2024 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament: Betting Picks, Props for Friday's Sweet 16 Games

The 2024 NCAA women's tournament is well underway, with Sweet 16 games kicking off on Friday, March 29th.

With so much tournament action packed into such a tight window, it can be hard to parse out the betting landscape, but FanDuel Research has you covered. Here are some bets to consider -- based on FanDuel Sportsbook's NCAA women's basketball betting odds -- across Friday's slate of games.

Women's NCAA Tournament Betting Picks

Oregon State vs. Notre Dame Best Bet

Notre Dame -3.5 (-106)

As the top seeded teams in their part of the bracket, Notre Dame and Oregon State have been careening towards each other since the tournament began. Now, they'll square off in the opening game of the Sweet 16.

The Beavers are back in the tournament after missing out for two straight seasons, but their hopes may be cut short before the Elite Eight. While they've looked like a strong team all year -- their 103.6 Offensive Rating and 86.4 Defensive Rating ranked 35th and 75th, respectively -- they struggled a bit down the stretch and have disappeared on offense for quarters at a time in the tournament.

Particularly, their performance against Nebraska in the previous round raises some concerns. OSU pulled off the win but mustered up fewer than 10 points in back-to-back quarters. They eventually scored enough to put down Nebraska but might struggle to keep up with Notre Dame.

By comparison, Notre Dame has coasted to the Sweet 16. They've outscored their foes by 43-19 in the first quarters of their NCAA Tournament games so far. Even against Ole Miss' 39th-ranked defense, the Irish still managed to log 71 points in a comfortable 15-point victory.

These look like two strong teams, but Notre Dame has the edge. Freshman breakout guard Hannah Hidalgo has not backed down from tournament-level competition, notching a double-double in Notre Dame's opening game before scoring 19 against Ole Miss in the second round. She seems to be getting better as she gets more Big Dance experience, and Hidalgo should help Notre Dame cover in this one.

Indiana vs. South Carolina Best Bet

Over 144.5 (-110)

There doesn't seem to be much of a question about which team will come out on top here -- South Carolina has -4500 moneyline odds and are currently 16.5-point favorites over the Indiana Hoosiers. It is unlikely that the Gamecocks' undefeated season ends here.

That said, there should still be plenty of scoring opportunities during this one -- even if South Carolina has allowed just 80 combined points through the first two rounds of the tournament. Overall, the Hoosiers are probably going to be overmatched in this matchup, but their offense should be able to have success as they averaged 79.6 points per game during the season (15th-most) and notched the 9th-best offensive rating (111.4) in college basketball.

We've seen Indiana take some serious losses this season -- their average loss was by a 19.4-point differential -- but even in those losses, they've scored relatively well. They were kept under 70 points in just 8 of their 33 games this campaign and never fell below 56 points in any single game.

It's fair to point out that their sole 56-pointer came in a game where top scorer MacKenzie Holmes left just five minutes into the game with an injury. The All-American forward has been a rock steady all year, recording double-digit points in all but one healthy game during the season.

With Holmes providing a constant threat in the paint and keeping defenses honest, the Hoosiers have sunk their three-point attempts at the third-best rate in all of college hoops. Their sharp-shooting guard duo of Sara Scalia and Yarden Garzon are 43.0% and 42.8%, respectively, from three. It's been a successful strategy for Indiana all year and should help them score against even South Carolina's top-tier defense.

There's little doubt about the Gamecocks' ability to score points in this one, and even on a rough night, the Hoosiers' offense still puts up respectable points. Indiana might be a massive underdog, but I think they'll be able to do their part in contributing to this game going over 144.5 points.

North Carolina State vs. Stanford Best Bet

Under 134.5 (-108)

On paper, North Carolina State and Stanford look like remarkably similar teams. They don't play particularly fast, they prefer two-pointers to triples, they love to dominate the boards, and they don't turn the ball over.

That style of ball has helped both teams rack up wins during the year -- they dropped 11 combined games overall -- but it could lead to a low-scoring Sweet 16 matchup.

Their strong defenses don't exactly help their shot at hitting the over here, either, despite the low total. Across the whole season, both teams allowed an identical 43.3% true shooting percentage to their opponents -- they ranked 7th and 8th in all of college ball in that regard.

Stanford allowed just seven of their opponents to top 70 points all year -- two of which needed overtime to get there -- and kept their foes under 60 points in 19 of their 35 games. When the Cardinal have had the upper hand, they really clamp things down.

Considering how similar these teams already looked, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that the Wolfpack have posted comparable numbers -- NC State's opponents topped 70 points in eight different games, three of which went to overtime. They kept their foes under 60 points in 17 games -- just two fewer than Stanford.

With two evenly matched teams playing into each other's strengths, I'm expecting this to be a low-scoring affair.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.