2025 NCAAW March Madness Tournament Best Bets: Sweet 16 Predictions & Odds for March 28

March Madness is back, and the Sweet 16 is here! The NCAAW Tournament has been nothing short of amazing, and the books have once again blessed bettors with a juicy slate for Friday!

 (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

With 16 teams left fighting for a Championship, four games are on the Friday slate! If you're looking to support and bet on women's hoops, welcome! Sweeping 3-0 in my last article, let's look to build on that!

As the Tournament progresses, there will be much more competition among the teams. The first matchup will tip off at 2:30 p.m. ET, and the games will run until a 10 p.m. ET showdown between Ole Miss and UCLA.

Buckle up, bettors.  The NCAAW Sweet 16 should be exhilarating and rivalrous! Let's take a look at the FanDuel slate and odds for Friday, March 27!

Odds Are Current As Of March 27 AT 12 P.M. ET

With the Sweet 16 here, the matchups will be split between two days! Don't worry, I'll have you all covered for both.

As the Final Four Looms, the UConn Huskies are now the favorite to win the NCAA Women's Championship. Listed below are all 16 teams, and their odds to cut down the net.

Here are my best bets and predictions for day 1 of the NCAAW Sweet 16 matchups for Friday, March 28!

NCAAW Tournament Best Bets: Sweet 16 (Day 1)

Best Bet #1: No.1 South Carolina vs No.4 Maryland

• South Carolina -17.5 (-114 FanDuel)

First Dawn Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks were snubbed from the No. 1 Seed. Now they've taken a back seat to UConn as the favorites to win the NCAA Tournament. If anyone is out for blood, it's South Carolina.

Second behind UConn in point differential this season (+23.4), we saw the Gamecocks destroy the Tennessee Tech 108-48 in the first round. A 60 point margin is to be expected early on, given there's such a colossal talent gap between the two teams.

And then there's panic after South Carolina's second round 64-53 victory over Indiana. Limited to nine first quarter points was concerning, however, the Gamecocks found a way to win. Dominant on the boards, and paint points, I highly doubt leading scorer Joyce Edwards will have a repeat 2-8 performance. I can assure you MiLaysia Fulwiley will score more than three points.

What Makes South Carolina So Dominant?

What makes South Carolina so dangerous is their ability to fire on all cylinders. The leaders in bench points, would you believe freshman Joyce Edwards is the team's leading scorer?

They now face the Maryland Terrapins in the Sweet 16, who are coming off one of the most exciting games in NCAAW history. Defeating No.5 Alabama 111-108 in double overtime, facing South Carolina is their reward.

17.5 point is a large spread, especially for a Sweet 16 matchup. With a +71 point differential over the first team rounds, the Gamecocks are averaging a +35.5 point spread over that span. Of course, that first game was an outlier, however, some could argue Indiana has a stronger team than Maryland.

Defeating Norfolk St and Alabama was no easy task. However, Maryland ranks No. 298 in scoring defense, allowing 70.5 points per game. Defense could be the sole difference among these two teams, considering South Carolina ranks No. 33 in NCAA scoring defense (57.3).

South Carolina's Defense Will Be The Game Changer

Let's not forget Maryland was playing a shorthanded Alabama team in foul trouble. Do we really think the Gamecocks are going to allow the Terrapins to pour 111 points on their head? Though two rounds, South Carolina has held its opponents to 50.5 points per game. Not to mention, Tennessee Tech and Indiana were held to a combined 36.7 percent from the floor, and 27.5 percent from beyond the arc.

South Carolina has shown how stifling their defense has been, and I expect this to continue in the Sweet 16. Given the Gamecocks have the strong, deepest bench in all of NCAA, Maryland runs on a shorter rotation.

Not to mention, Maryland lost Bri McDaniel to an ACL tear. Even so, this Maryland team is scary on the offensive end, scoring the 11th most points in NCAA (81 PPG).

Overall, Maryland should be able to compete with South Carolina on the boards, and this is a pristine three-point shooting team (36. 19 %).

Again, this ultimately comes down to defense, and South Carolina's power on the offensive end. Given the Gamecocks have several weapons offensively, Maryland ranks no. 240 in field goal percentage defense (41.7 %), and no. 251 in three-point defense.

Final NCAAW March Madness Sweet 16 Best Bet Pick and Prediction: South Carolina -17.5 (-114 FanDuel)

South Carolina is 16-3 in Quad 1 wins, and Maryland, 8-5. Averaging over 80 points per game, South Carolina will cover this spread by point margin averages alone. Maryland ranks No. 59 in scoring margin with +10.5

0-3 against top ten teams such as Texas, USC, and UCLA, the Terrapins suffered a -58 scoring point differential over those three losses. Conceding to Texas 89-51, Maryland averaged a total of -19.3 scoring margin in each of those top ten matchups.

• I'm taking South Carolina to cover the -17.5 spread against Maryland in the Sweet 16. The biggest spread of the day, South Carolina have beaten opponents by double-digits in nine straight games. Over that span, the Gamecocks boast a +205 point differential.

Best Bet #2: No. 5 Ole Miss No. 1 UCLA

• UCLA -8.5 (-110 FanDuel)

My second best bet for the NCAAW Sweet 16, I placed one unit on UCLA to cover the favorable 8.5 point spread vs Ole Miss.

With a blistering 84-46 victory over Southern in the first round, UCLA Bruins fans scared bettors for a minute! While ultimately securing a 84-67 victory over Richmond in the second round, Richmond was hanging around the first half.

