NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament 2023: Odds for Saturday's Subregionals Bracket
Friday was jampacked with action from the first round of the NCAA women's basketball tournament. The good news for hoops fans? There's plenty more where that came from.
After 16 first-round matchups on Friday, 16 more women's games are on the slate for Saturday. Three No. 1 seeds have already moved on to the second round of the tourney (South Carolina, Stanford and Virginia Tech), and Indiana will look to join them when it takes on No. 16-seeded Tennessee Tech.
Will there be any upsets that could change the course of the tournament? Or will the favorites prevail? Either way, it should be another entertaining day of women's college hoops.
Here's the full schedule for Saturday'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.
Saturday Schedule, Odds
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No. 16 Tennessee Tech vs. No. 1 Indiana (-30.5), 11:30 a.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 13 Saint Louis vs. No. 4 Tennessee (-23.5), 1 p.m. ET, ABC
No. 14 James Madison vs. No. 3 Ohio State (-18), 1:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 9 Miami vs. No. 8 Oklahoma State (-2), 2 p.m. ET, ESPN
No. 12 Florida Gulf Coast vs. No. 5 Washington State (even), 2:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU
No. 15 Vermont vs. No. 2 UConn (-34), 3 p.m. ET, ABC
No. 12 Toledo vs. No. 5 Iowa State (-10), 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 11 St. John's vs. No. 6 North Carolina (-5.5), 4 p.m. ET, ESPN
No. 13 Cleveland State vs. No. 4 Villanova (-11.5), 5 p.m. ET, ESPNU
No. 10 Alabama vs. No. 7 Baylor (-2), 5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 11 Middle Tennessee (-1.5) vs. No. 6 Colorado, 7 p.m. ET, ESPNEWS
No. 12 Drake vs. No. 5 Louisville (-5.5), 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 12 Portland vs. No. 5 Oklahoma (-8.5), 9 p.m. ET, ESPNU
No. 14 Iona vs. No. 3 Duke (-23), 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 13 East Carolina vs. No. 4 Texas (-20.5), 10 p.m. ET, ESPN
No. 13 Sacramento State vs. No. 4 UCLA (-14.5), 11:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
No. 12 Toledo (+10) vs. No. 5 Iowa State
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The spread for this game may be a bit too in favor of No. 5 Iowa State. Because although No. 12-seeded Toledo may not pull off the upset, it shouldn't lose by 10 or more points. The Rockets are likely to give the Cyclones a competitive game.
Toledo has been on a roll, having won 16 consecutive contests entering the NCAA tournament. That included a commanding 73-58 victory over Bowling Green in the championship game of the MAC tournament.
Iowa State is a solid team, but it has proved to be beatable at times, such as a three-game losing streak it endured at the start of February. The Cyclones aren't likely to run away with a huge lead in Saturday's opening-round matchup.
Expect Rockets senior guard Quinesha Lockett (averaging 17.7 points per game) to keep her team in the game all the way until the closing seconds. And even if Toledo doesn't win, it will lose by nine or fewer points and prove to be a formidable opponent.
No. 11 Middle Tennessee (-1.5) vs. No. 6 Colorado
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It's not often you see a double-digit seeded team favorited to win a first-round game in March, in either the men's or women's tournaments. But Middle Tennessee is a slight favorite over Colorado on Saturday, and for good reason.
The Blue Raiders are 28-4 and have won 10 straight contests, including their victory over Western Kentucky in the Conference USA championship game. They have a talented lineup with four players averaging double-digit points per game, including senior forward Kseniya Malashka (15.2) and senior guard Savannah Wheeler (15.1).
Meanwhile, the Buffaloes are not entering the NCAA tourney with that type of momentum. They've lost three of their past five games, and their best basketball may have been played earlier in the season.
The betting line won't be wrong on this one. Feel confident betting on Middle Tennessee to win this first-round matchup by at least two points, as it has looked like the better of the two teams for quite some time.
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No. 7 Baylor (-2) vs. No. 10 Alabama
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Baylor has been a tricky team to figure out this season. The Bears have beaten some quality opponents (such as Texas, Iowa State and Oklahoma), but they're also 19-12. That's a product of playing in a challenging Big 12.
The tough competition the Bears have faced throughout the year could help them now that they're in the NCAA tournament. And it's why they're favored to beat Alabama by two points.
The Crimson Tide have lost four straight games, having not notched a victory since defeating Vanderbilt on Feb. 16. Alabama didn't even win a game in the SEC tournament, in which it lost to Kentucky in the second round.
Even if Baylor isn't capable of making a deep run through March, it's a better team than Alabama. It may be a close game, but the Bears should win by at least three points to cover the spread.
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