NCAA Tournament Betting Odds: South Carolina, USC Trojans, UConn Huskies

The No. 1 USC Trojans women's basketball team will face the No. 16 UNC Greensboro Spartans in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Betting odds and preview as JuJu Watkins and USC prepare for March Madness. The South Carolina Gamecocks and UConn Huskies have some of the best betting odds

Angela Miele | Mar 17, 2025

USC Trojans guard Kennedy Smith (11), center Rayah Marshall (13) and guard Talia von Oelhoffen (55) react to a foul during the second half of the 2025 TIAA Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament final game against the UCLA Bruins on Sunday, March 9, 2025, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. UCLA defeated USC 72-67. / Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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The USC Trojans women’s basketball team had a stellar regular season and a strong push in the Big Ten Tournament. The Trojans lost in the championship against the UCLA Bruins, but their focus is shifting toward the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.

The Trojans are the No. 1 seed in the Spokane Regional 4. They will face the No. 16 UNC Greensboro Spartans. The matchup will take place on March 22 at 12 p.m. PT at Galen Center in Los Angeles, California.

Betting Odds:

The USC Trojans are 32.5-point favorites on FanDuel Sportsbook against the UNC Greensboro Spartans. The total points are 129. The Trojans have +850 odds to win the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship.

The UConn Huskies and South Carolina Gamecocks have the best odds at +250 to win the 2025 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. Other teams are also in contention like the UCLA Bruins (+650), Texas Longhorns (+700), and Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+1000) per FanDuel.

USC tournament preview:

The USC Trojans are 28-3 and ended the season 17-1 in Big Ten conference play. The Women of Troy played hard all season but lost the Big Ten Tournament Championship game against the UCLA Bruins 72-67.

The UCLA Bruins earned the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Women’s Basketball tournament, despite losing to the USC Trojans twice in the regular season. After the bracket was released, USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb expressed her frustration about being the fourth No. 1 seed.

“I never thought I’d be a one seed and feel disrespected, but I thought the committee just, I thought there would be very little chance we would be the number four overall number one,” Gottlieb said.

“This was not on my bingo card to be a little bit, you know frustrated after being a one seed and it’s not, you know, an arrogance of any kind. I think there’s a lot of really good teams and you’ve got to play the first game in front of you and earn your way from there and that’s what we’ll do,” Gottlieb continued.

Feb 13, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) and head coach Lindsay Gottlieb during the second half against the UCLA Bruins at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

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Between the loss in the conference championship game and now the frustration regarding the team's seeding, the USC Trojans have a chip on their shoulder as they enter the tournament.

The USC Trojans have averaged 81.5 points per game this season, led by star guard JuJu Watkins with 24.6 points. Watkins and forward Kiki Iriafen has become a dynamic duo this season with scoring, as Iriafen averages 18.2 points per game.

Watkins also leads the team with 3.5 assists and 2.2 steals, and Iriafen leads the team, averaging 8.3 rebounds. USC center Rayah Marshall has also been a dominant player, averaging 1.9 blocks. USC has a talented team and is difficult to stop.

The Trojans went 14-1 when playing at Galen Center this season and will return home to start the tournament.

The Trojans will face the UNC Greensboro Spartans in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Spartans are 25-6, 13-1 in Southern Conference play. The Spartans are coming off an overtime win against the Chattanooga Mocs, 64-57. The team went 7-5 in away games this season as they head into a hostile Galen Center.

Feb 19, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans forward Kiki Iriafen (44) blocks a shot by Michigan State Spartans guard Julia Ayrault (40) in the first half at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Spartans are averaging 61.0 points per game, led by guard Caia Elisaldez, who is averaging 13.9 points per game. Forward Gianna Corbitt is not far behind Elisaldez, averaging 10.6 points per game. Elisaldez also leads the team, averaging 4.7 assists, and Corbitt leads, averaging 7.2 rebounds.

The other names for the Spartans that USC will have to watch for are guard Sigrun Olafsdottir, who is averaging 2.4 steals, and forward Karsen Murphy, who is leading the Spartans with 0.9 blocks. The Spartans have had a big season but will be facing a tough USC team.

In the same region as USC are the UConn Huskies, who eliminated the Trojans in the Elite 8 last year. There is a good chance that a rematch of last year’s matchup will occur once again and will be something to watch for. The USC Trojans women’s basketball team has a lot to play for as they head into the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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