The South Carolina Gamecocks opened as the favorites to win the 2023 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament in the spring, and on the eve of the regular season, South Carolina is still the team to beat. Dawn Staley's squad won the 2022 national championship and is expected to repeat with the return of Aliyah Boston – the Naismith Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.
The most recent odds show the Gamecocks, a defensive powerhouse, at +250. If they win the 2023 title, they would be the first school to to win back-to-back titles since the UConn Huskies in 2015-16.
Stanford is is right behind at +400 to open the season. Those odds match the Preseason AP Top 25 poll, with South Carolina starting the season at the No. 1 spot for the third consecutive year, while Stanford is the No. 2 team. The Cardinal will count on key returners in Cameron Brink and Haley Jones, as well as the No. 1 freshman in the country in Lauren Betts.
Something that might change is the third most popular pick. UConn has the third-best odds at +600, but Geno Auriemma's star player Paige Bueckers suffered a torn ACL during the summer and is expected to miss the entire season. Her absence will be felt by the Huskies, but the team still has a chance to stay competitive with double-digit scorer Azzi Fudd returning and the addition of two top five recruits.
Here are the teams with the best odds to win the 2022-23 national championship:
(Odds via Caesars Sportsbook)
- South Carolina Gamecocks (+250)
- Stanford Cardinal (+400)
- Connecticut Huskies (+600)
- North Carolina State Wolfpack (+1200)
- Texas Longhorns (+1500)
- Louisville Cardinals (+2000)
- Tennessee Lady Volunteers (+2000)
- Iowa Hawkeyes (+2500)
- Iowa State Cyclones (+3000)
- North Carolina Tar Heels (+4000)
