Despite being the No. 3 seed in Women's March Madness, UConn (+125) is favored in the Midwest Region odds over No. 1 USC (+250).
The Trojans are pinned against an unexpected Baylor group while UConn will battle Duke in the Sweet Sixteen.
Our 2024 March Madness Midwest Region odds are tilting towards the Huskies reputation, having made it to at least the tournament semi-finals in 15 of the last 16 seasons and winning it all in six of those appearances. However, this is the first time since 2005 that UConn has been pinned with a No. 3 seed.
Women's March Madness midwest Region Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| UConn | +125 |
| USC | +250 |
| Baylor | +1600 |
| Duke | +2000 |
Odds as of March 26, 2024
The Midwest Region is decorated with talent. Paige Bueckers, who has already announced her return for a fifth season, is a household name at UConn. But, the freshman crop this season is drenched with talent as USC's Juju Watkins, named a first-team All-American and ESPN's Freshman Of The Year, has helped her team sit pretty in the Women's March Madness bracket.
Midwest Region Odds Best Bet: USC Trojans (+250)
For me, UConn's path to the Final Four is strenuous with a possibility of meeting Ohio State and USC. The Huskies don't have the best track record against ranked competitors, falling to South Carolina and Notre Dame in the second-half of the season.
Meanwhile, USC has done the opposite by finding a method to shut down a tough schedule to round out the regular season -- hushing Stanford and UCLA twice.
Watkins, sitting behind Caitlin Clark, averages 27 PPG. She manages to find ways to elevate her game against a Pac-12 conference with strict defenses, four of which allow just 61 points or fewer.
JuJu Watkins (810 points) will enter the NCAA Tournament trailing Chennedy Carter by six points for the third-highest scoring freshman in Division 1 Women’s Basketball history.
— I talk hoops 🏀 (@trendyhoopstars) March 17, 2024
Currently, Watkins stands 89 points shy of surpassing Tina Hutchinson’s 40-year-old record of 898… pic.twitter.com/jFIaoSbwYY
USC, with its first No. 1 seed in nearly four decades, gets home-court advantage for the first two rounds. If the Trojans advance, a lighter trip to Oregon will benefit them ahead of the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight.
