The Ultimate Guide to Betting on the 2024 Women’s Final Four | Tips and Picks
The 2024 Women’s Final Four is set for this Friday at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland. There will be two matchups—the favorite to win, the South Carolina Gamecocks against the underdog NC State Wolfpack, and the favored Iowa Hawkeyes against the UConn Huskies. We all know that the Gamecocks are the favorite to take it all, but what other kinds of bets can you take advantage of before Friday?
With only a few days remaining to make your bets, we’ve developed the ultimate betting guide to the 2024 Women’s Final Four, complete with betting tips and our favorite picks. We’ll view the odds with you and suggest the best moneylines, over/under totals, and points spread bets to wager on during the tournament. Our friends at BetMGM, Caesars, and FanDuel have covered us with the best odds the market offers, so you’re in good hands!
Analyzing Trends
Looking at the performance trends of each team can give us a clearer picture of how things could play out on Friday in Cleveland. Let’s look at how each team has fared throughout their seasons and during the March tournaments. These trends have informed many of the oddsmakers’ numbers and provide a rough guide for people like you or me to make the best possible bets we can for the games on Friday.
South Carolina Gamecocks
South Carolina has had a perfect season so far, with a record of 36-0, thanks to Coach Dawn Staley. Kamilla Cardoso is the team’s center, standing at 6 ‘7″. This season, she has led the Gamecocks in points (14.1), blocks (2.5), and rebounds (9.4). She’s the most crucial element in the team’s success this year.
Based on the odds we’ve seen with all the major sportsbooks, South Carolina is the favorite to win. We’re talking moneyline odds of -800 from Caesars and BetMGM. FanDuel is so confident they’ll win against North Carolina that they’ve posted odds of -1250.
NC State Wolfpack
North Carolina is coming into this Final Four Tournament as a two-digit underdog, eking out over Texas in the Elite 8 with a final score of 76-66. They are a No. 3 seed team playing against the No. 1 seed Gamecocks this coming Friday in Cleveland.
While they have some exceptionally good guard play that will help them keep up with SC and Kamilla Cardoso’s 14.1 points per game average, Wolfpack will probably take the L on Friday, though it might not be by as much as they’re predicting!
Iowa Hawkeyes
You cannot mention the Hawkeyes without mentioning Caitlin Clark, her tremendous contributions to the team, and her impact on increasing the visibility of women’s college basketball. We don’t have to get into all the details, but her third-quarter performance in the Elite 8 game against LSU was phenomenal. The final score was 94-87, and the No. 3 seed Tigers were knocked out of the running, all thanks to nine 3-pointers shot by Clark.
The Hawkeyes are matched up against the UConn Huskies this Friday at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, and we expect them to win this game. It’s not the blowout you can expect with the Gamecock game against NC State, but Iowa is favored to win with odds of -150, -158, and -160 from our favorite basketball betting apps.
UConn Huskies
UConn has made it to the Final Four 23 times throughout the school’s history. Coach Geno Auriemma currently heads up the team. UConn ranks first in the Big East in field-goal percentage (.500), rebounding (38.8), and offense (80.7). Despite this excellent track record and gaining significant momentum with their talented point guard, the Huskies will probably lose in their game with the Hawkeyes on Friday, but it could be close!
This year, the heart and soul of the team’s success is junior point guard Paige Beuckers. She leads the team in steals (2.3), scoring (22), and blocks (1.4). She plays excellent defense and can score well from any level of the playing floor.
Understanding the Odds
Let’s view the odds on the Women’s Final Four for this Friday and understand what the oddsmakers at BetMGM, Caesars, and FanDuel tell us about how these games might play out. We’ll focus only on points spread betting, over/under, and money lines—you won’t find anything here about parlaying betting or props.
Note: Remember that the two matchups on Friday are the South Carolina Gamecocks against the NC State Wolfpack and the UConn Huskies against the Iowa Hawkeyes. The first game occurs at 7 p.m. EST, and the second at 9:30 p.m. EST.
