NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament 2023: Odds for Friday's Subregionals Bracket
March Madness is already underway in men's college basketball, and now it's time for the women's teams to join in.
After the First Four matchups took place over the past two days, the first round of the women's NCAA tournament gets underway Friday with 16 matchups. Several top teams will be in action, including three No. 1 seeds: South Carolina, Stanford and Virginia Tech.
While huge upsets are more prevalent in the men's tourney, anything can happen on the women's side as well. It may be likely that top programs will make runs to the Final Four, but nothing is guaranteed in college hoops at this time of year.
Here's the full schedule for Friday's first-round action, along with odds for each game. Then, we'll take a look at some of the matchups that may be best to bet on.
Friday Schedule, Odds
1 of 4
No. 9 Marquette vs. No. 8 South Florida (-2), 11:30 a.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 10 West Virginia vs. No. 7 Arizona (-7.5), noon ET, ESPN
No. 10 Georgia (-1) vs. No. 7 Florida State, 1:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 16 Norfolk State vs. No. 1 South Carolina (-50.5), 2 p.m. ET, ESPN
No. 15 Holy Cross vs. No. 2 Maryland (-26), 2:30 p.m. ET, ESPNEWS
No. 11 UNLV vs. No. 6 Michigan (-3.5), 3 p.m. ET, ESPNU
No. 14 Southern Utah vs. No. 3 Notre Dame (-21.5), 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 15 SE Louisiana vs. No. 2 Iowa (-30.5), 4 p.m. ET, ESPN
No. 16 Chattanooga vs. No. 1 Virginia Tech (-23.5), 5:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU
No. 14 Hawaii vs. No. 3 LSU (-32), 5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 11 Mississippi State vs. No. 6 Creighton (-2), 6 p.m. ET, ESPNEWS
No. 15 Gardner-Webb vs. No. 2 Utah (-23.5), 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU
No. 16 Sacred Heart vs. No. 1 Stanford (-40.5), 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 9 South Dakota State (-4.5) vs. No. 8 USC, 8 p.m. ET, ESPNEWS
No. 9 Gonzaga vs. No. 8 Ole Miss (-1.5), 10 p.m. ET, ESPNU
No. 10 Princeton vs. No. 7 NC State (-4.5), 10 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
No. 11 UNLV (+3.5) over No. 6 Michigan
2 of 4
Of all the double-digit seeded teams in action Friday, UNLV may have the best chance of causing an upset. That's reflected in the betting line, as the Lady Rebels are only 3.5-point underdogs against No. 6-seeded Michigan.
This UNLV team isn't one that has lost much. It enters the tournament at 31-2, with its only defeats coming at Pacific on Dec. 3 and at Oklahoma State on Dec. 18. The Lady Rebels have won 22 consecutive games, including a victory over Wyoming in the Mountain West tournament championship.
Meanwhile, the Wolverines are 22-9 after losing four of their past six games, so they aren't entering the tourney with the same momentum the Lady Rebels have.
While Michigan may have had the tougher schedule, UNLV is a strong team led by talented junior center Desi-Rae Young, who is averaging 18.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. That's why it should be wise to bet on the Lady Rebels with the 3.5 points; if they're going to lose, it may only be by one bucket.
No. 10 Princeton (+4.5) over No. 7 NC State
3 of 4
The Princeton men's team scored a huge upset on Thursday, when the No. 15-seeded Tigers knocked off No. 2-seeded Arizona. Now, it may be the Princeton women's squad's turn to notch a surprise victory on Friday.
The Tigers have won 15 straight games and proved they can hang with tough competition, as they lost to UConn by only five points on Dec. 8.
Princeton has numerous talented guards, with junior Kaitlyn Chen (15.9 points per game) being its top player in the backcourt.
NC State is a solid team, but it didn't fare too well after jumping out to an 11-1 start. After that, the Wolfpack went 9-10 to end up at 20-11. And they were only 9-9 in ACC play.
This should be a competitive game, and it could be another contest that comes down to the final shot. It's worth taking a chance on Princeton, as its host of strong guards could be challenging for NC State to defend.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
No. 1 Virginia Tech (-23.5) over Chattanooga
4 of 4
None of the three No. 1 seeds in action Friday should lose. It would be a monumental surprise if any of them did. The only unknown is the size of the victories, with all of them likely to win by wide margins.
Virginia Tech's line isn't quite as large, as it's projected to beat No. 16-seeded Chattanooga by 23.5 points. That's a spread the Hokies may not have much trouble clearing.
By capturing the ACC tournament title, Virginia Tech enters the NCAA tourney on an 11-game winning streak. It won quite a few of its recent games by wide margins, such as the 58-37 victory over Duke in the semifinals of the conference tournament.
Chattanooga isn't going to have an answer for Virginia Tech senior center Elizabeth Kitley, who is averaging 18.6 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.
Expect the Hokies to easily win by 24 or more points in a dominant first-round showing.
Gambling problem? Call (877-8-HOPENY) or text HOPENY (467369).
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-877-770-STOP (7867) (LA), visit OPGR.org (OR), call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA).
Odds and lines subject to change. 21+ (18+ NH/WY). AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA/MI/NH/NJ/NY/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See DraftKings.com/sportsbook for full terms and conditions.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
