National Championship Odds: UConn Huskies vs. South Carolina Gamecocks

After the defeating both the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins, the UConn Huskies have reached the National Championship game of the NCAA Tournament against the South Carolina Gamecocks. According to major sportsbooks, the betting odds favor UConn over South Carolina.
Dec 21, 2024; Hartford, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) and USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) on the court in the first half at XL Center.
Dec 21, 2024; Hartford, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) and USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) on the court in the first half at XL Center. | David Butler II-Imagn Images

The UConn Huskies and South Carolina Gamecocks are squaring off in the 2025 National Championship on Sunday at 12 p.m. PT. According to both DraftKings and FanDuel, the betting odds favor UConn to beat South Carolina.

Per FanDuel, the moneyline heavily favors the Huskies (-320) over the Gamecocks (+245). The point spread for the game is 6.5 points in favor of UConn, and the over/under is currently set at 133.5 points.

In order to reach the end of the NCAA Tournament, UConn defeated the No. 1 overall seed in the UCLA Bruins after taking down another No. 1 seed, the USC Trojans, in the Elite 8. The Huskies are one of the most legendary programs in women's college basketball, but UConn is looking for its first national championship win since Huskies coach Geno Auriemma and his teams won four consecutive national titles from 2013 to 2016.

South Carolina Gamecocks  head coach Dawn Staley looks on during practice before the NCAA Woman’s Basketball final
Apr 5, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley looks on during practice before the NCAA Woman’s Basketball final at Amalie Arena. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

One could argue that the emergence of a program like South Carolina with coach Dawn Staley at the helm is one of the reasons why Auriemma and UConn have been unable to continue their incredible run of success.

The Gamecocks entered the tournament as a No. 1 seed, but they felt slighted by losing the No. 1 overall seed to UCLA. Playing with a chip on their collective shoulder, South Carolina is coming off a 17-point win over the Texas Longhorns, a fellow No. 1 seed.

As the underdog against UConn, can the Gamecocks pull off the upset?

Before the tournament started, both UConn and South Carolina were the betting favorites to win March Madness. Once USC superstar JuJu Watkins suffered a torn ACL in the Trojans' second-round matchup against Mississippi State, the Huskies became the odds-on favorite to win the title.

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Staley and the Gamecocks have a national championship pedigree themselves, winning three titles since the 2017 season. In fact, Staley has never led her team to the final game of the NCAA Tournament and lost. With Staley leading South Carolina, the Gamecocks are 3-0 in national championship games.

This year, South Carolina is led by forward Joyce Edwards in scoring, averaging 12.7 points per game. Gamecocks forward Chloe Kitts is nearly averaging a double-double every game with 10.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per contest. Staley's team is also impressive on the defensive end with an average of 9.5 steals and 5.7 blocks per game.

The Huskies have a deep team themselves with top scorers in guard Paige Bueckers, forward Sarah Strong, and guard Azzi Fudd. Bueckers averages 20 points per game, Strong averages 16 points while grabbing 8.7 rebounds per game, and Fudd averages 13.3 points herself.

UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) practices before the NCAA Woman’s Final at Amalie Arena.
Apr 5, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) practices before the NCAA Woman’s Final at Amalie Arena. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Before the 2025 National Championship Staley talked about the media coverage of the game, focusing on Bueckers and her superstar status. The Gamecocks coach compared it to the sensation around former Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark.

"We find ourselves back here in a similar situation. So I want the sentiments to be about our players, and what our players have been able to do. Equally. Because there's room to do both. We can raise Paige up because she deserves that, and we can raise our players up because they deserve that. And that's not talked about enough," said Staley.

  • Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. 
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Charlie Viehl
CHARLIE VIEHL

Charlie Viehl is the deputy editor for the Oregon Ducks, Colorado Buffaloes, and USC Trojans on SI. He has written hundreds of articles for SI and has covered events like the Big Ten Championship and College Football Playoff Quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl. While pursuing a career in sports journalism, he is also a lifelong musician, holding a degree in Music and Philosophy from Boston College. A native of Pasadena, California, he covered sports across Los Angeles while at Loyola High School and edited the Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program’s magazine at BC. He is excited to bring his passion for storytelling and sports to fans of college athletics.