With Selection Sunday officially in the books, the march to the Final Four in Dallas begins for the field of 64 in the Women's NCAA Tournament. Heading into this year's tournament, basketball fans and bettors will be looking to see if Dawn Staley and South Carolina can win their second-straight national championship. The undefeated Gamecocks (32-0) are the favorites to win the national title (-210), putting them in rare air among the greatest women's college basketball teams. Additionally, South Carolina is the first team to enter March undefeated since UConn and Mississippi State in 2018.
The Gamecocks will hope to have a better ending than those two teams, as Mississippi State picked up their first loss to South Carolina in the SEC tournament and then lost to Notre Dame in the national championship game. Meanwhile, UConn lost to Notre Dame in the Final Four thanks to a buzzer-beater from Arike Ogunbowale.
However, the road to another national title won't be easy for Staley's crew, as UConn, LSU, Iowa, and Indiana could derail their hopes and become the new queens of college basketball. Below, we will look at who could win the national championship from each region and some sleepers that could cause some havoc.
MORE WOMEN'S MARCH MADNESS:
Tournament HQ | Full Schedule | Printable bracket
2023 Women's NCAA Tournament Odds
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
| Teams (just school) | Odds |
|---|---|
| South Carolina | -210 |
| Indiana | +1200 |
| Stanford | +1200 |
| UConn | +1200 |
| LSU | +1700 |
| Iowa | +2000 |
| Virginia Tech | +4200 |
| Utah | +6500 |
| Texas | +6500 |
| Maryland | +6500 |
| Notre Dame | +10000 |
| Ohio State | +10000 |
| UCLA | +13000 |
| Gonzaga | +13000 |
| Iowa State | +13000 |
| Duke | +13000 |
| Tennessee | +13000 |
| Villanova | +13000 |
| North Carolina | +13000 |
| Creighton | +13000 |
| North Carolina State | +13000 |
| Michigan | +13000 |
| Louisville | +13000 |
| Baylor | +13000 |
| Miami (FL) | +24000 |
| Georgia | +24000 |
| Princeton | +24000 |
| Oklahoma | +24000 |
| Florida State | +24000 |
| Mississippi State | +24000 |
| Colorado | +24000 |
| Ole Miss | +24000 |
| Arizona | +24000 |
| South Dakota State | +24000 |
| Florida Gulf Coast | +24000 |
| South Florida | +24000 |
| Alabama | +24000 |
| Middle Tennessee State | +24000 |
| Marquette | +24000 |
| USC | +49000 |
| Washington State | +49000 |
| Tennessee Tech | +49000 |
| Chattanooga | +49000 |
| Saint Louis | +49000 |
| Gardner-Webb | +49000 |
| Cleveland State | +49000 |
| Portland | +49000 |
| Southeastern Louisiana | +49000 |
| Vermont | +49000 |
| Toledo | +49000 |
| UNLV | +49000 |
| James Madison | +49000 |
| Iona | +49000 |
| Southern Utah | +49000 |
| Hawai'i | +49000 |
| Sacramento State | +49000 |
| East Carolina | +49000 |
| Norfolk State | +49000 |
| Drake | +49000 |
| Oklahoma State | +49000 |
| St. John's | +49000 |
| Sacred Heart | +49000 |
| Holy Cross | +49000 |
| West Virginia | +49000 |
2023 NCAA Women's Tournament: March Madness favorites
South Carolina Gamecocks (-210)
Dawn Staley's crew is the favorite to win the national title for the second-straight year. South Carolina dominated the competition in the regular season and SEC tournament en route to a perfect 32-0 record. The Gamecocks are led by defending National Player of the Year and potential top pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft, Aliyah Boston, along with Zia Cooke.
Boston is second on the team in scoring (13.3 points per game) behind Cooke but leads the Gamecocks in rebounding (9.7). Cooke is averaging 15.3 points per game on 40.8 percent shooting from the field and 36.1 percent from three-point range. Along with those two players, teams have to watch out for center Kamilla Cardoso, who is averaging 10 points and 8.9 rebounds per game off the bench. The Gamecocks have some tough competition in their region, including Maryland (No. 2 seed), Notre Dame (No. 3 seed), and Oklahoma (No. 5). However, the expectation is for them to be in the Final Four and playing in the national title.
