Betting on women's college basketball rides post-Caitlin Clark wave as NCAA Tournament begins

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Caitlin Clark not only drew lots of eyes to women's basketball when she led Iowa to consecutive national-championship games, she also attracted a lot of bettors who otherwise might have put their money elsewhere.

Even with Clark starring for the WNBA's Indiana Fever her impact is still being felt in women's college basketball.

BetMGM Sportsbook said it received 35% more money being bet on the sport this season, 39% more female bettors and 32% more customers regardless of gender. Since the 2022-23 season, when Clark first hit the national stage, BetMGM has seen an increase of 587% of money wagered on women's college hoops.

BetMGM sports trader Hannah Luther said Clark to adding fuel to what already was growing betting interest.

“We have offered more markets and more games than ever before, which could explain some of our continuing success,” Luther said. “Another factor has been the increased visibility of the sport through TV and media coverage and more players with major endorsement deals.”

Now with the NCAA Tournament field set, Luther said she expected the betting momentum to continue and prop bets involving stars like Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkings to be popular.

Gators getting love

No. 1 seed Florida is a slight favorite (+350) to win the men's national championship, with another No. 1, Duke. right behind (+360). Fellow top seeds Auburn (+400) and Houston (+600) aren’t far behind.

CBS SportsLine handicapper Bruce Marshall is a big believer in the Gators, who come off winning the Southeastern Conference Tournament championship.

“Sometimes this doesn’t carry through from the conference tournament into the (Big) Dance, but I’ve been seeing this team for the last two months just really look like they’re playing at a different level," Marshall said. "They kind of look like UConn did last year.”

A Florida national championship would be bad news for BetMGM Sportsbook. The Gators opened the season at +4000 and one bettor put $100,000 on them at +900.

Flagging concerns at Duke

BetMGM also is on the hook should Duke or No. 2 seed Michigan State go all the way. Blue Devils star Cooper Flagg, the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year, has been out with an ankle injury but is expected to play in the NCAA Tournament.

“Cooper Flagg’s health is a question mark, but we expect action to pour in on Duke if Flagg can play," BetMGM trading manager Seamus Magee said. "BetMGM projects this to be the most bet tournament in our history with the sportsbook offering more markets than ever before.”

Marshall said he didn't think Duke would be cutting down the nets in San Antonio.

“The ACC was well down this year,” Marshall said. "I know they killed Illinois (110-67) in that game at Madison Square Garden a few weeks ago, but I can’t see any ACC team winning the whole thing this year.”

Longshot lookouts

Marshall said in the men's field double-digit seeds UC San Diego, Akron, High Point, Grand Canyon and Colorado State are worth considering picking for first-round victories when filling out a bracket.

The tightest point spreads at BetMGM among those teams is a pair of 5-12 matchups.

Colorado State is actually a 2 1/2-point favorite over Memphis, even though the Rams are the lower seed. UC San Diego is just a 2 1/2-point underdog against Michigan, and Marshall compared the Tritons' style of basketball to a style of soccer commonly known as total football.

“All these guys can shoot,” Marshall said. "It's just so interchangeable. They play defense.”

Gamecocks repeat?

Defending champion and top-seeded South Carolina is a +270 favorite to repeat as women's champion, according to BetMGM, followed closely by No. 2 seed UConn at +275. Four other teams — UCLA, Southern California, Texas and Notre Dame — are close behind at at least +500 apiece.

___

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.