NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament 2022: Odds, Picks for Monday's Bracket

Three double-digit seeds will play for a spot in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA women's basketball tournament on Monday.

The Villanova Wildcats, Belmont Bruins and Princeton Tigers will attempt to join the South Dakota Coyotes and Creighton Bluejays as double-digit seeds in the Sweet 16.

Creighton and South Dakota booked their tickets to the second weekend with upsets over No. 2 seeds on Sunday. 

Belmont and Villanova may be the most difficult double-digit seeds for favorites to play against Monday because of how tough both squads were in the regular season,

Belmont played a loaded nonconference schedule to prepare itself for the Big Dance, while Villanova has one of the top scorers in the country and is one of the few teams to knock off the Connecticut Huskies this season. 

     

Monday Schedule and Odds

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

No. 9 Kansas State vs. No. 1 NC State (-15.5) (Over/Under: 129.5) (4 p.m. ET, ESPN) 

No. 11 Villanova vs. No. 3 Michigan (-12.5) (O/U: 124.5) (6 p.m. ET, ESPNU) 

No. 5 Notre Dame vs. No. 4 Oklahoma (-2.5) (O/U: 158.5) (6 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

No. 12 Belmont vs. No. 4 Tennessee (-9.5) (O/U: 125.5) (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) 

No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 3 LSU (-3.5) (O/U: 141.5) (8 p.m. ET, ESPN2) 

No. 11 Princeton vs. No. 3 Indiana (-6.5) (O/U: 122.5) (8 p.m. ET, ESPNU) 

No. 7 UCF vs. No. 2 UConn (-15.5) (O/U: 109.5) (9 p.m. ET, ESPN) 

No. 5 North Carolina vs. No. 4 Arizona (-1.5) (O/U: 127.5) (10 p.m. ET, ESPN2) 

   

Predictions

No. 12 Belmont (+9.5) vs. No. 4 Tennessee

Belmont made sure it was prepared for the NCAA tournament by playing a loaded nonconference schedule. 

The Bruins played three SEC foes, two ACC opponents and the UCF Knights, who advanced to the round of 32. 

All of those contests helped Belmont play up to its competition and knock off the Oregon Ducks in double overtime on Friday. 

Belmont faces a tougher challenge on Monday in the form of the Tennessee Volunteers, who will be playing on their home floor. 

Tennessee's first-round win was a welcome sight after the Vols struggled for consistency down the stretch. The Vols went 4-6 after February 1.

The No. 4 seed could be viewed as a host susceptible to an upset because of that form and Belmont's battle-tested roster. 

Belmont has three scorers who average over 11 points per game, so its top-end players can match what Tennessee can do. 

The Bruins' main key to an upset could once again be three-point defense. They held Oregon to 19 percent from beyond the arc on Friday. 

The fatigue from the double-overtime win may be concerning, but the Bruins have been competitive with every power-conference team they faced, and that confidence should help them remain within single digits in Knoxville. 

    

No. 11 Villanova (+12.5) vs. No. 3 Michigan 

Any team that holds a road win over UConn has to be considered dangerous in March. 

Villanova was one of five teams to knock off the women's basketball powerhouse. The other four squads earned single-digit seeds in the NCAA tournament. 

The Wildcats have two losses since January 16, one of which was to UConn in the Big East tournament final. 

The Big East tournament runner-up has to be considered dangerous because of its winning run and the play of Maddy Siegrist. 

Siegrist averages 25.8 points per game and has over 20 points in nine of her last 10 games. She produced 25 points in the first-round win over the BYU Cougars. 

The Michigan Wolverines should be wary of the threat Siegrist poses, but it will be hard to contain one of the top scorers in the country. 

Like Tennessee, Michigan experienced a handful of losses at the back end of conference play. The Wolverines dropped four of their final six games before the NCAA tournament. 

The Wolverines could face a tough time containing Siegrist, and that may allow Villanova to hang around for the entire game.

      

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