BetMGM Final Four Odds
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
|---|---|---|
North Carolina +11.5 (-110) | O139.5 (-110) | North Carolina +550 |
Connecticut +2.5 (-105) | O162.5 (-110) | Connecticut +125 |
Spread Betting
South Carolina is the favorite to win in the matchup against North Carolina, but in the case of these odds, they must win by 11.5 points or more for the bet to be a win. With odds of -110 for both teams, you must bet $110 to win $100 if your prediction is correct. In this case, betting on South Carolina is your likeliest path to winning $100, but they must win by 11.5 points or more. If North Carolina wins outright or loses by 1-11 points, then a bet for South Carolina is considered a loss.
Iowa is the favorite to win the matchup against UConn, but they must win by 2.5 points or more for a spread bet on them to win. You must bet $115; if Iowa wins by 2.5 points or more, you’ll make $100.
Over/Under
According to BetMGM, the North Carolina/South Carolina game’s final combined score from both teams will be 139 points. Wagering on the under bets means you think the final score will be less than 139 points while wagering on the over bets means you think the final score will be over 139 points. In either case, you’re betting $110 in the hopes of gaining $100 if you’re right, based on the odds of -110 for both bets.
The over/under for the Iowa/UConn game is 162.5. It’s the expected combined score from both teams. Either way, you must bet $110 to win $100.
Moneyline Bets
South Carolina is the favorite team to win on Friday. The moneyline odds for them are -800. You must bet $800 and win $100 if South Carolina wins. South Carolina is the expected winner, but there is a chance for an upset. In the case of betting on North Carolina, they would need to win the game outright for bettors to make money on them. If you bet $100 on North Carolina and they pull off a win, you’d make $550 because their current moneyline odds are +550.
Iowa is the favorite to win (-150), so bettors will need to wager $150 to win $100 if Iowa takes it all. However, the underdog UConn (+125) could cause an upset if they win. If you bet $100 on UConn and they win, you could get an extra $125.
Caesars Final Four Odds
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
|---|---|---|
North Carolina +11.0 (-110) | O139.5 (-110) | North Carolina +550 |
Connecticut +3.0 (-115) | O162.0 (-110) | Connecticut +135 |
Spread Betting
North Carolina and South Carolina have odds of -110, so you must bet $110, and you’ll win $100 if your bet prediction is correct. South Carolina is the favorite to win, but for your spread bet on them to win, they must win by 11 points or more. A bet on South Carolina is considered a loss if North Carolina wins the game or loses by 1-10 points. For a bet on North Carolina to win, they must lose to South Carolina by 11 points or more.
Note: Because there’s no hook to the spread odds on this game, any outcome where the game ends on a margin of 11 points exactly is considered a push. This means that bettors get their money back. Neither you nor the sportsbook make any money.
In the case of Iowa and Connecticut, winning bet scenarios would include Iowa winning by more than 3 points, Connecticut winning outright, or Connecticut losing by 1 or 2 points. If the final points spread is 3 exactly, all bets are considered pushes (bettors get their money back).
Over/Under
The estimated combined score for the North Carolina/South Carolina game is 139 points, while the Iowa/UConn game is 162 points. Any of these bets has odds of -110, so you must bet $110 to win $100 if you’re right.
Moneyline Bets
South Carolina is the favorite to win. With odds of -800, bettors must wager $800 and will get $100 if they’re right. Betting on the underdog North Carolina is a wager of only $100, but bettors who are correct on this one will get $550.
Bet on Iowa to win with $160 and get $100 if they are victorious. Or place an underdog bet of $100 on UConn and get $135 as a prize if they pull off the upset.
FanDuel Final Four Odds
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
|---|---|---|
North Carolina +11.5 (-110) | O139.5 (-110) | North Carolina +710 |
Connecticut +2.5 (-104) | O162.5 (-110) | Connecticut +128 |
Spread Betting
Winning bets for spreads at FanDuel are South Carolina winning by more than 11 points, North Carolina winning outright, or North Carolina losing by less than 11 points. Bet $110 and get $100 if you’re correct. Winning spreads for the matchup with the Huskies and Hawkeyes include Iowa winning by more than 2 points, Connecticut winning outright, or Connecticut losing by 2 points or less. The odds are different here. A bet on Connecticut is $104 to win $100, and a bet on Iowa is $118 to win $100.
