National Championship Odds: UConn Huskies vs. South Carolina Gamecocks

One could argue that the emergence of a program like South Carolina with coach Dawn Staley at the helm is one of the reasons why Auriemma and UConn have been unable to continue their incredible run of success.

The Gamecocks entered the tournament as a No. 1 seed, but they felt slighted by losing the No. 1 overall seed to UCLA. Playing with a chip on their collective shoulder, South Carolina is coming off a 17-point win over the Texas Longhorns, a fellow No. 1 seed.

As the underdog against UConn, can the Gamecocks pull off the upset?

Before the tournament started, both UConn and South Carolina were the betting favorites to win March Madness. Once USC superstar JuJu Watkins suffered a torn ACL in the Trojans' second-round matchup against Mississippi State, the Huskies became the odds-on favorite to win the title.

Staley and the Gamecocks have a national championship pedigree themselves, winning three titles since the 2017 season. In fact, Staley has never led her team to the final game of the NCAA Tournament and lost. With Staley leading South Carolina, the Gamecocks are 3-0 in national championship games.

This year, South Carolina is led by forward Joyce Edwards in scoring, averaging 12.7 points per game. Gamecocks forward Chloe Kitts is nearly averaging a double-double every game with 10.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per contest. Staley's team is also impressive on the defensive end with an average of 9.5 steals and 5.7 blocks per game.

The Huskies have a deep team themselves with top scorers in guard Paige Bueckers, forward Sarah Strong, and guard Azzi Fudd. Bueckers averages 20 points per game, Strong averages 16 points while grabbing 8.7 rebounds per game, and Fudd averages 13.3 points herself.

Before the 2025 National Championship Staley talked about the media coverage of the game, focusing on Bueckers and her superstar status. The Gamecocks coach compared it to the sensation around former Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark.

"We find ourselves back here in a similar situation. So I want the sentiments to be about our players, and what our players have been able to do. Equally. Because there's room to do both. We can raise Paige up because she deserves that, and we can raise our players up because they deserve that. And that's not talked about enough," said Staley.

• Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. 
• If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.