South Carolina women's basketball is the clear betting favorite

South Carolina was viewed as a contender for the second division last season rather than one of the clear favorites. The oddsmakers have no doubts about the Gamecocks this season.

South Carolina is the clear favorite to win the women's college basketball national championship, listed at +175 on ESPN BET, ahead of UConn and USC (both +415).

The Gamecocks started off about 15-1 last season to win the national championship, but quickly emerged as the team to beat. They capped an undefeated season with a convincing victory over Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the championship game to claim their second national title in the last three years.

South Carolina returns four starters and 87% of the minutes played from last season and has a 38-game winning streak, the third-longest in SEC history.

The Gamecocks account for more than 25% of the money placed on ESPN BET's odds to win the national championship. But there is also a lot of support for UConn and USC, where Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins are the two leading candidates for the Wooden Award. UConn has attracted the most bets, while USC has the most money at Caesars Sportsbook.

Bueckers is the favorite to win the Wooden Award on ESPN BET at +140, followed by Watkins at +155.

Notre Dame (+600) and Texas (+850) round out the teams with national title odds of less than 10-1 on ESPN BET.