NCAA Women's Basketball Bracket 2023: Odds, Predictions for Final Four

A defending national champion, three of the four National Player of the Year Finalists and one of the country's most dominant post players. The 2023 Women's Final Four has just about everything you could want.

Of course, that defending champion is South Carolina. Dawn Staley has once again guided her team to a Final Four, with an undefeated season on the line this time. Her Gamecocks have been dominant throughout the tournament and have yet to have a game decided by single digits.

Caitlin Clark has already been named the National Player of the Year, but she'll be joined in the Final Four by South Carolina's Aliyah Boston and Elizabeth Kitley of Virginia Tech as three of the four finalists for the award made it this far in the tournament.

The notable exception from that group is Angel Reese of LSU. She's averaged 15.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks all season to go with 23.2 points per game.

With all that star power playing on the biggest stage of the year, here's a look at all the pertinent info to catch the games and a preview and prediction for each matchup.

Final Four Schedule and Odds

Steph Chambers/Getty Images

Elizabeth Kitley of Virginia Tech

Friday, March 31

No. 1 Virginia Tech vs. No. 3 LSU (-2), 7 p.m. ET, ESPN

No. 1 South Carolina (-11.5) vs. No. 2 Iowa, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN

---

Odds to Win Championship

South Carolina -320

LSU +700

Iowa +950

Virginia Tech +1000

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

No. 1 Virginia Tech vs. No. 3 LSU

C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

SEATTLE, WA - MARCH 27: Virginia Tech Hokies guard Georgia Amoore #5 brings the ball up the court in the second half of the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the Elite Eight round of the 2023 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament held at Climate Pledge Arena on March 27, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

The LSU Tigers might be the lowest seed remaining in the tournament, but it shouldn't be a shock they are here. Head coach Kim Mulkey has three national championships and five Final Four appearances to her name.

Combine that with one of the best interior players in the country in Angel Reese and it's not hard to figure out why LSU is second in title odds.

Some of that has to do with the fact that they won't have to see South Carolina until the finals. If Reese and Co. can get by Virginia Tech, they will have a big challenge in front of them to overcome the length and depth that South Carolina brings to the table.

Thus far, the Tigers have been up to every task faced in the tournament. Most recently they shut down a hot Miami Hurricanes team that had beaten No. 1 seed Indiana and No. 4 seed Villanova.

LSU limited them to just 31.6 percent shooting from the field. Reese had 13 points, 18 rebounds, three steals and two blocks, while guard Alexis Morris added 21 points.

As the close odds in this game would indicate, Virginia Tech won't be a pushover. The aforementioned Elizabeth Kitley was a Player of the Year Finalist. The 6'6" senior averaged 18.2 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.

However, it's the emergence of Georgia Amoore as an offensive force that has propelled the Huskies thus far. She has scored at least 21 points in every game since the semifinal of the ACC Tournament.

Ohio State's press defense didn't stand a chance against the Hokies offense, which has hit its stride in this tournament.

The Tigers are the slight favorite, but Virginia Tech has the recipe to beat them. If Kitley can neutralize Reese and Amoore gets some help from Virginia Tech's wing players, the Hokies will go to the championship game.

Prediction: Virginia Tech Wins and Covers

No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 2 Iowa

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Aliyah Boston of South Carolina

This is the main event of the Final Four matchups. It's the electrifying talent of Caitlin Clark vs. the juggernaut known as South Carolina.

Clark set the basketball world on fire with 41 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists against the Louisville Cardinals. She's the closest thing to Stephen Curry that college basketball has to offer.

Now she'll get to show her mettle against one of the top defenses in the country in South Carolina. The Gamecocks have limited opponents to 51.1 points per game. On the season, they've limited opponents to 31.7 percent shooting, per Her Hoops Stats.

Clark isn't alone in the Hawkeyes offense, though. Monika Czinano has averaged 17.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Clark is going to have to have a big game to upend South Carolina but Czinano and other contributors will have to knock down shots and tighten up on defense to stop the Gamecocks.

That's something no one has been able to do against South Carolina to this point.

South Carolina poses all kinds of problems for opponents. Chief among them is their sheer size. Led by the 6'5" Aliyah Boston and 6'7" Kamilla Cardoso are a formidable duo on the inside. They average a combined 4.2 blocks per game by themselves.

The Hawkeyes will have to find a way to compete in the rebounding department. South Carolina's size doesn't just help in defending the rim, they clean the glass better than everyone, averaging 18.1 offensive rebounds per game.

Clark could go off for 40 points again, and Iowa could still lose if they can't find scoring from someone else and at least compete in the rebounding department.

The spread feels a little disrespectful to Iowa, but it doesn't seem like anything is going to stop the South Carolina train from reaching the national championship station.

Prediction: Iowa Covers, South Carolina Wins