"The UConn Huskies' return to the pinnacle of women's college basketball last season has bettors and bookmakers alike high on them headed into the 2025-26 campaign -- but the South Carolina Gamecocks and UCLA Bruins are lurking just behind, looking for opportunities to dethrone them. UConn is the consensus favorite to win its second consecutive national championship in 2026, boasting +225 odds at ESPN BET. South Carolina checks in next at +280, with UCLA coming in at +400 before a significant drop to Texas at +900, and another to the rest of the field, starting with LSU at +1400."
"Although women's college basketball has made significant strides towards parity in recent seasons, it's traditionally more top heavy than the men's game, which would explain the clear odds difference between the favorites tier and the rest of the field. Bettors of the women's game understand this dynamic as well, as ESPN BET reports that an astounding 87.2% of its combined national championship futures handle is backing UConn (42.1%), UCLA (30.4%) or South Carolina (14.7%). That said, ESPN BET senior director Adrian Horton notes that the Gamecocks have "drawn the most bets of any team in the offseason" with 33.1% of the tickets in the market."
""It's almost a sure thing that Connecticut and South Carolina get by the first round [of the NCAA tournament], first two rounds, maybe all the way to the Elite Eight because these teams, they're going to be 40- or 50-point favorites in the first couple of games," DraftKings sportsbook director Johnny Avello told ESPN."
UConn is the consensus betting favorite for the 2026 women's national championship at +225, followed by South Carolina (+280) and UCLA (+400). Texas sits at +900 and LSU at +1400 among the next tier. The market shows heavy concentration, with 87.2% of ESPN BET futures handle on UConn (42.1%), UCLA (30.4%) and South Carolina (14.7%). South Carolina generated the largest share of tickets at 33.1%. Final Four lines favor UConn (-150), South Carolina (-130) and UCLA (-115). Strong early-round blowouts are expected for the top teams, and LSU remains a notable long-shot interest.
Read at ESPN.com
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