The UConn Huskies will be the odds-on favorites to win the national championship and end their nine-year title drought going into the women's Final Four.
Following the Elite Eight, UConn is the -150 favorite to win the women's NCAA tournament, according to ESPN BET odds as of Monday night. South Carolina comes in next at +210, followed by Texas at +650 and UCLA at +750.
Those four teams were also atop the odds board at the beginning of March Madness, though the favorite at the time, South Carolina, sported the longest pre-tournament championship favorite odds (+240) in at least a decade.
The Gamecocks opened as 4.5-point favorites for their Final Four matchup with the Longhorns, while the Huskies opened as 8.5-point favorites over the Bruins for their semifinal showdown, per ESPN BET lines.
Led by Paige Bueckers, the likely No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft, UConn has been the team to watch all season as it seeks its record-extending 12th national title. At ESPN BET, the Huskies have attracted the second-most bets and handle in the futures market, while BetMGM has them as the top ticket and money attractor.
"We definitely had pretty high expectations. I think they were among the highest ranked going into the season and our lowest odds going into the season," BetMGM sports trader Hannah Luther told ESPN. "They beat South Carolina by 30 [in February], so they can definitely beat anybody."
That win briefly propelled the Huskies to national championship favorite status over the Gamecocks, but South Carolina regained the top spot on the odds board just before the start of the tournament. Dawn Staley's squad has the most wagers and handle to win the tournament at ESPN BET.
Another popular play among bettors in the national championship futures market was USC, which was eliminated from the tournament by UConn on Monday night. The Trojans had taken the fourth-most bets and handle at ESPN BET, but they tumbled from +900 to +2500 following a season-ending ACL injury to superstar JuJu Watkins in the second round. Watkins' injury also opened the door for UConn to take the favorite lead and never look back.