Women's Final Four Predictions, Best Bets for Today's National Semifinals

We're on to the Final Four in the 2026 Women's NCAA Tournament.

What should you expect from the upcoming games?

Using FanDuel Sportsbook's college basketball odds, let's take a look at the Final Four odds for each of the national semifinal games.

All March Madness odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook's college basketball odds and may change after this article is published.

For betting guides for the individual games, click here -- UConn vs. South Carolina best bets and Texas vs. UCLA betting picks.

Women's College Basketball Final Four Predictions, Picks

South Carolina vs. Connecticut, 7 p.m. ET

My lean is UConn to win and cover.

The baseline numbers point that way. UConn is 38-0, owns the nation’s better defensive profile in this matchup at 50.1 points allowed per game, and is favored by 6.5 at FanDuel. South Carolina is 35-3, but UConn has the stronger efficiency shape on the ESPN matchup page: more assists (23.4 to 18.4), more steals (15.7 to 9.6), and fewer points allowed.

The player matchup that swings the game is UConn’s shotmaking against South Carolina’s depth. Sarah Strong leads UConn in points (18.6), rebounds (7.6), steals (3.4) and blocks (1.6), while Azzi Fudd averages 17.5 points and has become one of the nation’s best-volume shooters, hitting 45.5% from three with 115 made threes this season. South Carolina’s top end is excellent too — Joyce Edwards 19.7 points, Madina Okot 10.8 rebounds, Raven Johnson 5.3 assists — but UConn’s perimeter scoring ceiling is the most dangerous unit on the floor.

Recent tournament form also favors the Huskies. UConn beat Notre Dame 70-52 and North Carolina 63-42, and its last four NCAA wins have come by 38, 53, 21, and 18. South Carolina has also been dominant — including wins over TCU (78-52), Oklahoma (94-68), USC (101-61) and Southern (103-34) — but its most recent high-end benchmark against another Final Four team was a 78-61 loss to Texas in the SEC tournament final.

History matters here, too. UConn beat South Carolina 82-59 in the 2025 national title game, and UConn’s official opponent history page lists the Huskies 11-5 all-time against South Carolina. There was no regular-season meeting this year, the first time in 11 years those programs did not play before March.

Prediction: UConn 72, South Carolina 63. That leads me to UConn -6.5 and a slight lean to the under because both defenses are elite and semifinal games tend to slow down. FanDuel’s listed total is 135.5.

Texas vs. UCLA, 9:30 p.m. ET

My lean is Texas in a close game.

This is the tighter semifinal by the market. FanDuel lists Texas -1.5 with a total of 132.5. The numbers explain why: Texas averages 85.0 points and allows 55.9, while UCLA averages 84.9 and allows 56.9. Both teams are legitimate title-level two-way groups.

Texas gets the nod because it has already solved this matchup once. The Longhorns beat UCLA 76-65 on November 26, 2025, forcing 20 turnovers while committing only 10 themselves. Texas also leads the all-time series 8-7 and has won the last two meetings. That prior game is especially useful because it showed Texas can handle UCLA’s size and still dictate the possession game.

Texas’ best player is also arriving in stronger tournament form. Madison Booker averages 19.3 points and 6.7 rebounds on the season, and Texas reporting notes she is averaging 22.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.8 steals in this NCAA tournament. Texas just crushed Michigan 77-41, with Booker scoring 19 and Rori Harmon handing out 13 assists.

UCLA’s best weapon is still Lauren Betts, who averages 17.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.0 blocks on the season and an even better 24.0 points and 8.5 rebounds in the NCAA tournament. She had 23 and 10 against Duke and 35 and 9 against Oklahoma State. UCLA is good enough to win if Betts owns the paint, but Texas’ defense has been suffocating and its tournament average margin is huge.

Prediction: Texas 69, UCLA 64. I like Texas -1.5.

Which Final Four bets stand out to you this year? Check out FanDuel Sportsbook's latest college basketball 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.