Geno Auriemma's Connecticut Huskies are taking the most bets to win the NCAA Women's Tournament, but a surprising longshot has become a liability at one sportsbook, too.
South Dakota, a No. 10 seed in the Wichita region, is the third-biggest liability at BetMGM behind powerhouses UConn and tournament favorite South Carolina.
South Dakota is still a massive longshot — which might be what's enticed bettors thus far. The Coyotes opened at 250-1 and are still 200-1 to win the national championship.
Their run began with an opening round win over No. 7 Ole Miss and continued with a massive upset over No. 2 Baylor in the Round of 32. South Dakota never looked back from a 16-4 lead at the end of the first quarter en route to the 61-47 victory.
South Dakota now takes on Michigan (+4000) in the Sweet 16 on March 26. A win would set up an Elite 8 matchup against the winner of Louisville (+1000) and Tennessee (+4000).
The betting market still favors the top seeds. No. 1 South Carolina is the +125 favorite and second on the liability list at BetMGM. More than two-thirds of all bets are on South Carolina or No. 2 UConn (+300). Those two teams are on opposite sides of the bracket, meaning they would not meet until the championship game.
No. 1 Stanford is +400 and No. 1 N.C. State is +700. N.C. State is in the same region as UConn.
South Carolina finished the regular season as the No. 1 overall team in the AP Top 25 followed by Stanford, N.C. State, Louisville and UConn.
South Dakota was not in the Top 25. Michigan was No. 12.
