Woman's NCAA Tournament Odds & Predictions 2025: South Carolina Favored to Repeat

• The last time a defending champion repeated the following season was in 2016 (UConn); the Huskies won the women’s title from 2013-16.

• 18 preseason No. 1s have gone on to win the national championship; 34 made it to the Final Four, and 42 made the Sweet 16.

• Only one defending champion failed to make the tournament the following season (1985 champion, Old Dominion).

The 2023-24 NCAAW season was one for the ages, with massive TV ratings and record-setting attendance. But it is time to shut the door on that incredible year and open it up wide for the 2024-25 NCAAW basketball season. 

It is time for the latest stars to take center stage and for a new champion to be crowned.

With the season getting underway, there is no better time than the present to review the latest 2024-25 NCAAW National Championship odds.

NCAAW Tournament Odds

The following table contains a list of the national championship odds for the preseason top 25 with odds from BetMGM Sportsbook. Bettors new to BetMGM can claim the following bonus: Get Up to $1,500 in Bonus Bets*

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NCAAW Preseason Championship Trends

• 18 of 43 preseason No.1s went on to win the national championship.

• Ten of the last 21 winners were preseason No. 1s.

• But only one in the last seven seasons (South Carolina, 2022).

• Every national champion since 2003 was ranked inside the top 16 of the preseason rankings.

• 19 of the last 21 national champs were ranked inside the preseason top ten.

• The two outliers were LSU in 2023 (preseason No. 16 and Maryland in 2006 (preseason No. 14). 

2025 NCAAW National Championship: Favorites Win to NCAAW Tournament 

If preseason trends continue to run true this season, then we can theoretically narrow down the pool of potential winners quite a bit. Of course, that doesn’t mean you should automatically rule out a team not ranked inside the preseason top 25 (or 16).

But it may be wise to proceed with caution and keep wagers on long shots to a minimum. After all, a $1 bet on Ohio State to win the national championship at +50000 will win you $500. There are certainly worse ways to spend a dollar.

For our purposes, as it pertains to our preseason projections, we’ll be sticking with teams inside the preseason top 25. On that note, let’s take a brief look at some of the top contenders.

South Carolina +160 at BetMGM

• Defending NCAAW National Champions

• 2023-24 Record: 38-0

• Final 2024 Ranking: No. 1

Dawn Staley does not have a dominant post this year (or at least not an established starter) as she has had with her past national championship squads. Last season, it was Kim Cardoso; this season, it is unclear—maybe Joyce Edwards or Sakima Walker.

But this team is not short on talent, with eight of last year’s top nine players back including. Whoever takes over in the post will have time to grow into the role as the guard play should be able to cover for any deficiencies.

With Staley in charge, you can count on this team being ready to compete.

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UConn +375 at BetMGM

• 2024 Recap: Lost to Iowa in Final Four

• 2023-24 Record: 33-6

• Final 2024 Ranking: No. 3

I’m not going to call her this year’s Caitlin Clary, but one of the players everyone will be watching this year is UConn’s Paige Bueckers. After bursting onto the scene as a freshman and taking home the AP Player of the Year, Naismith College Player of the Year, USBWA National Player of the Year, the John R. Wooden Award, and several others, injuries have kept her from ascending to NCAAW greatness. But she is healthy and ready for this season.

The talented returning players around Buechers are Azzi Fudd, Ashlynn Shade, and KK Arnold. Princeton transfer Kaitlyn Chen is expected to make an early impact along with the No. 1 recruit from this season’s class, Sarah Strong.

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USC +400 at BetMGM

• 2024 Recap: Lost to UConn in Elite 8

• 2023-24 Record: 29-6

• Final 2024 Ranking: No. 5

Other than Caitlin Clark, JuJu Watkins was arguably the biggest name in women’s basketball last season. She’ll be joined this season by a pair of former rivals via the transfer portal in  Kiki Iriafen (Stanford), Talia von Oelhoffen (Oregon State), and a top-notch recruiting class led by Kennedy Smith.

With so many new parts, fans may have to be patient with the team as head coach Lindsay Gottlieb figures out how to piece everything together.

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Notre Dame +700 at BetMGM

• 2024 Recap: Lost to Oregon State Sweet 16

• 2023-24 Record: 28-7

• Final 2024 Ranking: No. 11

Talent has not been an issue in South Bend, but keeping players healthy has been. Maddy Westbeld will start the season on the bench as she recovers from a foot injury, and Olivia Miles will be coming back from a knee injury suffered during last season’s regular-season finale.

