March Madness is finally back, and time is winding down for fans to build their brackets.
When looking for an upset, it can be helpful to look to Las Vegas bookmakers for guidance.
Using DraftKings' odds, Insider picked the women's tournament matchups ripe with upset potential.
The 2023 NCAA Tournament is nearly here.
With tip-off just days away, college basketball fans are furiously filling out their brackets in pursuit of a perfect slate of picks. And while that's an impossible — and unprecedented — standard, most of us just want to avoid looking foolish with our selections.
Looking to the bookmakers who determine the spreads of each game is often a smart and simple way to make informed bracket decisions. Using DraftKings' odds, Insider picked the first-round games in the women's tournament that Las Vegas thinks are most likely to end in upsets.
Check 'em out below:
No. 12 Florida Gulf Coast over No. 5 Washington StateFlorida Gulf Coast star Tishara Morehouse.
AP Photo/Julio Cortez
Florida Gulf Coast has a penchant for breaking brackets on both the men's and women's sides of the NCAA Tournament. And this year, the 12th-seeded Eagles are poised to do it again. They're 3.5-point favorites to take down the No. 5 Washington State Cougars on Saturday.
No. 10 Alabama over No. 7 BaylorAlabama's Brittany Davis leads the Crimson Tide in points, rebounds, and steals.
AP Photo/Sean Rayford
Baylor may have long been a perennial Final Four team, but Alabama is the team to beat in this first-round matchup out of Storrs, Connecticut. The Crimson Tide are 1.5-point favorites to take down the Bears Saturday evening. If they manage to defy their seeding, they'll likely score a date with the fearsome UConn Huskies.
No. 11 UNLV over No. 6 MichiganUNLV's Desi-Rae Young averaged a double-double this season.
AP Photo/Ronda Churchill
The Lady Rebels haven't lost a game in 2023, making them one of the hottest teams heading into the tournament. No. 11 UNLV is only a two-point underdog to the sixth-seeded Michigan Wolverines, so if you're willing to take a gamble, this is a promising upset.
No. 9 South Dakota State over No. 8 USCSouth Dakota State leading scorer Myah Selland.
AP Photo/Josh Jurgens
Though their respective seeds suggest the Jackrabbits should be slight underdogs against Southern California, South Dakota State is actually favored by a whopping 6.5 points against the Trojans. Mid-major fans have every incentive to pick the upset in Blacksburg, Virginia, Friday night.
No. 9 Gonzaga over No. 8 Ole MissGonzaga leading scorer and rebounder Yvonne Ejim.
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Another 8-9 matchup is leaning in the underdog's favor, according to the spreads out of Las Vegas. Even though No. 9 Gonzaga lost the West Coast Conference Tournament championship game in a shock upset to the Portland Pilots, the Bulldogs are one-point favorites against the 8-seed Ole Miss Rebels. This one is as close to a toss-up as it gets.
No. 10 Georgia over No. 7 Florida StateGeorgia star Diamond Battles.
AP Photo/Derick Hingle
Though Florida State is sitting three seeds higher than Georgia, the Seminoles are just 1.5-point favorites to beat the Bulldogs in Iowa City on Friday. Las Vegas seems to think this one could come down to a missed layup or a handful of free throws, so if you can stomach a bit of risk, go with the Dawgs.
The Blue Raiders have lost just four games all season, and they have no plans to take another L now. Vegas favors No. 11 Middle Tennessee by three points over sixth-seeded Colorado in one of the more promising upset picks of the opening round.
Need a final championship score for your March Madness bracket? Our formula found the average score over the past 34 NCAA women's title games:Dawn Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks won the 2022 national championship on the women's side.
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