4 Best Bets and Player Props for Monday's Women's College Basketball Tournament Games

The first weekend of the women's tournament wraps up on Monday with some of the games best teams and stars in action. Most of them are heavy favorites, so how can we navigate potential lopsided outcomes in the games worth watching?

Here are the bets that stand out most in FanDuel Sportsbook's women's college basketball betting odds.

Women's College Basketball Betting Picks for Today

Illinois vs. Texas

Madison Booker Under 25.5 Points and Rebounds (-118)

Though Madison Booker will be required for some monster games if the Texas Longhorns want to win the second Birmingham regional, one of them probably won't be Monday.

Booker and the Longhorns are 17.5-point favorites over the Illinois Fighting Illini, who held off Creighton in the first round.

Even before accounting for a potential blowout, Illinois is a bad matchup for counting stats. Bart Torvik lists them 28th in total defensive efficiency, 27th in defensive rebounding, and 272nd in adjusted tempo across 362 D1 schools.

While Booker leads Texas in usage rate (25.1%), they're a team that spreads it around. She led them in shots (11) in the opening round, but everyone in the starting lineup took at least 7.

The Horns were able to name their number against William and Mary in the first round, but a Power 4 school should provide enough ability to hang onto the basketball and slow down the tempo dramatically. This is a good spot to fade a household name.

Alabama vs. Maryland

Maryland Moneyline (+104)

Bart Torvik ranks are likely why the Alabama Crimson Tide are slight favorites in the first Birmingham regional's 4-5 matchup.

Alabama slots in 19th overall to the Maryland Terrapins' 24th-place ranking. However, Torvik also favors the Terps by 1.3 points in this matchup. How is that possible?

Well, Maryland ranks fifth in the country in offensive efficiency, showing immense talent scoring the ball in a quality Big Ten conference. With no starters above 6'2", they're just at a deficit in size to most Power 4 schools, but 'Bama just isn't that imposing, either. They've just got one starter over 6'2".

In a neutral site, the three-point advantage could definitely roll the Tide's way, but Maryland is 17th in free throw rate, so they could both get to the line for easy points and eliminate size concerns by getting Essence Cody in a bit of foul trouble.

Maryland has four double-digit scorers to lean on. I trust them in a close game late to get more quality shots.

South Dakota State vs. Connecticut

Connecticut -26.5 (-110)

The Connecticut Huskies made an emphatic statement about their 2 seed on Saturday.

UConn smashed Arkansas State by 69 (!) points, a team that Torvik had ranked just the seventh-worst team in the tournament. Above all, it was an emphatic showing from their depth options to run up the score. They're a juggernaut, ranking first in offensive and defensive efficiency. Don't led the seed fool you.

This line feels like a gift opposite the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. SDSU's overall ranking at Torvik (52nd) is strong for a 10 seed, but they ranked 105th in defensive efficiency and slotted 9th-worst in all of Division 1 at forcing turnovers. Sitting 279th in adjusted tempo, the Hares -- ironically -- aren't very comfortable going fast.

Bart Torvik has this line at 29.1 points, and UConn has won by at least 30 points on 18 separate occasions this year. If SDSU's efficiency metrics are inflated at all by a weak conference, they're going to get run out of the gym.

Paige Bueckers Over 24.5 Points and Assists (-122)

One of the reasons it doesn't look good for the Jackrabbits? Saturday's win came with a quiet outing from Paige Bueckers.

Bueckers scored just 11 points, and she tallied just 4 assists. It was a bizarrely quiet outing from the presumptive No. 1 pick in the upcoming 2025 WNBA Draft, who averages 25.3 points and 6.6 assists per 40 minutes.

With only 16 teams remaining after Monday, I could see Geno Auriemma ramping up their starters a bit more than the 22 minutes she logged in the first round. Anything close to 25 would work against a below-average tournament defense.

Paige averaged 26.3 points and assists per game in their three Big East Tournament outings -- and it's not like those were super close contests, either. Regression to the mean could be painful for South Dakota State here.

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Which bets stand out to you for today's games? Check out FanDuel Sportsbook's latest women's college basketball betting odds to see the full menu of options.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.