How to Bet on Women’s College Basketball

Women’s college basketball is experiencing a renaissance as the sport sees increases in viewership, sold-out games, and recognition of star athletes that go on to play in the WNBA. The resurgence gets momentum from the rise of dynamic coaches like South Carolina’s Dawn Staley and Arizona’s Adia Barnes and the growing interest from fans worldwide. These developments naturally led to a wave of interest from bettors who are looking to make informed decisions about women’s basketball odds. With this in mind, here’s a guide on how to bet on women’s college basketball.

Types of Bets

The best sportsbooks offer the following types of bets on women’s basketball games during the regular season.

Spread

In spread bets, bettors place wages on the expected margin of victory or defeat. The spread is the difference in points a team is predicted to win or lose by in a game. The favored team must win by at least that number to “cover the spread.” The underdog must win the game or lose by less than the spread. When viewing spread odds, the favored team has a negative (-) number by the margin, while the underdog on the spread has a positive (+) number.

For example, a spread may look like this:

  • Indiana Hoosiers (-8)
  • Iowa Hawkeyes (+8)

In this scenario, the Hoosiers would have to win by more than 8 points to cover the spread. If you bet on Iowa, the Hawkeyes would have to win outright or lose by less than 8. If Indiana beats Iowa by exactly 8, then all bets are refunded in what’s called a push, when the game result ends up exactly on the point spread.

Moneyline

Moneylines are simple bets. You place a wager on which team will earn the victory outright. Like spreads, the favored team has a negative (-) number while the underdog’s money is positive (+). For example, South Carolina is -180 to beat LSU, while LSU is +150 to win. If you think South Carolina will win, you have to bet $180 to potentially win $100 (or $18 to win $10). On the other hand, if you think LSU will win, you would wager $100 to potentially win $150 (or $10 to win $15).

Totals (Over/Under)

A totals bet, also known as an Over/Under bet, is where you wager on whether the total combined score of a game will be Over or Under a predetermined number set by the sportsbook. You do not need to predict the winner of the game, only whether the total points will be higher or lower than the sportsbook’s set number.

For example, the total for a game between South Carolina and LSU might be 140. If South Carolina won and the score was 80-65, a total of 145, the result was over the total. If you place a bet on the Over, you win. If you place a bet on the Under, you lose.

Futures

At the beginning of the season, sportsbooks may list odds for what team is expected to win the national championship or conference championship. Since these events are months in advance, they’re called futures.

Teams will generally be listed with a plus before the beginning of the season. For example, South Carolina might be listed at +500. This means that a $100 bet would give you a $500 payout.

Futures odds will change as the season commences and progresses.

Best Sportsbooks Apps for Women’s College Basketball and Place a Bet

The best sportsbooks that offer betting on NCAA women’s college basketballs games:

Keep in mind that not every state has legalized sports betting. Read the following guide to determine if your state has legal sports wagering.

Where is Sports Betting Legal in the United States?

If you can place bets on games in your state, download the app for sportsbooks on your mobile device. All the sportsbooks listed are available in the App Store for iOS and Android devices. You can also place bets on the web via sportsbook websites.

When you download the app, create an account and pay attention to the welcome bonuses available to new bettors. Sportsbooks also offer ongoing promos and loyalty programs.

Each app has easy-to-use navigation to find the section for women’s college basketball games. Once you find the listings for the day’s games, view the odds and decide how you want to bet.

NCAA Women’s Basketball Betting Tips

When you’re learning how to bet on women’s college basketball games, staying abreast of the latest statistics and news is important. Pay attention to the following factors when researching teams:

  • The Associated Press Top 25 Poll (Poll comes out on Mondays)
  • The USA Today Coaches Top 25 Poll (Poll is released on Tuesdays)
  • NCAA NET rankings (Rankings are updated daily. The NET measures a team’s overall strength of schedule, results, quality of wins and losses, and other components)
  • Conference standings (Athletic conferences update standings multiple times a week)
  • Expected lineups and injuries

All the above rankings are listed on the NCAA’s official website. You can find expected lineups and injuries listed in the game notes on the team’s official website (schedule page).

Betting on women’s college basketball can be exciting as parity increases as more teams begin to challenge the dynasties of storied teams. Heed the tips above, don’t gamble more than you can afford, and have fun as your favorite team makes its way through the regular season, conference tournaments, and hopefully, March Madness.

More women’s college basketball: Best games to watch | Power rankings