LSU Tigers (+1700)
If there's one team who could potentially take down top-seeded Indiana in Greenville's other region, it's LSU. The Tigers are the No. 3 seed in the Greenville 2 region and have one of the best players in the country in Angel Reese. Reese was a double-double machine this season, averaging 23.4 points and 15.5 rebounds per game. She also had five games with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds. However, opponents must also prepare for all-SEC first-team guard Alexis Johnson (15.1 PPG, 4.2 APG, and 3.0 RPG) and SEC Freshman of the Year guard Flau'jae Johnson (11.8 PPG and 5.9 RPG). LSU also boasts one of the best offenses in the NCAA (84.1 PPG), which is good for third in the country, and they have a solid defense. Look out for the Tigers to make a run in this year's tournament.
Iowa Hawkeyes (+2000)
The Hawkeyes are another team that could take down a No. 1 seed (Stanford) en route to making a Final Four appearance. Iowa is led by Caitlin Clark, the star guard who will be playing in the WNBA sooner than later. Clark is averaging 27 points, 8.3 assists, and 7.5 rebounds per game this season. The junior guard also has four triple-doubles this season and is part of a Hawkeyes team with an explosive offense (87.5 points per game). We could talk about Clark all day, but she has excellent teammates, such as Monica Czineno, McKenna Warnock, and Kate Martin, who can make plays on offense, too. The Hawkeyes lost in the second round to No. 10 seed Creighton last season but will look to change their fortunes this year.
UConn Huskies (+1200)
Even though Virginia Tech is the No. 1 seed in the Seattle 4 region, the oddsmakers believe the No. 2 seed Huskies have a better chance to win the national title. UConn hasn't had an easy season due to injuries to their star players Paige Bueckers (torn ACL) and Azzi Fudd (knee injury). However, the Huskies are back in the tournament after another Big East title and now have Fudd. Fudd is averaging 15.5 points per game on the season and shooting 39.4 percent from three-point range this season (eight games), but just returned to the floor in the Big East tournament. If she can knock down some threes in the NCAA tournament while Aaliyah Edwards and Lou Lopez Senechel play their games, UConn will be a tough out. We would love to see another UConn and South Carolina rematch in the National Championship game.
2023 NCAA Women's Tournament: March Madness sleepers
Oklahoma Sooners (+24000)
As we previously mentioned, this region will likely be won by the Gamecocks. However, if there's a team to watch out for, it's the Sooners. Oklahoma was one of the best teams in the Big 12 this season, sharing the regular season title with Texas. The Sooners have the second-best offense in the country (84.5 points per game) behind the Hawkeyes. They also shoot the ball well from beyond the arc (35.8 percent) and have the career leader in three-pointers made in NCAA history (Taylor Robertson). The fifth-year guard is posting 11.5 points per game while shooting 43.3 percent from behind the arc. The Sooners also have Madi Williams and the Big 12 Sixth Woman of the Year (Skylar Vann). If Oklahoma makes it through the first two rounds, it could play South Carolina in the Sweet 16.
Villanova Wildcats (+13000)
The No. 4 seed Wildcats held their own in the Big East this season, finishing with a 28-6 record and making it to the conference title game before losing to UConn. The Wildcats have a tough road to winning this region, but they have a great player in Maddy Siegrist, who can take over a game by herself. The senior forward was the leading scorer in D1 women's hoops this season, averaging 28.3 points per game on 51.8-percent shooting from the field and 37.3 percent from three-point range. The Wildcats don't shoot the ball well from beyond the arc (33.3 percent) but are holding teams to 33.7 percent shooting from three this season.
Iowa State Cyclones (+13000)
The Cyclones are coming off a Big 12 conference championship, where they defeated Texas 61-51. Iowa State made the Sweet 16 last season for the first time in over a decade and could get there again with Big 12 Player of the Year Ashley Joens leading the way. Joens is leading Iowa State in scoring (21.9 points) and rebounding (9.6 rebounds per game). Along with Joens, the Cyclones have two other players scoring in double figures, Lexi Donarski (12.1 PPG) and Emily Ryan (10.5 PPG, 6.5 APG, and 5.5 RPG). For Iowa St. to make a run, they need the three-point shot to drop, as it recorded 8.9 threes made per game in the regular season.
Texas Longhorns (+6500)
Finally, the No. 4 seed Longhorns could be playing in the Final Four next month, as they are balanced on both ends of the floor. Texas was one of the better defensive teams in the country, allowing 57.9 points per game and holding opponents to 37.9 percent shooting from the field. Offensively, they have three players averaging double figures, led by senior guard Shaylee Gonzales. Gonzales is averaging 12.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. Texas will begin the tournament against No. 13 seed East Carolina, and if it wins in the second round, it could play No. 1 seed Stanford in the Sweet 16.