2023/24 Women's College Basketball Odds: South Carolina favored with four teams remaining

The undefeated No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks are -200 favorites to win the 2024 women's college basketball tournament as four teams remain.

South Carolina faces the No. 3 NC State Wolfpack in the national semifinals while the No. 1 Iowa Hawkeyes, led by Caitlin Clark, take on the Paige Bueckers-led No. 3 UConn Huskies.

2024 Women's College Basketball Championship Outright Odds

South Carolina Women	-200
Iowa Women	+300
Connecticut Women	+700
NC State Women	+1400

South Carolina -200

The South Carolina Gamecocks saw their entire starting lineup from the team's 2022/23 season graduate, and this time around, they might be even better. Kamilla Cardoso, a 6-foot-7 senior center, leads the squad in points, rebounds, and blocks, and she's supported by a collection of fellow stars. No one on this team plays more than 28 minutes per game, and that depth has the Gamecocks entering its national semifinal game against NC State with a 36-0 record.

Lead guard Te-Hina Paopao is scoring 10.9 points per game on 46.3 percent shooting from three, MiLaysia Fulwiley drops 11.9 points per game off the bench, Bree Hall and Raven Johnson bring playmaking and athleticism to the backcourt, and Ashlyn Watkins and Chloe Kitts are stable interior presences who can either complement Cardoso or allow her to rest.

The Dawn Staley-coached team leads the nation in blocks per game with 7.9 and allows the lowest field goal percentage as teams shoot just 32.1 percent from the field when facing the Gamecocks. They also rank in the top 10 nationally in field goal percentage, points per game, three-point percentage, and rebounds.

Iowa +300

Caitlin Clark is the star of the Iowa Hawkeyes and gets the majority of the attention from opposing defenses as she leads all Division I women's basketball players in points per game and assists per game with 32.0 and 9.0, respectively. But Clark's teammates, despite their lack of size, have the basketball IQ and finishing ability to bring the best out of Clark.

Hannah Stuelke adds 13.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game and at 6-foot-2, she serves as the team's main presence in the paint. Kate Martin posts 13.1 points and 6.8 rebounds a contest, and Sydney Affolter and Molly Davis each hit three-pointers at a 40.7 percent rate. Crucially, Clark's supporting cast has raised its game in the postseason.

In the tournament, Martin has increased her averages to 14.3 points and 9.8 rebounds and she dropped 21 points in the national quarterfinal win over LSU. Affolter has raised her stats to 13.3 points and six rebounds including a 16-point outing against LSU, and Stuelke had double-doubles in the second and third rounds of the tournament.

Connecticut +700

Despite all the injuries, UConn has gone further in the tournament this season than it did last season. Having senior guard Paige Bueckers healthy is a big reason behind that. Bueckers won the National Player of the Year Award as a freshman before suffering a torn ACL midway through her sophomore season that caused her to miss her entire junior season.

She's averaged 22 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 2.3 steals, and 1.4 blocks for the Huskies this season while shooting 41.8 percent from three. Aaliyah Edwards adds 17.6 points per game with 9.3 boards. Rounding out the starting lineup are Ashlynn Shade, KK Arnold, and Nika Muhl, each of whom scores with decent efficiency and plays tough defense.

The Huskies won by single-digits in all but one of their four tournament games. They blew out Jackson State in the opener before beating Syracuse 72-64, Duke 53-45, and USC 80-73. The question is whether those fine margins help them adjust against the nation's best or if opposing coaches find weaknesses within those performances.

NC State +1400

The true underdog of the four teams remaining, NC State must enjoy having both its men's and women's basketball teams in the national semifinals of the respective tournaments. All five of the No. 3 NC State women's team's starters score over 10 points per game and they're one of the nation's best teams when it comes to taking care of the ball.

Junior guard Aziaha James has led the Wolfpack's postseason charge, notably scoring 29 points against Stanford in the round of 16 and 27 points against Texas in the quarterfinal round. Zoe Brooks, Mimi Collins, Saniya Rivers and 6-foot-5 center River Baldwin have been the main supporting cast.

The Wolfpack has held three of its four tournament opponents to 20 percent three-point shooting or lower. The expection was Tennessee's 31.3 three-point percent outing in NC State's 79-72 win, so the 'Pack clearly defends the perimeter well. If they want to continue their Cinderella run, they'll need more strong defense.

Odds mentioned in this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to change.