Women's Tournament: First Round Best Bets, Picks, Predictions

The Women's Basketball tournament kicks off this week and the bracket was announced on Sunday.

The Big Ten's UCLA and USC and the SEC's South Carolina and Texas were named as the top seeds in the four regions.

The Gamecocks are looking for their third title in four years and fourth overall, while Texas is hoping to win for the first time since 1986.

The Trojans won back-to-back titles in 1983-84, but haven't reached a Final Four in 29 years.

Cross-town rival UCLA has never reached the Final Four. Conversely, UConn is playing for its 17th straight trip to the Final Four, but first title since 2016.

Below, our experts highlight four of their best bets for the first-round games taking place Friday and Saturday.

2025 Women's Tournament: First Round Best Bets, Picks, Predictions

No. 4 Maryland -16.5 (-102) vs. No. 13 Norfolk State

Brenda Frese's Terrapins ought to be an ornery bunch come Saturday after Maryland, the No.4 seed in Regional 2, hosts No.13 seed Norfolk State at XFINITY Center in College Park at 4pm ET. 

The Terps are coming off a poor showing in the Big Ten Tournament, getting handled, 98-71 in a quarterfinal contest by a Michigan team they had beaten just weeks earlier.

Maryland finished the regular season 23-7, but went just 9-7 after opening the campaign on a 14-game unbeaten streak. 

They're facing a Spartan squad that ran through the MEAC for the third straight season, finishing 30-4 overall and earning the league's automatic bid with a 68-56 victory over Howard.

However, coach Larry Vickers' team has lost each of their two previous first round games by an average of 30.5 points.

It could be a similar outcome Saturday as Maryland throws six players averaging 8.5 points or more on the court, led by Kaylene Smikle, who went for 17.7 points per contest. 

Look for Maryland to cover the 16.5-point spread as favorites.

No. 2 Duke -27.5 (-110) vs. No. 15 Lehigh

The Blue Devils’ revival under fifth-year coach Kara Lawson continued with a redemption tour last week in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Duke defeated Louisville, Notre Dame, and N.C. State, avenging regular season losses to all three, to win its first ACC Tournament championship since 2013 and its ninth overall.

Lawson has a deep squad and that depth was on display all tournament.

Reserve Oluchi Onananwa, who’s averaging 10.2 points this season, went for more than 16 a game in Greensboro, including a 22-point, 10-rebound performance in a 76-62 victory over the Wolfpack in the championship game to earn MVP honors.

Ashlon Jackson averaged more than 15 points in the conference tournament. The team’s leading scorer, ACC rookie of the year Toby Fournier, is going for 13.4 points and 5.3 rebounds.

The Blue Devils, seeded second in Regional 2, host No. 15 seed Lehigh in Durham Friday night at 8pm ET.

The Mountain Hawks won the Patriot League under second-year coach Addie Micir. This is the school’s fifth overall appearance in the tournament. They have yet to win a game and this year does not look much better.

Expect Duke to overwhelm Lehigh early and run away with the win while covering the 27.5-point spread in the process.

No. 3 Notre Dame -30.5 (-110) vs. No. 14 Stephen F. Austin

Put the Fighting Irish in the same boat with Maryland. After a 19-game win streak, Notre Dame stood at 24-2 overall, ranked No.1 in the nation.

The team proceeded to lose three of its final five games, including a 61-56 setback to Duke in the ACC Tournament. Those poor performances over the last few weeks cost the team, which is now the No.3 seed in Regional 3.

Now coach Niele Ivey's team hosts No.14 seed Stephen F. Austin Friday in South Bend at 2pm ET.

The Lumberjacks earned the Southland’s automatic bid by knocking off Southeast Louisiana in the tournament championship game, 65-57. They should be in for a rude awakening against the fast-paced Fighting Irish.

Notre Dame ranks fifth in the nation in scoring, averaging 84.7 points per contest. They're led by sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo, who ranks fourth in the nation in both points (24.2) and steals (3.7) per game.

She was named the ACC’s Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year and she should have a standout performance at both ends of the court against Stephen F. Austin.

When adding in fellow guard Olivia Miles (16.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 5.8 apg), the Fighting Irish feature one of the best backcourts in the nation, and the Lumberjacks will see firsthand on Friday.

Look for Notre Dame to cover the 30.5-point spread with a dominating performance at home.

No. 10 Harvard +4.5 (-110) vs. No. 7 Michigan State

A blast from the past is back in the tournament as Harvard, which won the Ivy League tournament for the first time in school history, is back in the Big Dance for the first time since 2007.

The Crimson authored the biggest upset in Women’s tournament history as the only No.16 seed to defeat a No.1 seed with a win over Stanford in 1998.

It won’t be as dramatic this time around, as Harvard is the No.10 seed in Regional 1 and faces No.7 seed Michigan State Saturday at 4:30pm ET in Raleigh.

The Crimson are 24-4 and feature Harmoni Turner, who averaged 34 points in two games against tournament teams Princeton and Columbia in the tournament. She surpassed 2,000 career points in the championship game win over Columbia.

Harvard is taking on a sluggish Spartans team that lost six of its final 10 games, including a lackluster performance in a 74-61 loss to Iowa in the second round of the Big Ten tournament.

Michigan State is ripe for a first-round upset at the hands of the Crimson and, at the very least, our experts expect Harvard to cover the 4.5-point spread as underdogs.

Read more betting picks and predictions for College Basketball on site.

This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.