NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament 2021: Odds for Subregionals Bracket
There are numerous teams capable of winning this year's NCAA women's basketball tournament, but don't expect it to be a surprise school. That's not how this tourney typically goes.
The 2021 women's tournament gets underway with 16 first-round matchups on Sunday, followed by 16 more on Monday.
And while there could be some upsets, it's less likely to happen here than it is in the men's tournament. It's highly possible that a lot of Nos. 1 and 2 seeds will make deep runs and be battling it out for the national championship on April 4.
In the opening round, these title favorites are likely to rout the lowest-seeded teams. But there will still be some exciting games taking place over the first few days of the tourney between teams that are at a similar level.
Here's the complete schedule for the first round of this year's tournament, along with odds for each game.
1st-Round Schedule, Odds
Sunday, March 21
No. 5 Iowa (-10.5) vs. No. 12 Central Michigan, noon ET, ESPN
No. 7 Virginia Tech (-1.5) vs. No. 10 Marquette, noon ET, ESPNU
No. 8 Oklahoma State (-7.5) vs. No. 9 Wake Forest, 1 p.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 4 Kentucky (-4.5) vs. No. 13 Idaho State, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN
No. 3 Tennessee (-13.5) vs. No. 14 Middle Tennessee, 2 p.m. ET, ABC
No. 6 Michigan (-1) vs. No. 11 Florida Gulf Coast, 3 p.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 1 NC State (-20.5) vs. No. 16 North Carolina A&T, 4 p.m. ET, ESPN
No. 2 Baylor (-33.5) vs. No. 15 Jackson State, 4 p.m. ET, ABC
No. 5 Georgia Tech vs. No. 12 Stephen F. Austin (-5.5), 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU
No. 8 Syracuse (-4.5) vs. No. 9 South Dakota State, 5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 1 South Carolina (-32.5) vs. No. 16 Mercer, 6 p.m. ET, ESPN
No. 8 Oregon State (-5.5) vs. No. 9 Florida State, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 1 UConn (-40.5) vs. No. 16 High Point, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN
No. 4 West Virginia (-12.5) vs. No. 13 Lehigh, 8 p.m. ET, ESPNU
No. 8 South Florida (-3) vs. No. 9 Washington State, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 1 Stanford (-44.5) vs. No. 16 Utah Valley, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN
Monday, March 22
No. 3 Georgia (-19.5) vs. No. 14 Drexel, noon ET, ESPN2
No. 6 Rutgers (-9.5) vs. No. 11 BYU, noon ET, ESPNU
No. 7 Alabama vs. No. 10 North Carolina (-1.5), noon ET, ESPN
No. 4 Indiana vs. No. 13 Virginia Commonwealth (no line), 2 p.m. ET, ESPNU
No. 3 Arizona (-19.5) vs. No. 14 Stony Brook, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 4 Arkansas (-5.5) vs. No. 13 Wright State, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN
No. 5 Gonzaga (-10.5) vs. No. 12 Belmont, 4 p.m., ESPN2
No. 2 Maryland (-34.5) vs. No. 15 Mount St. Mary's, 4 p.m. ET, ESPN
No. 7 Northwestern (-3.5) vs. No. 10 UCF, 4 p.m. ET, ESPNU
No. 7 Iowa State (-1.5) vs. No. 10 Michigan State, 6 p.m. ET, ESPN
No. 2 Texas A&M (-16.5) vs. No. 15 Troy, 6 p.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 5 Missouri State (-9.5) vs. No. 12 UC Davis, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU
No. 6 Texas (-8.5) vs. No. 11 Bradley, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 2 Louisville (-19.5) vs. No. 15 Marist, 8 p.m., ESPN
No. 6 Oregon (-3.5) vs. No. 11 South Dakota, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 3 UCLA (-20.5) vs. No. 14 Wyoming, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN
Odds via Bovada
Stephen F. Austin Favored as No. 12 Seed
Even though Stephen F. Austin is a No. 12 seed, it's a 5.5-point favorite for its opening-round matchup against No. 5-seeded Georgia Tech. And it's quite possible the Ladyjacks will follow through and knock off the Yellow Jackets on Sunday.
Entering the tourney with a 24-2 record, Stephen F. Austin is on a 19-game winning streak and hasn't lost since falling at Houston on Dec. 11. It went 14-0 in Southland Conference play during the regular season, then took down Central Arkansas and Sam Houston State to win the conference tourney.
The Ladyjacks are one of the best defensive teams in the nation, ranking fifth in points allowed per game (50.9), second in steals per game (13.6) and first in turnovers forced per game (24.27).
Georgia Tech, which is 15-8 this season, is averaging 57.6 points over its past five games, and this might not be the best matchup for it to get back on track offensively.
Not only will this be Stephen F. Austin's first NCAA tournament appearance since 2006, but it also hasn't won a game in the tourney since a first-round matchup in 2000. The Ladyjacks ended the first drought, and they could end the second on Sunday.
No. 11-Seeded Florida Gulf Coast Could Pull off Upset
Florida Gulf Coast loves to shoot three-pointers—and lots of them. It has attempted 1,001 shots from beyond the arc in 28 games this season, while no other team in the country has more than 796.
Because of that, the Eagles also have the most made three-pointers in the nation (334), as they shoot at a 33.4-percent rate from beyond the arc. So, their effectiveness in that department against No. 6-seeded Michigan could decide whether they pull off the upset on Sunday.
It's been a successful formula for Florida Gulf Coast this season. After a 1-2 start, it has won 25 consecutive games, which included defeating Jacksonville, Lipscomb and Liberty to win the Atlantic Sun tournament. Before that, it went 16-0 in regular-season conference play.
Now, the Eagles will look to carry that momentum into their matchup against Michigan, which has lost four of its past six games and lost to Northwestern in its first game in the Big Ten tournament.
If things continue to go in these directions for the two teams, then the Eagles could advance to the second round of the tournament for the third time since 2015.
Could Idaho State Pull off Rare Type of Upset?
As Natalie Weiner of The New York Times recently pointed out, there hasn't been a team seeded No. 13 or lower to pull off a first-round upset since No. 13-seeded Marist beat No. 4 Georgia in 2012. Could that change this year?
If it does, it could be the Idaho State Bengals that notch the big upset victory. The No. 13 seeds face No. 4-seeded Kentucky on Sunday, and they'll be looking to keep building on a strong season. Idaho State is 22-3 after beating Portland State, Northern Colorado and Idaho to win the Big Sky tournament.
It's possible Kentucky will win because it's played a more difficult schedule. But Idaho State also appears to be a solid team, led by a talented lineup that features four guards averaging double-digit points: redshirt senior Dora Goles (12.4), redshirt sophomore Diaba Konate (11.7), graduate student Estefania Ors (10.2) and junior Callie Bourne (10.0).
The Bengals have made only three previous NCAA tournament appearances (2001, 2007 and 2012), and they lost in the first round each of those three years. Maybe they'll be making program history on Sunday.