2024 Women’s March Madness: Odds, Picks, Predictions, Best Bets for Sunday | Second Round

For the Second Round Women's March Madness best bets for Monday, head over to Women's March Madness Odds, Picks, Predictions, Best Bets for Monday's Second Round.

The Women’s College Basketball NCAA Tournament Second Round tips off Sunday with eight spots to claim in this year’s Sweet 16. The First Round of 2024 Women's March Madness saw higher seeds win in 31 of 32 games, making it the chalkiest first round since 1982.

Could we see some lower seeds come out on top on Sunday in the Second Round?

Let’s dig in with my picks, predictions and best bets for every 2024 Women's March Madness game today: Duke vs Ohio State, UNC vs South Carolina, Colorado vs Kansas State, Middle Tennessee vs LSU, Nebraska vs Oregon State, Alabama vs Texas, Baylor vs Virginia Tech and Iowa State vs Stanford.

This game features two of the distinct styles of defenses: a scattered press that speeds you up from Ohio State and a physical, half-court ball-pressure heavy style from Duke that will make you work for every shot.

While I lean the under, I can see a close game in the fourth quarter with a lot of free throws. Coach Kara Lawson and the Duke Blue Devils have done relatively well as an underdog this season, covering the spread in seven of nine games. Take Duke to cover the spread.

A rematch from earlier this season when South Carolina went to Chapel Hill. South Carolina won their first five games by margins of 30 or more but found themselves down at halftime to the Tar Heels. South Carolina ended up winning the game by seven points in a slugfest that got chippy and physical. There were 39 free throw attempts, and both teams shot sub-40% from the field.

This time at home, I expect the Gamecocks to throw the first punch, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Heels hang around. Take the Under and the Heels to cover.

This matchup might be the game of the day. Two physical defenses, two elite post players, and experienced guard play on each side. While I expect the Wildcats to win, I see this game ending in one possession or on free throws and would suggest betting Colorado live if you can get a better number — but unlike the teams first two games, I expect transition plays to be limited, and this game to be played in the half court.

Middle Tennessee was the lone higher seed to win outright from the first round. They pulled off the third largest comeback in NCAA Tournament history, after being down 18 in the second quarter to Louisville.

In LSU’s past seven tournament games, the five that weren’t Final Four games have all gone way under the total. Take a team like Middle Tennessee who plays extremely slow, against the size of LSU, and this should result in the same.

Nebraska almost blew an 18-point lead in the second half in their win against Texas A&M but ultimately secured a win in one of their worst shooting performances in weeks. Jaz Shelley, who was shooting at a near-55% clip from 3 in the Big Ten tournament, failed to make any of her six 3-point attempts and went 2-for-11 from the field.

Oregon State slowly but surely made work of Eastern Washington on their way to a 22-point victory. Both of these offenses rank in the top 9 percentile in terms of offensive rating, and I think they're both due to see some shots to fall.

Alabama played with incredible poise against a fast-paced Florida State team on Friday, and even with a below-average performance from their leading scorer, Sarah Ashlee Barker, they found their way to a victory and a cover as a favorite. Freshman forward Essence Cody was phenomenal in her first NCAA Tournament game, going 8-for-12 and scoring 20 points.

Unfortunately for the Tide, the Texas defense is an entirely different beast. Ranked third in defensive rating nationally and with size almost comparable to teams like LSU and South Carolina, whom the Tide have struggled mightily against, take the Horns at home to cover the big number and make light work of Bama.

Baylor has a golden opportunity to pull off the upset against the injured Hokies. Three-time ACC Player of the Year Liz Kitley is out with a torn ACL, and the Hokies are starting freshman Kara Strack in her place.

While Baylor and the under are the trendy picks, and they looked great against Vanderbilt, I think I still trust the Hokies to pull off the win at home here. Head Coach Kenny Brooks was able to get a lot of minutes to various pieces in their last three games, and against Marshall, the Kitley-less Hokies put up 92 points. Georgia Amoore only played 20 minutes in the 43-point win, and in the last game at Cassell Coliseum, it should be rocking.

Hopefully the line moves toward Baylor by the time this posts and we get a better number.

The second largest comeback ever also happened on Friday, when the Cyclones came back from down 20 against Maryland to win by seven. Freshman center Audi Crooks was 18-for-20 from the field and was the first freshman since 2009 to have 40 points and the only player since 2009 to make at least 17 shots.

Iowa State has such a high ceiling and can play with anybody, but it will be hard for Crooks to replicate that performance against the assumed No. 2 WNBA draft pick, Cameron Brink. The Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year leads the country in blocks and will make a lot of looks difficult with her length. If the Clones can get her in foul trouble, they have a chance to send Stanford home in the second round for the second year in a row.

I think you can probably get a better spread live, but I’m taking the Clones as dogs.