An unpredictable season in women’s college basketball concludes with a loaded lineup of teams competing in the 2025 Final Four. Familiar programs like Connecticut and South Carolina stay atop the national championship odds board as both programs attempt to add another national title. No. 1 seeds UCLA and Texas also possess the talent and own enough elite wins this season to remain major threats.
Advertisement
As the 2025 NCAA Tournament wraps up in Tampa Bay, here’s a look at where the odds board stands.
2025 women’s basketball title odds
UConn stays in the driver’s seat
Back in the Final Four for the fourth time this decade, the Huskies attempt to win their first national title since 2016. The Huskies have been the favorites to win the national championship since blowing out South Carolina by 29 points in February. UConn looks unbeatable during its current 14-game winning streak.
The Huskies, trying to win a national title in star Paige Bueckers’ final collegiate season, obliterate any team that comes in their path. Winning every game by double digits during the streak, No. 1 USC was the only UConn opponent to finish within 19 points of the Huskies over the last seven weeks. A red-hot Bueckers just set a new Connecticut women’s scoring record with 105 total points over a three-game stretch.
UConn (-130) went from +280 at the start of the NCAA Tournament to +145 entering the Sweet 16 (and following the injury to USC star JuJu Watkins). Throttling No. 3 Oklahoma to advance to the Elite Eight, Connecticut jumped to -110 before reaching its current odds.
With the way Bueckers is playing, and consistent support coming from Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong, it’s going to take a near-perfect effort to topple Connecticut in Tampa Bay.
South Carolina falls after sluggish wins
In the midst of five consecutive Final Four appearances it seems hard to believe defending champion South Carolina (+250) is second on the odds board.
Since the NCAA Tournament’s opening round, games have been anything except easy for South Carolina. The second round saw the Gamecocks trail at halftime against No. 9 Indiana before a comeback win. During the last two rounds, South Carolina trailed in the fourth quarter of each matchup before eventually outlasting No. 4 Maryland and No. 2 Duke by four points each.
Advertisement
After some close calls on the way to the Final Four, the Gamecocks are still the clear No. 2 to Connecticut entering the national semifinals.
Resilient throughout March, the Gamecocks are comfortable allowing multiple players to make key plays down the stretch during close games. South Carolina struggles to maintain consistent intensity throughout tournament games — a trait that could hurt it in a deep Final Four.
Entering the 2025 NCAA Tournament as the slight favorite at +280, South Carolina’s odds sat at +175 during the Sweet 16 before dropping to +200 after the Elite Eight.
Facing Texas for a fourth time this season is less than ideal for the Gamecocks. South Carolina went 2-1 against the Longhorns during the regular season. The teams split two games in SEC play before the Gamecocks won decisively by 19 points in the SEC tournament final.
Should South Carolina advance past Texas to the national title game, the Gamecocks would face a team that beat them by double-digits in the regular season. If South Carolina is to repeat as national champions, they’ll need to overcome a Final Four featuring three opponents who have already defeated them this season.
Texas gets another shot at South Carolina
After losing in the Elite Eight in three of the previous four tournaments, Texas finally broke through with a win over No. 2 TCU to advance to its first Final Four since 2003.
The Longhorns (+600) elevated from +800 entering the Sweet 16 and bounced around at +700 before settling on this number.
Next for Texas is another chance to face defending champion South Carolina. The Gamecocks open that national semifinal as 4.5-point favorites over their new SEC rivals.
With South Carolina’s sluggish NCAA Tournament run and Texas being very familiar with the Gamecocks, this semifinal could stay close.
Advertisement
Inside play might be the difference for the Longhorns to get past South Carolina. Only making eight 3-pointers in four tournament games (33.3 percent), the Longhorns shot a combined 2-for-17 from distance in three games against South Carolina this season.
When Texas defeated the Gamecocks in February, size inside aided allowed the Longhorns to outscore South Carolina 40-26 in the paint.
Top overall seed UCLA keeps rolling
UCLA is the NCAA Tournament’s top overall seed yet comes fourth in odds amongst a loaded Final Four. The Bruins are more than capable of winning a national championship based on talent and pedigree. Led by Player of the Year candidate Lauren Betts on the interior, UCLA’s only two losses this season came against rival and fellow No. 1 seed USC.
But the prospect of facing UConn and potentially South Carolina (or Texas) the final two games of the season puts UCLA in a difficult position on the odds board.
Making its first Final Four appearance in program history, UCLA sat at +600 before the Sweet 16 and slowly declined to +700 during the Elite Eight.
Although UConn is favored by 8.5 points against the Bruins in the national semifinals, UCLA had the upper hand on the Huskies during non-conference play last season. The Bruins earned a 78-67 win in a matchup that saw UConn struggle for production outside of Bueckers’ 31 points.
