle as runners-up in an 87-75 loss to Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks. Despite Clark’s departure to the WNBA, are the Hawkeyes still contenders?

Below, check out the latest odds and my early NCAA 2025 Women’s March Madness predictions.

2025 Women’s College Basketball National Championship Odds

The following NCAAW Tournament 2025 odds are courtesy of Bovada:

The South Carolina Gamecocks (+185) are the odds-on favorite to repeat as national champions in 2025. The price of +185 price gives South Carolina an implied probability of 35.1% to stand atop the women’s college basketball world again.

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Paige Bueckers’ Connecticut Huskies (+400) have the second-shortest odds to win the women’s 2025 NCAA Tournament. UConn has a 20% implied probability to win the title.

Meanwhile, Iowa’s NCAA Women’s National Championship 2025 odds have tanked to +3000 at March Madness betting sites. That is the “CC22” effect. Without Clark’s fast twitch shooting, Iowa isn’t expected to be as nearly as dangerous.

Top Women’s 2025 March Madness Favorites

Three familiar teams are at the top of the 2025 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship odds. I explore each team’s chances and how they stack up a year out from the national title game:

South Carolina Gamecocks (+185)

The South Carolina Gamecocks are not expected to rebuild after their championship. They are simply going to reload and continue their mission of being a dynasty.

2023-24 Season Recap

After center/forward Aliyah Boston was selected with the No. 1 pick of the 2023 WNBA Draft, college basketball betting sites did not favor the Gamecocks. There were concerns that South Carolina would regress after a 36-1 season, but they were better than ever.

South Carolina’s revenge tour finished with a double-digit win over the team that beat them in the Final Four last season. Clark did what she could, but the Gamecocks’ depth and size was just too much to overcome.

With the victory, South Carolina concluded the season with a perfect mark of 38-0. Staley’s group overcame an early double-digit deficit to pull away from Iowa for an 87-75 win.

Key Players

6-foot-7 Kamilla Cardoso declared for the 2024 WNBA Draft, which leaves a gaping hole in the frontcourt. Cardoso was named the 2024 NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding player.

Despite Cardoso’s departure, South Carolina is stacked everywhere else. They return almost their entire roster from 2023-24, including the deepest backcourt in the nation. Bree Hall, Te-Hina Paopao, MiLaysia Fulwiley, and Tessa Johnson are all back for the Gamecocks.

Paopao hit several big shots, and Johnson came off the bench to nail a few threes to prevent Iowa from extending their early lead. South Carolina doesn’t win without their backcourt playing as well as they did on Sunday.

Head Coach

Staley returns to Columbia, South Carolina, seeking her fourth national championship in eight years. Since being hired in 2008, Staley molded the Gamecocks into a powerhouse.

Staley has been named the Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year in 2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024¹. She is the hottest coach in college basketball, and according to oddsmakers, likely isn’t done yet.

Connecticut Huskies (+400)

The UConn Huskies were a play or two away from knocking off the Hawkeyes and facing South Carolina in the national title game. On a play set up for a Bueckers’ buzzer beater, UConn was called for an illegal screen and a subsequent turnover.

Injuries have hit the Huskies hard over the last two years. In 2022-23, Bueckers was out with an ACL tear. This past season, Ayanna Patterson, Azzi Fudd, and Jana El Alfy were all absent.

2023-24 Season Recap

Although UConn was down three important pieces, Bueckers did her best to shoulder the load for the Huskies. She and the rest of the Huskies did an admirable job leading UConn to the Final Four.

The Huskies wrapped up the season with a cumulative record of 33-6 between the regular season and the NCAA Tournament. They fell just short of going to the championship following a 71-69 loss to the Hawkeyes in the semifinals.

It was still a respectable season, which resulted in a Big East Tournament title. 

Key Players

Now that Clark is in the WNBA, another woman’s player has big shoes to fill. There will be another undisputed star that emerges after Clark’s record-breaking collegiate career.

Bueckers has already made a name for himself, and now with Clark moving on, the stage could be hers. In her third season, the six-foot guard had career highs with 21.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.

She’s shot an efficient 42.5% from three in her career and improved her defensive fortitude this past season. Bueckers averaged 1.4 blocks and 2.2 steals per game in 2023-24².

In addition to Bueckers, Fudd will be back for her senior season to give the Huskies a formidable backcourt. Also, the top-ranked high school player in the country, forward Sarah Strong, will provide the Huskies some muscle in the frontcourt.

