South Carolina women's basketball: Are the Gamecocks the betting favorites to win the national championship?

South Carolina is among the favorites to win the national championship almost every year, and the Gamecocks’ April roster moves boosted their odds. Was it enough for the Vegas oddsmakers to make South Carolina this year’s favorites?

The first set of odds for the 2026-27 season was released immediately following the 2026 championship game, where UCLA beat South Carolina for the Bruins’ first national championship.

UConn, which was soundly beaten by South Carolina in the semifinals, was the favorite according to BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, and FanDuel. South Carolina and Southern Cal had the second and third best odds according to BetMGM and Caesars, but FanDuel switched the order.

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Those odds came just as the transfer portal opened, before rosters got reshaped. Specifically, they came out before South Carolina added Texas guard Jordan Lee and third-ranked freshman Oliviyah Edwards, and got Ashlyn Watkins back after a season off.

For many pundits, those moves were enough to declare South Carolina the favorite to win next year’s championship. But the Las Vegas oddmakers weren’t convinced.

UConn’s odds got worse according to all three, but the Huskies are still the favorites. South Carolina’s odds got better, but only Fan Duel made the Huskies and Gamecocks co-favorites.

Originally, BetMGM had UConn +175 and South Carolina +400, but closed that to UConn +225 and South Carolina +300. Third-place Southern Cal stayed at +400.

The movement was similar for Caesars. UConn started at +180 and dropped to +230. South Carolina began at +400 and rose to +260. 

The biggest movement was from FanDuel. UConn was originally +185 but dropped to +250. South Carolina jumped from +470 to +250. Southern Cal dropped from +440 to +450, a small dip that nonetheless dropped the Trojans from the second-best odds to the third-best.

Texas remains the other Final Four favorite for all three sportsbooks.

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Early April
BetMGM
UConn +175
South Carolina +400
Southern Cal +450
Michigan +550
Texas +650
Vanderbilt +900
LSU +1000

Caesars Sportsbook
UConn +180
South Carolina +400
Southern Cal +425
Texas +750
LSU +1300

FanDuel
UConn +185
Southern Cal +440
South Carolina +470
Texas +750
Michigan +1300
LSU +1500

Memorial Day Week
BetMGM
UConn +225
South Carolina +300
Southern Cal +450
Texas +900
Michigan +1400
LSU +1600
Vanderbilt +2000

Caesars Sportsbook
UConn +230
South Carolina +260
Southern Cal +425
Texas +850
LSU +1400

FanDuel
UConn +250
South Carolina +250
Southern Cal +450
Texas +950
Michigan +1500
LSU +1500

NEW! Message board for South Carolina Women’s Basketball!