The women’s basketball season is just around the corner. It is a long, long way between now and April when somebody will cut down the nets in Cleveland, but that is when it is easiest to get the odds in your favor on the top paying online casinos. LSU is the clear favorite after winning a national title in 2023. Coach Kim Mulkey has wasted no time turning the Tigers into the team to beat in the world of women’s college basketball. Behind the favorites LSU though, there is an interesting group looking to win it all.
Connecticut
Connecticut had injury problems last season, losing Paige Bueckers before the campaign and Azzi Fudd for quite a while before making a return in March. The result, by UConn standards, was a disappointing year. But now Fudd is healthy and Bueckers is back. That leaves Coach Geno Auriemma with a lot of experienced players returning, two great players coming back to full strength and an impressive group of freshmen. The Huskies are back and that should scare the rest of the contenders.
Iowa
The return of Caitlin Clark and her 27.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 8.6 assists per game will put Iowa near the top of any list of contenders to win the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The key for the Hawkeyes will be Clark’s surround cast. Monika Czinano and McKenna Warnock, who averaged 17.1 and 10.9 points per game, respectively, are gone. That leaves players like Kate Martin, Hannah Stuelke and Gabbie Marshall needing to step up and become major scoring threats. If a couple of them can do that, Iowa will be back at the Final Four.
Utah
Utah is among the favorites to win the NCAA Tournament in 2024 and for good reason. The Utes went 27-5 last season and won a share of the Pac-12 title. The team reached the Elite Eight where they gave eventual national champions LSU a great game, but fell 66-63. With their top six scorers returning, Utah is ready to take the next step and make a serious run to the Final Four.
Indiana
The Hoosiers won a Big Ten title last season and finished with an impressive 28-4 record. Unfortunately, the team lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament as #1 seed. The Hoosiers will be once again be led by forward Mackenzie Holmes, who was second to only Caitlin Clark in the Big Ten with 22.3 points per game. However, losing the leadership of Grace Berger, who averaged 12.9 points and 5.8 assists last season, could lead IU to another disappointing NCAA Tournament.
UCLA
Unlike most teams on this list, UCLA is not coming off a great season. They still managed to finish 27-10 overall, 11-7 in conference play and reach the Sweet Sixteen, but few saw the Bruins as a real threat to win it all last season. And that proved to be true when Coach Cori Close and company went to Greenville in the Sweet Sixteen and were relatively easily handled by South Carolina. However, UCLA returns all but one major contributor from last season and has an impressive crop of sophomores who are ready to take a big jump forward.
