UConn will head into the women’s college basketball tournament semifinals favored to win the national championship, but it will be with -160 odds, its longest since the calendar flipped to 2026. In January, Geno Auriemma’s squad was -190 to win the title and has been in the -200 range ever since.
Meanwhile, UCLA, which had been playing second fiddle to UConn for most of that time, has fallen to the bottom of the odds board at +600, which is actually only a slight lengthening of its odds going into the tournament (+550). The reason is likely because the Bruins will have to face Texas — the only team that beat them in the regular season — in the national semifinals. Texas is a 1.5-point favorite over UCLA for their matchup and is +550 to win the title.
South Carolina is also +550 to win the national championship, but it has the less enviable task of having to take down UConn first. South Carolina is a 6.5-point underdog to UConn in last year’s national championship rematch and has received very little of the handle to win or cover in early wagering.
As far as the futures market goes at BetMGM, South Carolina holds the highest ticket share at 16.8%, but UCLA has a higher handle share at 20.6%, making the Bruins the sportsbook’s largest remaining liability. UConn has garnered the largest percentage of money at 37.3%, but its short national title odds all season don’t make the Huskies much of a caution.
Odds by DraftKings Sportsbook as of time of publication and are subject to change.