Head Coach

70-year-old Geno Auriemma announced that he will be around for at least one more season. The Hall of Fame head coach has won 11 national championships and recorded six perfect seasons as he enters his 40th season with the Huskies³.

Will Auriemma go out as a champion? It would be a fitting ending for UConn to win the national championship and then call it a career.

With Clark gone from Iowa, the Huskies are the clear second choice in the women’s 2025 NCAA Championship odds, so Auriemma should get closer. That said, Staley still stands in front of Auriemma.

LSU Tigers (+525)

The Angel Reese era came to an end in Baton Rouge, as “Bayou Barbie’” has declared herself eligible for the 2024 WNBA Draft. Reese joins a stacked class of college prospects entering the WNBA in April.

2023-24 Season Recap

LSU entered the season as the reigning national champions. Reese and the Tigers defeated Clark’s Hawkeyes a season earlier in the national title matchup.

However, their season would end at the hands of Iowa in the Elite Eight, 94-87. The Tigers concluded the year at 31-6, including a loss to South Carolina in the SEC Tournament.

It was a solid season for the Tigers, but they ran out of steam against the hot-shooting Hawkeyes.

Key Players

The LSU Tigers lose two big starters from their 2023-24 squad. In addition to Reese leaving to become a lottery pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, guard Hailey Van Lilth is transferring.

Three starters will be back in Baton Rouge, however. Mikaylah Williams, Aneesah Morrow, and Flu’jae Johnson are back in the saddle for the Tigers. Adding depth from the transfer portal will be crucial to competing with South Carolina.

Morrow is expected to be the new star for LSU. The 6-foot-1 guard is coming off a strong junior campaign, with 16.4 points per game on 46.4% shooting, after transferring from DePaul. She also collected 10 rebounds per game and was impactful on the defensive end, averaging 1.1 blocks and 2.5 steals per contest⁴.

Right now, though, there isn’t a player on LSU as much of a difference maker as Reese was on the roster. That could change, but the Tigers could go through some growing pains early in the season.

Head Coach

Whether you like her or not, Kim Mulkey is one of the best that college basketball has ever seen. Brittney Griner’s old head coach at Baylor has won four national championships in her respected career.

After winning her first title in 2005, Mulkey added championships in 2012, 2019, and 2023. She was also a heralded player at Louisiana Tech University, which included winning a gold medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics⁵.

As long as Mulkey is running the show at LSU, the Tigers will be in shape.

Best 2025 Women’s College Basketball Championship Sleepers

Before diving into my top women’s March Madness 2025 prediction, let’s check out the best college basketball betting longshot bets on the board at Bovada:

• Texas Longhorns (+1200) – Texas is a top-3 team in women’s college basketball next season. They return a talented core of players, but aren’t getting much respect from online sportsbooks. While they shouldn’t be considered a dark horse, I will gladly take Texas at +1200 odds.
• USC Trojans (+1200) – JuJu Watkins and Bueckers are the faces of the NCAA women’s basketball floor in 2024-25. After impressing as a rookie guard, Watkins is ready to take the next step. Like Texas, oddsmakers are disrespecting the Trojans at +1200.
• Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+3000) – With All-American guard Olivia Miles returning for the 2024-25 season, the Fighting Irish are worth looking at here. Miles has the talent to take Notre Dame deep, and at +3000, this is one of the best value wagers on the board.

2025 Women’s March Madness Predictions and Betting Pick

As we learned this past season, depth is the ultimate trump card in the women’s game. Most teams don’t have the best depth off the bench, so teams that do have a considerable advantage.

After leading the nation with the most depth in 2023-24, the Gamecocks are returning with another talented roster from the starting five to the bench. Despite Cardoso’s absence, the rest of the team remains in great shape.

The backcourt is especially potent entering the 2024-25 campaign. The young guards came up huge in the national championship, and they will only continue to grow under Staley’s tutelage.

Although Bueckers will carry UConn far, she will likely suffer the same fate as Clark in the 2025 NCAA Women’s National Championship. South Carolina won’t be +185 for long after the season starts.

South Carolina could very well go undefeated again for a record of 114-1 over three years! At plus money, this is the best time to consider locking in your 2025 Women’s College Basketball Championship picks on the Gamecocks.

Who’s Winning Women’s March Madness 2025?

Do you agree or disagree with my early 2025 March Madness women’s predictions? Whether you are tailing or fading, I do know that Bovada is the best online betting site for placing your women’s college basketball picks.

In addition to having the best 2025 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship odds, Bovada will offer lines for matchups throughout the season. Back your favorite women’s college teams on a safe, modern, and reliable sports betting platform.

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