2025 Women’s NCAA Tournament Best Bets & Predictions
Futures are something you can bet on practically all year long. But you do not need to stop just because the tournament is getting underway. You can still bet on the National Championship winner. A few new futures markets have opened now that it’s tournament time. After writing about many of these teams throughout the season, I have a few ideas on who's going to win.
I may have a change of heart as the tournament progresses, but these are my 'Best Futures Bets' as we prepare for the first round to get underway.
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2025 Women’s NCAA Tournament Best Bets & Predictions
National Championship Odds
Here are the odds for the 10 teams at the top of the Women’s National Championship betting board (preseason ranking in parentheses).
(Odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook)
- South Carolina (1): +235
- UConn (2): +240
- UCLA (5): +500
- USC (3): +650
- Texas (4): +750
- Notre Dame (6): +850
- TCU (NR): +3500
- NC State (9): +3500
- Duke (11): +4000
- LSU (7): +4000
Trends
Before making my opening picks, let me share some tendencies I discovered after doing some research.
- Eighteen of the 43 Tournament winners were ranked No. 1 in the preseason AP Poll. Ten of the last 21 winners were preseason No. 1-ranked teams, but only one in the last seven years.
- Of the last 21 winners, the eventual champion was ranked inside the preseason top 10.
- Six of the last 10 winners were ranked No. 1 at the start of the NCAA Tournament.
- Every champion has been ranked inside the preseason top 16 since 2003.
- Every championship has been won by either a No. 1 seed (23 times), a No. 2 seed (four times) or a No. 3 seed (three times). The 10 teams listed above are either top-three seeds.
Food for thought, right? On that note, here is my pick heading into the Tournament…
Favorites
The winner will be one of these teams: USC, UCLA, South Carolina, Notre Dame, UConn, Texas.
I've put money on USC, but I'm not sure they have the defense they need to win it all. Plus, as we saw in the Big Ten title game, if JuJu Watkins gets shut down, they're in trouble. UCLA is excellent, but they don't have a go-to scoring threat (like Watkins). South Carolina has the pedigree, talent and coaching.
However, the spanking UConn put on them makes me nervous. Notre Dame can score, but can they defend? Eh... That leaves Texas and Connecticut.
My Pick: UConn (+240)
Region Winners/To Make Final Four Picks and Trends
When making picks, keep a few things in mind:
- At least one No. 1 seed has made the Final Four every year.
- Since 2000, at least two No. 1 seeds have made the Final Four 22 times (24 tournaments).
- Since 2000, at least three No. 1 seeds have made the Final Four nine times.
- All four No. 1 seeds have made it to the Final Four on four occasions (three since 2012).
- Since 2010, there has been just one tournament where a single No. 1 seed made the Final Four.
- A No. 2 seed made the Final Four 16 times since 2000, two advanced in five tournaments.
- A No. 3 seed has made the Final Four five times since 2000.
- A No. 4 seed has made the Final Four five times since 2000.
- A No. 5 seed has made the Final Four two times since 2000.
- A No. 7 seed has made the Final Four two times since 2000.
Spokane: Regional 1
Birmingham: Regional 2
Birmingham: Regional 3
Spokane: Regional 4
My Picks
As dominant as the top teams have been this season, I could easily see all four No. 1 seeds winning their region and making the Final Four. From a historical perspective, at least two will win their region (UCLA and South Carolina). Notre Dame could take their region and USC could take theirs.