(Photo: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Inconsistency, controversial hits and players running wild in NHL’s Battle of Florida
The Battle of Florida is, well, a battle.Sure, this series isn’t as physical or grinding as Jets versus Blues in the Central, which has a combined 347 hits. But the hits thrown in this series have been a lot more controversial.Monday night’s Game 4 showcased that — first when Aaron Ekblad ended Brandon Hagel’s night with a forearm to the head in the second period, then in the third when Niko Mikkola boarded Zemgus Girgensons.The Panthers and Lightning are heated rivals, so a physical series should be expected — that is the nature of the Stanley Cup playoffs, after all. But there still has to be a standard of consistency for these borderline infractions, and after Game 4, that line is even blurrier.To set the stage for Monday night’s spicy game, let’s rewind to Game 2.Midway through the third period, […]
Kolumne „Meine Bayern“ – Wetten, dass ER die Schale zurück nach München ballert?
„Meine Bayern“ heißt die Kolumne von SPORT BILD-Reporter-Legende Raimund Hinko, die sich mit dem deutschen Rekordmeister befasst. Hinko begleitet den FC Bayern seit Jahrzehnten.Liebe Meister-Träne,über welche Wange willst Du diesmal fließen? Natürlich über ein Bayern-Gesicht wirst Du sagen. Wirklich?Es ist erst zwei Jahre her, dass Dortmund am letzten Spieltag gegen Mainz nicht gewinnen konnte, dass in Köln in der 87. Minute Jamal Musiala, gerade eingewechselt, ein Millimeter kleines Loch erspähte und mit seiner ersten Ballberührung den Ball zum 2:1 ins Tor schnitt. Die elfte Meisterschaft hintereinander war perfekt. Nicht nur bei Musiala flossen Tränen.So spannend soll es diesmal nicht werden. Nicht nur die Bayern-Fans rechnen damit, dass die Münchner am Samstag in Leipzig alles klarmachen und sich am 32. Spieltag ihre 34. Deutsche Meisterschaft holen.Nur: Wer wird der Schütze? Wer ballert die Schale zurück nach München?Musiala kommt mit seiner Muskelverletzung […]
Stars push Avalanche to the brink with commanding Game 5 win: Takeaways
This entire era of Dallas hockey has been built on their depth, but that doesn’t mean the Stars aren’t loaded with, well, stars, too. But you wouldn’t know it based on the first four games of the series. Wyatt Johnston hadn’t scored yet. Neither had Mikko Rantanen. Or Matt Duchene. Or Mikael Granlund. Meanwhile Jamie Benn, Roope Hintz and Thomas Harley had just one goal each.AdvertisementAnd yet Dallas was still even in its first-round series with the high-octane Colorado Avalanche through four games.“You know what, I don’t think any of our big guys have delivered yet in this series,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said before Game 5 when asked about Rantanen (one assist) in particular. ”He’s not the only one on this list. But the beauty of this, it’s time now. This is money time. I actually like the fact […]
Inside Newcastle Q&A: Transfer policy, Guehi interest – and predicting the run-in
Once a week (mostly) for an hour during the Premier League season, The Athletic’s Newcastle United subscribers can ask our writers covering the club for views and insight into what’s happening at St James’ Park.Here we have pulled together some of the questions and our answers from Monday’s edition of our Inside Newcastle live Q&A, which included queries about whether Marc Guehi and James Trafford remain priority transfer targets, whether Eddie Howe’s side will secure Champions League football and how the club feel William Osula is developing.Want to ask us anything Newcastle-related? Chris Waugh will be back on Monday at 2pm BST (9am EST) for another session.Will Newcastle be active in the pre-Club World Cup transfer window in June? Or is it a case of wait until July for any incomings? — Jamie SWaugh: There is a chance that Newcastle […]
Athletic Club’s Basque-only rule: What is it? When did it start? Who qualifies?
This is an updated version of this article, which was originally published in 2023.It is fair to say that Athletic Club facing Manchester United in the Europa League semi-finals is something of a miracle.Famously, the side from the city of Bilbao eliminated United, then managed by Sir Alex Ferguson, from the round of 16 of the same competition in 2012. Reaching the semi-finals this year is not their only achievement. They are on course for a Champions League spot in La Liga and ended a 40-year wait for major silverware last season by lifting the Copa del Rey, so they are not short of quality.AdvertisementBut this does not tell the full story. Athletic have achieved all that while only being able to pick players from the Basque Country — a region of northern Spain and southern France with a population […]
Predicting next season’s Premier League title winners – far too early
This season’s Premier League title is secured.Liverpool turned the campaign into a procession, having led the top flight since November, and the 5-1 win over Tottenham on Sunday ensured a triumphant first term for head coach Arne Slot.So, what about next season? Can deposed champions Manchester City bounce back? Will Arsenal mount a more concerted challenge? Or could a different team altogether emerge from the pack?While acknowledging that it is ridiculously early to start making any confident predictions about the 2025-26 campaign — given we have a summer transfer window and almost four months’ worth of off-field shenanigans to wade through before that point — we decided to ask our experts anyway.Jacob Whitehead: ArsenalBuilding a title-winning back line is the hardest part of the equation — Mikel Arteta’s team are already there.Arsenal have saved their money and this summer should […]
Related
Inconsistency, controversial hits and players running wild in NHL’s Battle of Florida
The Battle of Florida is, well, a battle.Sure, this series isn’t as physical or grinding as Jets versus Blues in the Central, which has a combined 347 hits. But the hits thrown in this series have been a lot more controversial.Monday night’s Game 4 showcased that — first when Aaron Ekblad ended Brandon Hagel’s night with a forearm to the head in the second period, then in the third when Niko Mikkola boarded Zemgus Girgensons.The Panthers and Lightning are heated rivals, so a physical series should be expected — that is the nature of the Stanley Cup playoffs, after all. But there still has to be a standard of consistency for these borderline infractions, and after Game 4, that line is even blurrier.To set the stage for Monday night’s spicy game, let’s rewind to Game 2.Midway through the third period, […]
Kolumne „Meine Bayern“ – Wetten, dass ER die Schale zurück nach München ballert?
