NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament 2024: Updated Championship Odds, Picks

With the NCAA women's basketball tournament down to 16 teams, South Carolina is a big favorite to emerge as the national champion. But anything can happen in March.

Sweet 16 action is set to take place later this week, as four games will take place on Friday and four more will be held Saturday. The winners of those matchups will advance to the Elite Eight, which will occur Sunday and Monday.

All four No. 1 seeds are alive in the tournament, including the Gamecocks. There aren't a ton of underdogs, as 15 of the remaining teams are No. 5 seeds or better. The only exception is No. 7 Duke, which will face No. 3 UConn on Saturday.

Here's a look at the latest championship odds, followed by several strong picks for Sweet 16 games this week. (All odds are courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.)

South Carolina: -150 (bet $15 to win $10)

Iowa: +750 (bet $10 to win $75)

LSU: +850

UConn: +1200

Texas: +1400

Stanford: +1500

USC: +2500

UCLA: +2500

Notre Dame: +4000

NC State: +4500

Indiana: +10000

Oregon State: +10000

Gonzaga: +15000

Duke: +15000

Baylor: +15000

Colorado: +20000

A 16.5-point spread is a lot. In fact, it's the largest of any of the eight Sweet 16 matchups. However, South Carolina is the best team in the field, so it should have no trouble cruising to a lopsided victory over No. 4-seeded Indiana.

Each of the Gamecocks' first two victories of the tournament have been one-sided. They beat No. 16 Presbyterian 91-39, then notched an 88-41 win over No. 8 North Carolina.

It's been a dominant season for South Carolina, which is now 34-0. It has a balanced lineup of scorers, and any one of them can power the team at any particular time.

Expect the Gamecocks to push past the Hoosiers and win by at least 17 points in the process.

The defending national champions didn't have the strongest start to the tournament, as No. 3 LSU eked out a 70-60 win over No. 14 Rice in the first round. But the Tigers were much more impressive in the second round, when they defeated No. 11 Middle Tennessee 83-56.

LSU's roster is still loaded with top talent, which is why it's now 30-5 this season. It had three players score 19 or more points in its second-round win, including junior forward Angel Reese, who tallied 20 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block.

It won't be easy for the Tigers in the Sweet 16, as they're set to take on No. 2 UCLA. But the Bruins had a close call in the second round, when they edged No. 7 Creighton 67-63.

Even though LSU is the lower seed, it's a slight favorite over UCLA. And that's because the Tigers are the better team. They'll show that on Saturday, when they should notch a victory of at least four points.

Iowa is highly motivated to win the first national title in program history this spring. The Hawkeyes came close last year (when they lost to LSU in the final), and this is their final opportunity to do so with Caitlin Clark, the senior guard continuing to break scoring records.

Clark is off to a strong start during March Madness. She tallied 27 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in a first-round win over No. 16 Holy Cross, then recorded 32 points and eight rebounds in a second-round victory vs. No. 8 West Virginia.

It would be a surprise if Iowa got knocked off by No. 5 Colorado on Saturday. Especially because Clark isn't going to have her college career end without a fight.

Clark should power the Hawkeyes to a convincing win, one in which they their margin of victory should be at least eight points.

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