by
The No.2 UConn Huskies women’s basketball team will face the No.10 South Dakota State in the second round of the Women’s NCAA Tournament. The Huskies are 26.5-point betting favorites. We look ahead to the game and tell you the best NCAAB betting picks in our UConn vs. SD State match preview.
- What: 2025 Women’s NCAA Tournament Second Round
- Who: UConn vs. South Dakota State Jackrabbits
- Where: Gampel Pavilion, Mansfield, Connecticut
- When: Monday, March 24th, 2025
- Tip-Off: 7 pm ET
A place in the Sweet Sixteen awaits the winner
It’s nearly the end of the second round of the women’s NCAA Tournament. One of the few remaining March Madness fixtures in this round sees the 2016 winners, the UConn Huskies, taking on the South Dakota State Jackrabbits at the Gampel Pavilion.
UConn entered the postseason after topping the Big East with a conference play record of 18-0. UConn has an overall record of 32-3 this season.
It is widely regarded that the Huskies have underachieved since their last championship win nine years ago. And although they are the joint favorites to win the title in 2025, UConn is in a tough section of the draw and it won’t be an easy route to the final.
The Jackrabbits had a tough time against the Oklahoma State Cowgirls in the first round. SD State was seven points behind at the halfway stage and had to dig deep to defeat the No.7 seeds.
Like the Red Wolves in the first round, the Jackrabbits have little to lose when they face the Huskies.
No one is giving SD State a chance in the match. But they will be buoyed by their remarkable comeback win in the previous round, and they have a free hit in round two against one of the favorites to win the competition.
Now let’s see what chance the bookmakers are giving the Jackrabbits of pulling off a shock win and taking their place in the Sweet Sixteen.
UConn vs. South Dakota State Jackrabbits Betting
Like in their first-round match against Arkansas State, the best March Madness betting sites aren’t offering any odds on the money line. They are simply giving the Jackrabbits no chance of causing a shock.
The bookmakers are giving the Jackrabbits a 26.5-point start on the handicap spread. To win with the advantage, South Dakota is -110. The Huskies are -110 to win by 27 points or more and cover the spread.
The total line is set at 136.5. Both over and under is -110.
UConn scores an average of 80.8 points per game and allows 51.9 against. The Jackrabbits score an average of 76.3 points per game and allow 61.4.
Both team’s points per game scored equal 157.1, well above the total points spread.
But it’s fair to say the Jackrabbits will fall well short of their average against UConn, who are a far higher standard team than what they are used to facing.
There are more UConn vs. SD State betting lines on our college basketball odds table. Our WNCAAB odds are taken from the best college basketball betting sites.
| UConn vs. SD State |  |  |  |
| UConn | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| SD State | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| UConn (-26.5) | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| SD State (+26.5) | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Over 136.5 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under 136.5 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
UConn
UConn is on a winning streak of eleven. The Huskies haven’t tasted defeat since they lost to Tennessee in early February.
The Huskies topped the Big East table in the regular season and then won the Big East Tournament.
On their route to the final, the Huskies defeated St. John’s NY 71-40 and Villanova 82-54. They then defeated the No.1 seed Creighton 70-50 in the final.
In the postseason, it’s so good for head coach Geno Auriemma. His team laid down a huge March Madness marker with a 69-point win over Arkansas State in the first round.
Azzi Fudd led the way with 27 points. Sarah Strong also contributed to the 103-34 win with 20 points.
The Huskies are the +230 second favorite to win the NCAA Championship match.
South Dakota State Jackrabbits
The Jackrabbits finished the regular season top of the Summit League points table with a conference play record of 16-0.
South Dakota also won the Summit League Tournament with victories over Omaha (87-67) in the last eight and North Dakota (84-55) in the semi-finals.
Paige Meyer then top-scored for the Jackrabbits in their 84-68 win over Oral Roberts in the final. The win was South Dakota’s third straight title.
The Jackrabbits are on a 20-game winning streak. It is the longest active streak in the country.
In their most recent win, they toppled No.7 Oklahoma in the first round on Saturday afternoon.
What made the 74-68 victory all the more impressive is that the Jackrabbits were 31-24 down at the end of the second quarter.
So to come back against a higher seed and win by six points is an outstanding achievement.
UConn vs. SD State Betting Picks
We believed that the 44.5-point spread set against UConn in the first round was too high and they ran out 69-point winners.
SD State is obviously a far better team than the Arkansas State Red Wolves, so we don’t see a repeat performance. But after such a dominant win in their first-round tie, it’s impossible to back against the Huskies.
Based on this view, if you wish to bet on the handicap spread, then we would recommend backing UConn to cover.
But for our betting pick, we are backing over 136.5 on the total points line.
See below our list of the best offshore sportsbooks for US bettors in 2025 and choose the one that suits you best:
Sports Betting Sites 