„Meine Bayern“ heißt die Kolumne von SPORT BILD-Reporter-Legende Raimund Hinko, die sich mit dem deutschen Rekordmeister befasst. Hinko begleitet den FC Bayern seit Jahrzehnten.Liebe Meister-Träne,über welche Wange willst Du diesmal fließen? Natürlich über ein Bayern-Gesicht wirst Du sagen. Wirklich?Es ist erst zwei Jahre her, dass Dortmund am letzten Spieltag gegen Mainz nicht gewinnen konnte, dass in Köln in der 87. Minute Jamal Musiala, gerade eingewechselt, ein Millimeter kleines Loch erspähte und mit seiner ersten Ballberührung den Ball zum 2:1 ins Tor schnitt. Die elfte Meisterschaft hintereinander war perfekt. Nicht nur bei Musiala flossen Tränen.So spannend soll es diesmal nicht werden. Nicht nur die Bayern-Fans rechnen damit, dass die Münchner am Samstag in Leipzig alles klarmachen und sich am 32. Spieltag ihre 34. Deutsche Meisterschaft holen.Nur: Wer wird der Schütze? Wer ballert die Schale zurück nach München?Musiala kommt mit seiner Muskelverletzung […]
Stars push Avalanche to the brink with commanding Game 5 win: Takeaways
This entire era of Dallas hockey has been built on their depth, but that doesn’t mean the Stars aren’t loaded with, well, stars, too. But you wouldn’t know it based on the first four games of the series. Wyatt Johnston hadn’t scored yet. Neither had Mikko Rantanen. Or Matt Duchene. Or Mikael Granlund. Meanwhile Jamie Benn, Roope Hintz and Thomas Harley had just one goal each.AdvertisementAnd yet Dallas was still even in its first-round series with the high-octane Colorado Avalanche through four games.“You know what, I don’t think any of our big guys have delivered yet in this series,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said before Game 5 when asked about Rantanen (one assist) in particular. ”He’s not the only one on this list. But the beauty of this, it’s time now. This is money time. I actually like the fact […]
Inside Newcastle Q&A: Transfer policy, Guehi interest – and predicting the run-in
Once a week (mostly) for an hour during the Premier League season, The Athletic’s Newcastle United subscribers can ask our writers covering the club for views and insight into what’s happening at St James’ Park.Here we have pulled together some of the questions and our answers from Monday’s edition of our Inside Newcastle live Q&A, which included queries about whether Marc Guehi and James Trafford remain priority transfer targets, whether Eddie Howe’s side will secure Champions League football and how the club feel William Osula is developing.Want to ask us anything Newcastle-related? Chris Waugh will be back on Monday at 2pm BST (9am EST) for another session.Will Newcastle be active in the pre-Club World Cup transfer window in June? Or is it a case of wait until July for any incomings? — Jamie SWaugh: There is a chance that Newcastle […]
Athletic Club’s Basque-only rule: What is it? When did it start? Who qualifies?
This is an updated version of this article, which was originally published in 2023.It is fair to say that Athletic Club facing Manchester United in the Europa League semi-finals is something of a miracle.Famously, the side from the city of Bilbao eliminated United, then managed by Sir Alex Ferguson, from the round of 16 of the same competition in 2012. Reaching the semi-finals this year is not their only achievement. They are on course for a Champions League spot in La Liga and ended a 40-year wait for major silverware last season by lifting the Copa del Rey, so they are not short of quality.AdvertisementBut this does not tell the full story. Athletic have achieved all that while only being able to pick players from the Basque Country — a region of northern Spain and southern France with a population […]
Predicting next season’s Premier League title winners – far too early
This season’s Premier League title is secured.Liverpool turned the campaign into a procession, having led the top flight since November, and the 5-1 win over Tottenham on Sunday ensured a triumphant first term for head coach Arne Slot.So, what about next season? Can deposed champions Manchester City bounce back? Will Arsenal mount a more concerted challenge? Or could a different team altogether emerge from the pack?While acknowledging that it is ridiculously early to start making any confident predictions about the 2025-26 campaign — given we have a summer transfer window and almost four months’ worth of off-field shenanigans to wade through before that point — we decided to ask our experts anyway.Jacob Whitehead: ArsenalBuilding a title-winning back line is the hardest part of the equation — Mikel Arteta’s team are already there.Arsenal have saved their money and this summer should […]
Be the first to leave a comment