The UConn Huskies will head into the women’s Final Four favored to win their record-extending 13th national championship, but it will be with their longest odds since the calendar turned to 2026.
UConn is -160 to win the NCAA women’s basketball championship, with South Carolina and Texas grouped at +550, and UCLA at the bottom of the board at +600, according to DraftKings odds. The Huskies were -190 to win the title in January and had been in the -200 range up until this point.
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The Bruins had been playing second fiddle to UConn for most of that time and their current odds are actually only a slight lengthening from what they had entering the tournament at +550. However, they will have to face the Longhorns in the national semifinals — the only team that beat them in the regular season — which would explain both Texas’ -1.5 spread for the game and improved odds for the title.
In the other semifinal, the Huskies are 6.5-point favorites over the Gamecocks in a rematch of last year’s national championship game. The favorites in both games are attracting the majority of spread bets and handle in early wagering at DraftKings.
South Carolina has attracted the highest number of national championship futures tickets at both BetMGM and FanDuel, while UCLA has garnered some of the highest handle at the former, making the Bruins the largest liability remaining at the sportsbook, according to BetMGM senior trader Michael Ranftle.
Dominick DeBonis, risk manager for Circa Sports, told ESPN over email that the book had accumulated some liability on underdogs like Virginia during their Cinderella run and has some minor lingering caution on UCLA as well, but that the pretournament chalk occupying the Final Four is a largely positive outcome for the sportsbook.
“Based on the current bracket setup, we’re guaranteed to have a positive team in the national championship game and will be rooting for the Longhorns all the way up to that point,” he said.
In general, the women’s game continues to grow in the betting markets, setting up for a sustainable future and money driver for the sports betting market.
“We’ve been very pleased with the action. Handle has reached seven figures across the tournament and we’ve gathered enough data to confidently offer the highest limits available on the market,” DeBonis said. “We’re planning to substantially increase the amount of games we will make available for next season and are very excited about how the women’s side of the game has grown in betting interest and national visibility.”
