NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament 2024: Odds, Picks for Monday's Bracket

Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes take the court Monday in NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament action.

The star and her teammates will be looking to advance closer to a return to the NCAA title game. To do so, they must overcome the pressing, smothering defense of the West Virginia Mountaineers, who have an opportunity to score the biggest upset of this year's tournament by far.

Will Clark's dazzling play and leadership push her team past the opposition and into the Sweet 16 or will the college game's greatest scorer ever see her title aspirations dashed?

Dive deeper into that game, and find out the odds for Monday's slate, with this preview.

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Odds and Picks for Monday

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SOUTH BEND, IN - MARCH 23: Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Hannah Hidalgo (3) goes up for a layup during the game between the Kent State Golden Flashes and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first round of the NCAA Division I Women's Championship on March 23, 2024 at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Joseph Weiser/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

2 Notre Dame (-550) vs. 7 Ole Miss (+410) (Pick: Notre Dame)

3 NC State (-205) vs. 6 Tennessee (+170) (Pick: NC State)

3 UConn (-6500) vs. 6 Syracuse (+2000) (Pick: UConn)

4 Indiana (-440) vs. 5 Oklahoma (+340) (Pick: Oklahoma)

1 Iowa (-1650) vs. 8 West Virginia (+950) (Pick: West Virginia)

2 UCLA (-520) vs. 7 Creighton (+390) (Pick: UCLA)

1 USC (-675) vs. 8 Kansas (+490) (Pick: USC)

4 Gonzaga (-125) vs. 5 Utah (+105) (Pick: Gonzaga)

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Odds from DraftKings SportsBook

Schedule of games, including time and viewing info, available here.

Upset Alert: West Virginia over Iowa

Matthew Holst/Getty Images

IOWA CITY, IOWA- MARCH 23: Guard Lauren Fields #23 of the West Virginia Mountaineers drives drown the court during the second half against the Princeton Tigers during their match-up in the 2024 NCAA Division 1 Women's Basketball Championship at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on March 23, 2024 in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)

Iowa may have the higher profile and the most prolific scorer in college basketball history on its team in Caitlin Clark, but there is reason to believe West Virginia can pull off a monumental upset Monday afternoon.

The Mountaineers possess an oppressive defense that is oppressive, with a knack for steals. Per The Athletic, "West Virginia leads the country with steals on a staggering 16.5 percent of opponent possessions."

Add to that Clark's 4.8 turnovers per game, which can be credited to the volume of her touches but should still not be dismissed, and you have a scenario in which the underdogs can disrupt the offensive machine that is Iowa and earn the biggest upset of the tournament to this point.

It will not be the time for Clark and Co. to show off and distribute difficult passes. They may be a fast-paced offense that can fly around the court and impose their will on opposing defenses, but if they attempt to do that and are anything but on point, West Virginia will utilize their pressing defense to create turnovers and turn them into points.

Clark has thrived on the big stage before and, as arguably the greatest player in the history of the women's collegiate game, is expected to. It would be somewhat disappointing for her final game to be played outside of at least the Elite Eight, but West Virginia is absolutely capable of making that happen.

Lock: UConn over Syracuse

Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images

STORRS, CONNECTICUT - MARCH 23: The Connecticut Huskies starting five takes the court before first round NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament game between the the Connecticut Huskies and Jackson State Tigers at the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion on March 23, 2024 in Storrs, Connecticut. The Huskies defeated the Tigers 86-64. (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images)

There are questions about the depth of this year's UConn Huskies beyond stars Paige Bueckers and Aaliyah Edwards. The team has been injury-riddled throughout the season, leaving the more prominent stars to carry the load for the team.

And they have.

Bueckers has averaged 21.5 points per game this season, with 4.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.4 blocks. She is shooting 53.9 from the paint and 42.1 from beyond the arc.

Edwards averages 17.8 per game and 9.4 rebounds.

Together, they have been an effective one-two punch, and that will not change against Syracuse.

The Orange play at a slower pace than most and average just 71.9 possessions per 40 minutes. While that could limit some higher-powered offenses, it also limits the team's ability to play catch-up if they find themselves down late.

Syracuse has a big win over Notre Dame to its name, and beat fifth-ranked North Carolina by seven in February, but the team has also been blown off the court by Wake Forest to the tune of 29 points.

Their inconsistency has been problematic and their inability to maximize the number of possessions they have per game due to the pace at which they play will be an issue against a UConn team looking to prove they are close to revitalizing the dynasty the school enjoyed a generation ago.