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Entering the 2026 women’s NCAA Tournament, the Connecticut Huskies are heavy favorites to win back-to-back national championships.Over the last few decades, UConn under head coach Geno Auriemma became synonymous with March success and winning titles. But with six unique champions over the last seven women’s tournaments — and South Carolina as the only two-time champion during that span — UConn’s yearly dominance started looking like a trend of the past.
But, since a nonconference defeat at Tennessee last February, the commanding Huskies associated with previous eras appear to be back. UConn is currently riding a 50-game (!) winning streak — including its 33-0 start this season. Only one Huskies’ win over that span even came by single digits. After dismantling the 2025 NCAA Tournament, UConn is doing more of the same so far this season.
The other three No. 1 seeds, along with the Huskies, should look familiar: 2026’s four top seeds also comprised the 2025 Final Four. Will UConn roll through another March with minimal interference?
Women’s NCAA championship odds
Unbeaten UConn the overwhelming favorite
Top seeds remain the overwhelming favorites entering the 2026 tournament. Of the combined seven losses for No. 1 seeds this season, four of them came against each other.
Following its perfect regular season, the Connecticut Huskies (-275 on BetMGM) are the overwhelming favorite to capture the program’s 13th national championship.
The defending champion Huskies are chasing their seventh perfect season in program history. Versatile sophomore forward Sarah Strong is UConn’s new player of the year frontrunner after Paige Bueckers departed for the WNBA. Strong is the only women’s college basketball player in the last 25 years to reach 500 points, 200 rebounds, 100 assists, 100 steals, 50 blocks and 50 3-pointers in a single season — often dominating games in completely unique ways.
UConn is far from solely Strong’s stage. Senior guard Azzi Fudd remains one of the nation’s premier perimeter threats. The Huskies picked apart every team they’ve faced this season. Intense pressure to win a title, coupled with minimal experience during close games, could make for an interesting subplot if UConn plays a close game over the next few weeks.
If anyone appears poised to topple dominant UConn, it’s All-American center Lauren Betts and the UCLA Bruins (+550). Sweeping both the Big Ten regular season and conference tournaments in convincing fashion, the No. 1 seed in the Sacramento 2 region is hoping for a return to the Final Four. Leading the country with 18 Quadrant 1 victories this season, the Bruins are more battle-tested than any team in the country. UCLA will look to avenge last season’s 34-point loss to the Huskies in the national semifinals.
Next in title odds are the Texas Longhorns (+650). As the only team to beat UCLA this season, the Longhorns have paired elite wins with recent stellar play. Texas overwhelmed fellow No. 1 seed, the South Carolina Gamecocks (+900), in the SEC tournament title game — taking the season series between the two schools, 2-1, in the process.
Speaking of South Carolina, two of its three losses this season came to the Longhorns. One of the nation’s most balanced teams with five regular double-figure scorers, the Gamecocks possess the coaching pedigree and scoring pop to make things interesting as the top seed in the Sacramento 4 region. A notable roadblock for South Carolina comes from No. 4 seed Oklahoma — the only other team to beat South Carolina. That potential Sweet 16 matchup would offer the most intrigue among hypothetical matchups featuring top seeds.
Sharp decline after the top seeds
With UConn’s dominance — and the other No. 1 seeds not far behind — the rest of the contenders aren’t being given much of a chance to win the 2026 women’s NCAA Tournament.
The LSU Tigers (+1700) are the only No. 2 seed even close to the four top teams. The Tigers haven’t fared well against top seeds, going 1-3 against Texas and South Carolina this season. LSU didn’t receive any favors getting No. 1 seed UCLA in its region while also getting a potential rematch against No. 3 seed Duke from the regular season.
There’s a lot to like about the Vanderbilt Commodores (+5000) beating Texas, LSU and Michigan during the season. Getting blown out in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament against Ole Miss took Vanderbilt down a notch. The Commodores were also handed a region with UConn as the No. 1 seed — the worst possible draw for a two seed.
The only other team with odds shorter than +10000 is the Michigan Wolverines (+9000). The No. 2 seed in the Fort Worth 3 region, the Wolverines are the only team to lose by single digits to UConn during the Huskies’ 50-game winning streak after a 72-69 loss in November. Single-possession losses to UCLA and Vanderbilt are also notable. But Michigan ultimately needs to beat elite teams to cut down the nets in Phoenix.
The number of realistic contenders from last year’s tournament shows how much deeper the title picture went a year ago. Six programs were situated at +600 title odds or better entering the 2025 NCAA Tournament — down to only two such teams in 2026. All four No. 2 seeds last season also carried odds of at least +4000 odds or better, with this season’s No. 2 seeds bottoming out below +5000 odds outside of LSU.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
UCLA Bruins, South Carolina Gamecocks, Vanderbilt Commodores, Connecticut Huskies, LSU Lady Tigers, Michigan Wolverines, Texas Longhorns, Women's College Basketball, Sports Betting
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