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.
Oklahoma (+2800) and Tennessee (+3300). The Lady Volunteers are a top five team for bets or handle at ESPN BET and BetMGM, while the Sooners have taken at outsized 8% of money at BetMGM, making them one of the book’s largest liabilities.
35% year-over-year increase in betting handle on women’s college basketball.
«Women’s college basketball is definitely on the rise, as it has been. They gain a lot more attention each year and a lot of that has to do with the level of play that you’re now seeing on the women’s side of the sport,» Caesars college basketball trade Patrick Berbert told ESPN. «Even though Caitlin Clark has left the sport, JuJu Watkins is going to be out this year, the handle is still there, it’s getting better each year. So that’s a really positive thing for the sport going forward and hopefully stays that way.»