Last season’s top two scorers, Hannah Hidalgo (22.6 ppg) and Sonia Citron (17.3 ppg will do whatever they can to keep the team on track and winning games until Westbeld is ready to go. They should get plenty of help from two transfers: Liza Karen and Liatu King.

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 Texas +800 at BetMGM

• 2024 Recap: Lost to North Carolina State in Elite 8

• 2023-24 Record: 29-6

• Final 2024 Ranking: 33-5

The Longhorns will take a talented, experienced squad into the program’s first season in the SEC with four players coming back that averaged 10+ points per game last season in seniors Rori Harmon (14.1 ppg; who is coming off an injury), Taylor Jones (12.3 ppg), Aaliyah Moore (11.3 ppg), and sophomore Madison Booker (16.5 ppg).

They’ll be joined by talented transfers, Laila Phelps (Michigan’s leading scorer last season), Kyla Oldacre (from Miami, and a trio of freshmen the team has high expectations for in Justice Carlton, Jordan Lee, and Bryanna Preston. 

The roster has a solid combination of talent and depth, both of which will come in handy in the SEC.

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Our Picks to Win the NCAAW Championship

Favorite - South Carolina

There doesn’t tend to be too many surprises from one year to the next in women’s basketball. It has been a few years since there has been a repeat champion, but the good teams tend to remain so from one year to the next. With the talent and experience coming back, South Carolina will be at the forefront of championship discussions as the season gets underway.

Dark Horse - Texas

There may not be a superstar on the roster (or at least not an established one), but the overall combination of talent and depth makes the Longhorns one of the teams to watch as the season gets underway. 

A preseason No. 4 has gone on to win the championship in two of the last seven seasons.

Longshot - North Carolina State

The Wolfpack has a stellar backcourt coming back in Aziaha James, Saniya Rivers, and Zoe Brooks that should be even better than it was last year. It will be tough to replace what  River Baldwin and Mimi Collin brought to the table on the inside. 

But if freshman Lorena Awou or transfer Caitlin Weimar can step up, they could be one of the early contenders.

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NCAAW Championship History

The Women’s NCAA Division I basketball tournament began in 1982, with 32 teams participating. Louisiana Tech won the first title, defeating Cheyney 76-62. Over the years, the number of teams participating has ranged from 32 to 64 (since 1994). As of the 2022 Tournament, the number of teams expanded to 68.

UConn holds the record for most appearances as a No. 1 seed with 22 followed by Tennessee with 21. 

Past NCAAW Championship Winners

The following table contains the list of the teams that have won the women’s national championship and their records.

How to Choose the Best Sportsbook for Betting on the NCAAW Championship

Now that we’ve gone over the NCAAW Championship odds and several of the top contenders to win this year’s title, it’s time to figure out which sportsbook you want to use. Here is a quick look at a comparison of three of the top sportsbooks in the industry, but you can check out our sportsbook reviews here: 

How to Read NCAAW Championship Betting Lines

NCAAW Championship odds are considered a futures market with a three-digit number preceded by a plus (+) or minus (-) sign. The number and sign are the odds of the market and tell bettors how much they’ll win. 

For example, if you were to bet on South Carolina’s preseason odds to win the national championship +160, a $100 wager will result in a $260 payday, your stake plus $160 in winnings.

But let’s say you wait until the end of another undefeated regular season, and the Gamecocks odds are -180. That means it will take a $180 wager to win $100. Betting $100 is not mandatory, of course. To see how much you can win when you bet XXX, plug your stake and the odds into our odds calculator.

States With Betting Restrictions on the NCAAW Championship Odds

The following states have restrictions regarding betting on college basketball (and college sports in general). States listed do not allow betting on teams from in-state colleges and universities unless otherwise specified:

• New Jersey

• Illinois

• Tennessee: Live betting is also prohibited.

• Virginia: Live betting is also prohibited.

• New Hampshire

• New York: Betting on events held in New York is also prohibited.

• Oregon: Betting on college teams can only be done at casinos.

• Rhode Island: Betting is also prohibited on events held in-state.

• Washington DC

• Connecticut

• Delaware

• No live betting in Mississippi

• New Mexico

• South Dakota

• Washington