Buckle up as the Women’s College Tournament to get into full swing on Saturday, March 21, 2026. I'll target a couple of the games during the loaded Day 2 action for my Women's NCAA Tournament Picks and Best Bets.
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Saturday's Best Women’s NCAA Tournament Picks & Predictions: First Round
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Syracuse Orange (+270) vs. Iowa State Cyclones (-7.5) | O/U 149.5 (-110/-110)
Iowa State shoots 47.9 percent for the season. Over the last ten games, they’re down to 44.1. Syracuse holds opponents to 40.3. That gap is closing, and it’s closing toward the Orange. Iowa State went 10-9 in the Big 12. Their 12-0 non-conference record was built against nobody. Syracuse went 13-7 in the ACC. These teams are closer than this line admits.
After beginning the season 14-0, Iowa State, despite continued stellar offensive play from Audi Crooks, limped to the season’s end on an 8-9 run. This included an 0-5 stretch in conference play. Crooks is 6’3 “, but Syracuse has its own 6’3” giant, Uche Izoje, aka The Nigerian Nightmare, who averaged nearly a double-double at 15.5 points and 9.4 rebounds this season. Crooks can put the ball in the hoop, but when it comes to stopping others from doing so, Audi ain’t it.
Iowa State is beatable, especially with this game in Storrs, CT, which is about 1,100 miles from Ames, IA, and just 278 miles from Syracuse. I think the hostile crowd keeps the Orange in this one.
Pick: Orange +7.5 (-110)
Miami (OH) RedHawks (+4000) vs. West Virginia Mountaineers (-25.5) | O/U 124.5 (-115/-105)
The spread is 25.5, and yes, that number looks high after opening at 18.5, but it isn’t. Especially on West Virginia’s home court as the host school.
WVU makes 45.6 percent of its shots. Miami’s defense has held opponents to 37.9. That’s a 7.7-point discrepancy the RedHawks have no answer for. It runs the other way too, as Miami shoots 44.7 percent, but West Virginia holds opponents to 40.8. Both sides of the ball favor the Mountaineers. That’s not a matchup problem for Miami. That’s a math problem.
The recent form makes it worse. Over their last ten games, WVU is outscoring opponents by 19 points a night, against Big 12 competition. That margin nearly covers the spread by itself. Miami’s +10 over the same stretch looks fine until you remember they built it in the MAC.
The RedHawks are 23-3 when they control turnovers. Sounds like a strength, right? It can operate like a dependency. West Virginia is averaging 9.8 steals per game over their last ten. If Miami can’t win the turnover battle (which against this defense, they probably can’t), they’re a break-even team in those spots.
Take me home, country roads. West Virginia…Mountain Mama…by 25.5!
Pick: Mountaineers -25.5 (-110)
Luke Monaldo is a featured writer at BettingPros. Follow him on Twitter @MoKnowsSports and Discord @alydar1227 AKA The GIFTing Crooner. For more from Luke, check out his archive.