NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament 2022: Odds for Friday's Subregionals Bracket
This season marked the first time that the NCAA women's basketball tournament featured a First Four round. The quartet of matchups took place on Wednesday and Thursday, with No. 11 Dayton, No. 11 Missouri State, No. 16 Howard and No. 16 Longwood advancing to the first round with wins.
Now, the action is about to really begin. On Friday, there will be 16 opening-round matchups on a busy day for college basketball. Three of the four No. 1 seeds will be in action, including South Carolina (the No. 1 overall seed), Stanford (the defending national champions) and Louisville.
While the first round of the men's tournament is known for featuring plenty of upsets, that isn't usually the case for the women's tourney. The top teams are so strong that it's unlikely they'll lose to much lesser competition.
Here's a look at Friday's first-round schedule, along with odds for each matchup.
Friday Schedule, Odds
No. 8 Miami vs. No. 9 South Florida (-1.5), 11:30 a.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 7 Ole Miss (-2.5) vs. No. 10 South Dakota, 1:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 7 Colorado (-2.5) vs. No. 10 Creighton, 1:30 p.m. ET, ESPNews
No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 16 Howard (no line), 2 p.m. ET, ESPN
No. 5 Virginia Tech (-6.5) vs. No. 12 Florida Gulf Coast, 2:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU
No. 8 Nebraska (-1.5) vs. No. 9 Gonzaga, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPNews
No. 2 Baylor (-28.5) vs. No. 15 Hawai'i, 4 p.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 2 Iowa (-21.5) vs. No. 15 Illinois State, 4 p.m. ET, ESPN
No. 4 Maryland (-17.5) vs. No. 13 Delaware, 5 p.m. ET, ESPNU
No. 7 Utah (-1.5) vs. No. 10 Arkansas, 5:30 p.m. ET, ESPNews
No. 1 Louisville (-32.5) vs. No. 16 Albany, 6 p.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 8 Kansas vs. No. 9 Georgia Tech (-3.5), 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU
No. 6 Georgia (-3.5) vs. No. 11 Dayton, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPNews
No. 2 Texas (-23.5) vs. No. 15 Fairfield, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 1 Stanford (-30.5) vs. No. 16 Montana State, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 3 Iowa State (-19.5) vs. No. 14 UT Arlington, 10 p.m. ET, ESPNU
Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.
Iowa State Should Win Big, Could Cover Spread
Three of Iowa State's six losses this season have come during its past eight games, one of which came in the semifinals of the Big 12 tournament against Texas. However, the Cyclones still earned a No. 3 seed for the NCAA tournament, and they could be poised to get back on track and have a strong showing.
Senior guard Ashley Joens has had a tremendous season, ranking in the top 20 in the country in scoring at 20.2 points per game. She's also averaging 9.5 rebounds per contest and shooting a career-high 37.5 percent from three-point range.
Iowa State opens the NCAA tournament with a first-round matchup against No. 14 UT Arlington. As expected, the Cyclones are a heavy favorite, as the spread for the game is 19.5 points. And even though that's a large number, it wouldn't be surprising to see Iowa State win by 20 or more.
It's common to see some lopsided contests early in this tournament, and the Cyclones are capable of making that happen in this matchup. Joens should have a big game as Iowa State moves on with ease.
Gonzaga Could Be Sleeper to Watch in Tournament
No. 9 Gonzaga may be a 1.5-point underdog for its first-round matchup against No. 8 Nebraska, but it's capable of winning this game that could go either way. If that happens, the Bulldogs could be a sleeper team to watch later in the tournament.
Over its past 16 games, Gonzaga has lost only twice. It had an impressive showing at the West Coast Conference tournament, winning the title by taking down BYU in the championship game. And now, the Bulldogs could carry the momentum over into March Madness.
One of the keys to Gonzaga's success has been the balanced scoring in its lineup. The Bulldogs have five players averaging between 9.0 and 10.9 points, so any of them is capable of getting a hot hand. That includes twin sisters Kayleigh and Kaylynne Truong, a pair of junior guards who are both averaging 10.8 points per game.
Gonzaga should win in the opening round despite being a slight underdog, and it could make a run beyond that in the tourney.
Florida Gulf Coast Capable of Covering Spread in 1st Round
If you're looking for a bigger underdog to potentially bet on during Friday's action, then you may want to consider No. 12 Florida Gulf Coast. The Eagles are making their fifth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance, but they're trying to get into the second round for the first time since 2018.
Florida Gulf Coast opens the tourney with a matchup against No. 5 Virginia Tech, and it's a 6.5-point underdog for the matchup. It should be a competitive game, so even if the Eagles don't pull off the upset, they have a good chance of covering that spread.
Junior guard Kierstan Bell missed some time earlier this season after undergoing knee surgery, but she returned to play FGCU's past five games. When she's been on the court, she's played well, having averaged 23.2 points in 22 games. And now that she's back, the Eagles are a better team.
So don't be surprised if Florida Gulf Coast pulls off a first-round upset. At the least, it should keep things close enough with Virginia Tech that it will be safe to bet on.
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