Over/Under
The oddsmakers at FanDuel expect a combined score of 139 points for the game between the Gamecocks and Wolfpack. If you bet the under, a winning bet would be a combined score of 139 or less. The over bet would have to be a combined score of 140 or more. You want to bet over or under on a combined score of 162 for the Connecticut and Iowa games.
Moneyline Bets
South Carolina is the favorite to win in their matchup (odds of -1250). Bettors will wager $1,250 to win $100. If you bet $100 on the NC State Wolfpack and they pull off a victory over SC, you can expect to win $710! Likewise, Iowa is expected to win their game. You must bet $158 to win $100. A $100 bet on Connecticut will result in a profit of $128 if there’s an upset.
Strategic Betting Tips
Now that you know who’s playing, how to read the odds, and what kind of bets you can place, what’s the best way to bet on the Women’s Final Four? We’ll talk a bit more about our picks and betting tips so you can make the best-informed bets possible!
Spread Betting
Gamecocks vs. Wolfpack
We’d recommend going with the NC State +11.5 on BetMGM or FanDuel.
South Carolina has gone undefeated (36-0). They have 6’7” center Kamilla Cardoso. They even have two solid scorers in MiLaysia Fulwiley and Te-Hina Paopao. But we don’t see the Gamecocks blowing out the Wolfpack and taking them by over 11 points. North Carolina has been playing extremely well throughout the tournament, especially in terms of guard play. They’ll likely lose to SC, but we don’t envision them losing by as much as the oddsmakers predict.
UConn vs. Hawkeyes
We’d recommend going with Iowa -2.5 on BetMGm or FanDuel.
The biggest thing going against UConn in this scenario that puts Iowa in a favorable spot is that UConn has played a game within five points this season. If the game ends up being tight score-wise, we still envision the win going to Iowa and the points difference being well over three points.
Over/Under Totals
Gamecocks vs. Wolfpack
We’d recommend going Under 139.5 on BetMGM, Caesars, or FanDuel.
Though South Carolina has a ton of momentum going at this point in the tournament, and they are blessed with many talented, young players, NC State has been known to turn it on in March and make some runs for the win. They’ll probably lose, but we don’t see the game going over 139 points between both teams. The biggest reason for this prediction is that Wolfpack’s guard, Aziaha James, has been performing really well as of late. She shoots 57% from the 3-point line and 85% from the line.
Moneyline Betting
Gamecocks vs. Wolfpack
We’d recommend betting South Carolina (-800) on BetMGM or Caesars. Bet $800 to win $100.
Expect South Carolina to win against NC State on Friday. It might not be by as many points as the oddsmakers would like you to think, but it will be a total victory for the Gamecocks, no doubt. They’re undefeated in their season (36-0) and have a robust team of talented players, including center Kamilla Cardoso. They are likely to win the entire thing.
UConn vs. Hawkeyes
We’d recommend betting on the Iowa Hawkeyes (-150) with BetMGM Sportsbook, though you can bet $160 with Caesars or $158 with FanDuel.
BetMGM has odds of +125 for UConn and -150 for Iowa. Caesars has odds of +135 for UConn and -160 for Iowa. FanDuel has odds of +128 for UConn and -158 for Iowa. You’re more likely to be upset with this game than you would between the Gamecock and Wolfpack matchup, but we don’t see UConn pulling off the win for this one.
Where to Bet on the Women’s Final Four
We’ve already mentioned our favorite sportsbooks for betting on the Women’s Final Four this year. Still, in case you’re new to the sports betting scene and want to get started with one of these platforms for the first time, we’ve included information on each sports betting app below and links to get signed up and place your first deposit.
BetMGM Sports
Caesars Sportsbook
FanDuel
