NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament 2022: Monday Elite 8 Bracket Odds, Picks
Two No. 1 seeds have punched their tickets to the Final Four of the 2022 NCAA women's basketball tournament. Now, the other two No. 1 seeds will be looking to do the same and join their counterparts in Minneapolis for the biggest games of the season.
South Carolina and Stanford were victorious during Sunday's Elite Eight action. On Monday, NC State will be taking on No. 2 seed UConn and Louisville will face No. 3 seed Michigan. The winners will join the Gamecocks and Cardinal in Minneapolis.
It may not be easy for NC State or Louisville to advance considering each is facing a formidable opponent. But Monday's matchups should be exciting because they both could go either way.
Here's everything else you need to know about the final two contests of the Elite Eight round.
Monday Schedule, Odds, Picks
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No. 1 NC State vs. No. 2 UConn (-4.5), 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
No. 1 Louisville (-5) vs. No. 3 Michigan, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook. Picks in bold against the spread.
UConn Will Pull Away Late, Knock Off NC State
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It's no surprise that the Bridgeport Region has come down to the top two seeds. NC State has had a tremendous season, losing only three games, while UConn typically fares well in March, with head coach Geno Auriemma consistently leading deep tournament runs.
The Wolfpack cruised through the first two rounds before running into No. 5 seed Notre Dame in the Sweet 16 round. That ended up being a competitive game with a back-and-forth finish, as NC State pulled out a 66-63 win to avoid getting upset.
The Huskies were not tested as much in their most recent victory. They took on No. 3 seed Indiana in the previous round, and they notched a 75-58 victory in a game they led by as many as 20 points.
So even though NC State is the higher seed, UConn is the betting favorite. And that's not a surprise. The Huskies have been expected to be a top contender for the national title since the beginning of the tournament.
The UConn hype won't stop now, either. It is a talented team with a balanced lineup, and that was evident against Indiana, when its five starters each scored at least nine points, with four tallying 10 or more. The Huskies backcourt of senior Christyn Williams and sophomore Paige Bueckers is difficult to stop when they are both knocking down shots.
So feel confident betting on UConn to cover the 4.5-point spread. While things could still be close in the fourth quarter, the Huskies will prove that they are the better team by pulling away and seeing out another victory in impressive fashion.
Prediction: UConn wins and covers the spread.
Louisville Advances, but Michigan Covers the Spread
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Louisville is a five-point favorite for its Elite Eight matchup against Michigan, but there's a strong possibility that the margin of victory for this matchup is going to be less than that. In fact, the Cardinals-Wolverines contest may go down to the wire.
So far, Louisville hasn't had any close calls. It's defeated No. 16 seed Albany, No. 9 seed Gonzaga and No. 4 seed Tennessee over the first three rounds, and the Cardinals won each of those matchups by nine or more points.
Michigan was dominant in the first two rounds, but it was tested in the previous round by No. 10 seed South Dakota, one of the surprise teams of the tournament, during Sweet 16 action. Still, the Wolverines pulled out a 52-49 win in a game that was tied with less than a minute to go.
Can Michigan knock off Louisville on Monday night? It's possible, but it's going to be challenging. The Cardinals have been rolling, and they have been getting stellar showings from sophomore guard Hailey Van Lith, who has scored at least 20 points in each of their three NCAA tournament victories.
The prediction here is that Louisville will win this game and reach the Final Four for the first time since 2018. But it will be the Cardinals' most competitive contest of their tournament run so far.
That's why the smart betting move is to take Michigan with the extra five points. Even though the Wolverines may not pull off the upset, they will keep things interesting until the final buzzer. And despite losing, it won't be by more than four points.
Prediction: Louisville wins; Michigan covers the spread.
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