10 years after the men’s Division I NCAA Tournament expanded to 68 teams, the women’s side followed suit in 2021. Now with a play-in phase that includes the additional four teams in women’s March Madness, there are even more opportunities to place bets on what team will become the eventual national champion.
In the first year of the play-in officially called the First Four, fans saw some surprising results, with mid-majors taking down Power 5 programs. If this trend repeats, bettors will have fun filling out their brackets once the NCAA announces the tournament field on Selection Day in March.
Types of Bets
Currently, women’s basketball enthusiasts who want to place wagers on the NCAA tournament have only one type of bet available with the major online sportsbooks: point spreads.
In addition, no sportsbooks offer odds on the WNIT, the tournament that closely resembles the NIT on the men’s side. The 64-team WNIT is for teams that don’t earn a berth in the NCAA tournament.
When placing a bet on the National Championship game with a spread, fans place a wager based on the predicted margin of victory.
A sports betting spread is a handicap operators use to even out the betting on both sides of a wager. The spread sets a margin or line that the favored team must win by for a bet on that team to be a winning one. In gambling terminology, a winning bet covers the spread.
For example, a spread for a game might look like this:
- South Carolina Gamecocks (-10)
- Stanford Cardinal (+10)
South Carolina is favored to win by 10 points and must win the game by more than that for a bettor to collect earnings. Stanford must lose by nine points or less (or win) for a bet on the Cardinal to cash out.
Spreads are an excellent way for sportsbooks to generate betting interest on both sides of the game.
Where Can I Bet on Women’s March Madness Online
The top sportsbooks that offer women’s March Madness odds are listed below. Fans can download iOS and Android apps for each operator and place wagers via a web browser.
FanDuel Sportsbook
- Available states: AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, LA, MI, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY
Caesars Sportsbook
- Available states: AZ, CO, IN, IA, IL, KS, LA, MD, MI, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TN, VA, WV
DraftKings Sportsbook
- Available states: AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TN, VA, WV & WY
You can sign up for multiple sportsbooks, but you can only take advantage of welcome promos once. When you download the sportsbook app and create an account, you should see the available welcome promos that may include deposit bonuses and second-chance bets. Make sure to read all terms and conditions before you opt in to welcome offers.
Current Women’s March Madness Odds
| Sportsbook | Points Spread |
|---|---|
| FanDuel Sportsbook | TBA |
| Caesars Sportsbook | TBA |
| DraftKings Sportsbook | TBA |
Betting Tips and Strategies
Pay attention to the following variables when researching odds to win the women’s NCAA tournament.
NET Ranking
A NET ranking is a metric that takes into account a team’s schedule strength, scoring margin, offensive and defensive efficiency, and season results. The NCAA updates NET rankings daily.
A team ranked in the top 25 in the polls might have a lower NET than an unranked team that makes the tournament. So, NET rankings could be better predictors of tournament performance than rankings published ahead of the tournament.
Season Injuries
Pay attention to the team’s injury list over the season and the minutes played by injured players. Some players may be more prone to injuries than others. For example, a key player may have had recurring concussions or other types of repeated injuries.
Most Recent Games
Entering the tournament, teams have just finished the first phase of the postseason by playing in conference tournaments. A team that wins its conference tournament earns an automatic berth in March Madness. However, in highly competitive Power 5 conferences, the second, third, and sometimes even fourth-place teams may make the tournament. Take the case of the 2021-22 South Carolina Gamecocks, who won the national championship after a stunning upset in the conference tournament by Kentucky. So, pay attention to those teams in the top five of Power 5 standings.
The Power 5 Conferences:
- Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)
- Big Ten (B1G)
- Big 12
- Pac-12
- Southeastern Conference (SEC)
Bet Responsibly
Filling out a bracket and predicting winners is a lot of fun, especially when you compare brackets with friends. However, don’t bet more than you can afford. All the listed online sportsbooks include responsible gaming tools within their apps, such as deposit limits, time outs, play time limits, and self-exclusion. Familiarize yourself with these tools before placing a bet.
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