The Mountaineers women’s basketball team is playing for a national championship for the first time since 2017. This year’s March Madness women’s tournament is unique for other reasons, making betting on West Virginia NCAAW futures quite interesting.
WV DraftKings Sportsbook has markets live right now on which team will win it all in San Antonio this year. WVU gets some respect from the online sportsbook due to the solid season it has put in so far.
A look at West Virginia NCAAW futures available online
While West Virginia wasn’t in the Class of Big 12 this year, it was far from the class clown. The Mountaineers reached the conference tournament final but fell to Baylor, who only dropped two games all season. WVU also finished second in the regular-season standings at 21-6 overall, 13-5 in Big 12 play.
West Virginia won’t see Baylor again this season unless both teams progress to the national championship game. That doesn’t mean it has a cakewalk through the Hemisfair Region, though. The path to a title is daunting for WVU.
The fourth-seeded Mountaineers start their run on Sunday, March 21, at 9 p.m. EST against 13th-seeded Lehigh. Should they prevail, their Round of 32 game will be against the winner of the 5-seed Georgia Tech and 12-seed Stephen F. Austin tilt.
A potential Sweet 16 opponent is SEC tournament champion South Carolina. The Big Ten tournament champion, Maryland, could await West Virginia in the Elite Eight. If it continues to win, potential foes in the Final Four include betting favorite Stanford and ACC champ Louisville.
Because of the combination of its success and the challenging road ahead, WVU sits at +10000 at WV sportsbooks. That puts it in the top half of the market. Does that position reflect its chances? It could be anyone’s guess.
Handicapping the Mountaineers’ championship chances
As these tournament structures dictate, the Mountaineers don’t have to be the best team out of all 64 in the field. They just have to be better than their opponent in each successive game. Why might that happen this year?
This is a unique year for the tournament. All 64 teams are in one location, with all games happening in a small radius in San Antonio. It’s not yet clear how that will impact individual games and teams.
So, if you want to take a flier on a long shot, this could be the year. WVU had a 10-game winning streak earlier this season, proving it can put together wins. If you’re looking for other reasons to buy this team, its scoring average was the highest it’s been in a decade this season, led by senior guard Kysre Gondrezick’s 19.9 points per game.
Should the Mountaineers get hot starting Sunday night, momentum could carry them to the highest peak this March. Bettors who stake some money on West Virginia now will enjoy a nice payout for their faith, too.