That was until UCLA broke loose in the third quarter, scoring 29 points. Thanks to NPOY Candidate Lauren Bett's 30 point double-double performance, the Bruins cruised to a 17 point victory.

I have nothing against Ole Miss, but the books are a bit forgiving with a 8.5 point spread. We are talking about a Bruins team, who finished 10-2 against top 25 teams vs Ole Miss, who had a 4-8 record.

UCLA is a dominant powerhouse on the offensive side, ranking No. 17 in scoring defense among NCAAW teams (78.9 PPG). Led by Lauren Betts, the Bruins have bonafide stars in Kiki Rice, Gabriela Jaquez, and Janiah Barker, just to name a few. While I wish they fed Betts more, they are going to have to this matchup.

Is UCLA The Clear Favorite To Win The NCAA Championship As The No. 1 Overall Seed?

One of the most dominant teams on the boards, UCLA ranks no. 5 in rebounds per game (43.18), which should be a crucial factor in the matchup vs Ole Miss. Out rebounding their opponents by +33 in the first two rounds, the Bruins dominated South Carolina 41-34 on the glass, back in November. In matchups against Ohio State and USC, UCLA took care of the rebounds.

So why does this matter? Ole Miss may rank no. 35 in NCAA scoring offense with 75.7 points per game, however they are one of the least efficient teams on the three-point line (30.3 %). This is where rebounding will become a monumental factor, especially given UCLA ranks no. 11 in defensive rebounds (29.2 DRPG). I want to note, UCLA has one of the best perimeter defenses, limiting opponents to 29.1 percent from beyond the arc.

We are comparing a UCLA team with a Quad 1 13-2 record, compared to Ole Miss 6-9 Quad 1 record. Yes, I'm aware UCLA's +21.4 point scoring margin doesn't vastly differ from the Rebels +17.1. The Rebels have four heavy hitters in Madison Scott, Kennedy Todd-Williams, Starr Jacobs, and Sira Thienou. We saw Ole Miss cruise by Ball State, and barely past Baylor, 69-63.

Final NCAAW March Madness Sweet 16 Best Bet Pick and Prediction: UCLA -8.5 (-110 FanDuel)

I am concerned for Ole Miss, especially since UCLA is a more efficient team than Baylor. In their second round win, it wasn't pretty for the Rebels.They shot just 37.3 percent from the field. and 20 percent from deep for 69 points. What will happen when they go up against the Bruins Friday?

The Rebels gained respect after keeping things close in both losses against UConn and NC State. Even in the SEC Tournament, the Rebels lost by seven points against Texas. Their worst top 25 loss came against South Carolina, 75-59.

• I'm taking UCLA to cover the -8.5 point spread. Does anyone have an answer for 6 foot 7 Lauren Betts? I expect the Rebels to hang around, but don't be surprised if the Bruins break it open in the second half.  The Bruins had a +136 point differential in 10 top 25 wins over the regular season (13.6 per game). Let's not over think this, UCLA is the No.1 seed for a reason. 

Best Bet #3: No. 3 LSU vs No.2 NC State

• LSU ML (-164 FanDuel)

My third best NCAAW Sweet 16 bet, I placed one unit on the LSU Tigers to win the moneyline outright vs NC State Wolfpack.

This might be a bold move here, but I am a full believer in Kim Mulkey and the Tigers. That's not to say, NC State isn't capable of an upset. They've proven they belong just as much as anyone in this year's tournament.

LSU looked a bit shaky in the first half against Florida State in the second round. I walked away, and LSU broke out in the third quarter, outscoring FSU 31-6. LSU has a ton of heavy hitters, but this time, it was Mikaylah Williams and Aneesah Morrow that combined for 54 points! Morrow is a double-double machine, and will be a crucial x-factor on Friday.

6-4 against top 25 teams, LSU is one of the most potent teams on offense, averaging the fourth most points in NCAA Women's basketball (85.5). We especially saw that after scoring back-to-back 100+ points in the first two rounds. I can assure bettors the trajectory won't continue: NC State is a tough team to beat.

LSU Leads The Series 1-0 Against NC State

Led by a lethal duo of Aziaha James and Saniya Rivers, NC State was the clear No. 1 team in the ACC. With a 8-6 Quad 1 record, this is a team that pulled out a gutsy signature 104-95 victory over Notre Dame just last month.

Here's the bottom line, can NC State upset? Sure. In their lone matchup with LSU, the Tigers captivated a 82-65 victory. While the bench produced 22 points for Kim Mulkey, it was Morrow, Williams, and Flau'Jae Johnson who combined for 60 points. Aside from the Tigers shooting above 50 percent from the field and three-point range,

Dominant on the boards more than two times, LSU held NC State to 35.9 percent from the field. With that, it's not too often you see James limited to 13 points. What stood out to me was LSU held a firm lead the entire game.

My question, is which version of NC State will we see Friday? Boasting the No. 26 scoring offense (77 PPG), NC State will primarily rely on their main stars, given they rank No. 227 in bench points per game (15.7). With that, the rotation shrinks even further as teams get deeper into the NCAA Tournament.

Final NCAAW March Madness Sweet 16 Best Bet Pick and Prediction: LSU ML (-164 FanDuel)

I do believe this will be a close game, considering the stakes are high for both squads. LSU averaged a scoring margin of +20.1, while NC State with a +12.3, so expect it to be a tight race.

Neither are prolific three-point shooting teams, but it will a battle of two elite offenses. LSU will need to shoot the lights out and win the turnover battle to win this one.

• I'm taking LSU to win the moneyline outright to advance to the Elite Eight.