The betting favorites to win the national title in women’s college basketball this year are the usual suspects. With less than a week to go before the season tips off, the reigning champs — UConn — are the favorite at FanDuel Sportsbook at +240, with South Carolina close behind at +280.
UCLA and Texas, who joined the Huskies and Gamecocks at last season’s Final Four, have the next best odds. The Bruins are +480 and the Longhorns are +850.
Those odds are set for good reasons. UConn is built to repeat with a roster that returns Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd, South Carolina added the nation’s leading scorer to an already strong team coached by Dawn Staley, Lauren Betts and Kiki Rice are back at UCLA, and Texas is still armed with the duo of Madison Booker and Rori Harmon.
But if you’re really looking to get some bang for your buck, you might be looking lower down the odds list and trying to find a squad that oddsmakers are undervaluing.
Here’s three teams with enticing national championship odds, per FanDuel.
Since winning the national title in 2023, Kim Mulkey’s Tigers have gone to the Elite Eight in back-to-back seasons. Flau’Jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams are back, and the Tigers put talented and intriguing pieces around them through high school recruiting and the transfer portal. LSU added electric South Carolina guard MiLaysia Fulwiley, Notre Dame center Kate Koval, and do-it-all forward Amiya Joyner from East Carolina. Toss in three of ESPN’s top 25 recruits and the Tigers have a team that seems to be — on-paper anyways — as talented as any in the country.
The Blue Devils had their best season yet under Kara Lawson last year, winning the ACC Tournament and advancing to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2013. Duke was a few plays away from going to the Final Four last season, but narrowly lost to South Carolina by four points in Birmingham. From that roster, Duke brings back four starters — a group that doesn’t include ACC Rookie of the Year Toby Fournier, who had 18 points against the Gamecocks in the regional final. The Blue Devils are also getting two former McDonald’s All-Americans healthy in 6-foot-2 Riley Nelson and 6-foot-4 Arianna Roberson, and they brought in Emilee Skinner, the nation’s fourth-best recruit according to ESPN. Duke is the favorite in the ACC and has enough talent to win the national title.
Mark Campbell’s Horned Frogs made history last season by winning the Big 12 and advancing to the Elite Eight for the first time ever. That TCU team lost its top three scorers, but Campbell reloaded in a big way in the transfer portal by getting All-American point guard Olivia Miles from Notre Dame. Around the dynamic playmaker, the Horned Frogs got sharpshooting wing Marta Suarez from Cal and 6-foot-7 center Clara Silva from Kentucky. Returners in Donovyn Hunter and Taylor Bigby round out what should be a strong starting five. Taliyah Parker from Texas A&M, Maddie Scherr from Kentucky, Veronica Sheffey from San Diego State, and 6-foot-7 Kennedy Basham round out what looks like an incredibly strong roster.
