What if we told you that the most popular sportsbooks with women’s college basketball tournament futures odds don’t … update them? I stumbled on this after leaving the Xfinity Center in College Park having witnessed Michigan beat down No. 8 Maryland on Sunday. Surely the Terps’ odds would be decimated by morning, right? Wrong!

On DraftKings, FanDuel and PointsBet, the Terrapins have the fourth-best odds to win the tourney (+1000, bet $100 → $1,000) despite five losses against six ranked opponents this year. They’re only the No. 12 team in the country, and have been one of the league’s biggest disappointments

Same goes for UConn. The Huskies entered the season as the country’s No. 2 team, but have lost both No. 1 recruits Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd to injury and fallen all the way to No. 9. Yet their odds at all three books still sit second-best to South Carolina’s.

Obviously, it’s upsetting to see the lack of coverage and care for women’s sports at the sportsbooks, but it leaves the door open for fans to profit. Let’s discuss some of the most undervalued teams.

1. Louisville (15-1, ranked No. 3 in the country)

The Cardinals received two first-place votes in this week’s AP ballot, showing how high their ceiling is. The team is on a 15-game winning streak that includes wins over UConn, Kentucky, Georgia Tech and Michigan with just one loss to Arizona. 

Yet their odds to win the tourney still stand eighth-best at +3000 (bet $100 → $3,000) in DraftKings’, FanDuel’s AND PointsBets’ sportsbooks. Those sure are longshot odds for a frontrunner!

2. North Carolina State (16-2, ranked No. 4 in the country)

The Wolfpack’s only two losses have come against top-ranked South Carolina and Georgia Tech. Her Hoops Stats ranks them the second-best team in the nation, yet all three sportsbooks  give NC State +1500 (bet $100 → $1,500) odds to win. Those are the fifth-best odds available by a ridiculously wide margin!

3. Stanford (13-3, ranked No. 2 in the country)

Last year’s champs had a shaky start to the season, dropping two games to No. 18 South Florida and No. 22 Colorado, but have since bounced back with the exception of a loss to top dog South Carolina. The team returned all but one rotation player (Kiana Williams) from 2021 and ranks as Her Hoops Stats’ third-best team. Yet the sportsbooks offer distant third-best odds at +550 at DraftKings, +500 at FanDuel, and +600 at PointsBet. All are below an injured, unproven UConn (+200-240).

The Takeaway

The numbers for NCAA tourney futures are silly because they’ve been neglected for months. That stinks for those of us who want depth of coverage for women’s sports to grow, but it does give an opportunity to make the books pay. If you think South Carolina could fall, Louisville, Stanford and NC State are worthwhile faux longshots.