Women's March Madness 2024: Experts pick Final Four, national champ

With the First Four completed and the first round of the 2024 women's NCAA tournament about to begin, the overall question is obvious: Can anyone stop undefeated South Carolina?

It was the same question last year, and it turned out someone did: Iowa. This year, the Hawkeyes are a No. 1 seed along with South Carolina, and both teams are on the Albany side of the bracket. The Gamecocks appear to be comfortable favorites in the Albany 1 Regional, although ACC tournament champion Notre Dame lurks as a potential Elite Eight opponent.

Iowa has the projected toughest road in the Albany 2 Regional, which also includes defending national champion LSU. The two No. 1 seeds in the Portland regionals, Texas and USC, have long absences from the Final Four both are trying remedy. UConn is looking to return to the Final Four after Ohio State upset the Huskies in the Sweet 16 last season, ending their NCAA-record streak of 14 consecutive Final Four appearances.

ESPN's Charlie Creme, Alexa Philippou and Michael Voepel examine the bracket and, along with over 20 ESPN broadcasters and other digital reporters, predict which teams will advance to Cleveland for the Final Four -- and which team wins the 2024 title. South Carolina is the overwhelming favorite among our experts.

If the Gamecocks don't win the NCAA title, which team can?

Creme: Perhaps I'm living in the past too much with this one, but UCLA was clearly the second-best team in the country after beating UConn, Florida State, Ohio State, Princeton, USC and Oregon State in the first 2½ months of the season. With two weeks off since losing a double-overtime thriller to USC in the Pac-12 tournament semifinals, UCLA will have had enough time to regroup. Lauren Betts is the key. She hasn't been as consistent since missing four games with a medical issue in late January/early February, but her 17 points and 18 rebounds against the Trojans in Las Vegas was a good sign.

Voepel: Let's make the case for a couple of teams. Texas is the No. 1 seed that has received the least attention nationally all season. Why? The Longhorns lost their best player, point guard Rori Harmon, in late December for the season and had to figure out how to play without her. They've done that, led by freshman Madison Booker, but they didn't win the Big 12 regular-season title and kind of stayed under the radar. However, by the Big 12 title game, Texas looked like a postseason force. Defensively, the Longhorns can cause a lot of havoc for opponents. If they make the national semifinals vs. South Carolina, they at least have a chance at an upset.

Then there is No. 1 Iowa, which everyone seems to agree is in the toughest region. If the Hawkeyes get through it, they can draw on last year's experience at the Final Four. Never underestimate the value of experienced guard play in the NCAA tournament, and Iowa has a lot of it.

Philippou: It would be fitting for a Pac-12 team to take home the trophy in the conference's final year as we know it. Aside from UCLA as Charlie detailed above, USC and Stanford could contend. The Trojans have a transcendent player in JuJu Watkins, although they are inexperienced when it comes to March. They are a No. 1 seed, but will they feel pressure to win with the target on their backs? Even if it doesn't pan out to be USC's year, the experience they get this March can only help moving forward as Watkins & Co. look to make the program's first Final Four since 1986 and win its first national championship since 1984.

No. 2 seed Stanford still has several players from its 2021 NCAA title team, mainly Cameron Brink, a WNBA lottery pick come April. But for the Cardinal to go far, their guard play will have to show up much more than it did in the Pac-12 tournament championship game, when aside from Elena Bosgana (9 points), no other guard had more than four points.

We agree No. 1 seed Iowa has the toughest path to the Final Four. Will the Hawkeyes be the first 1-seed to lose?

Voepel: Iowa's entire path is difficult. Round 1 is against a team that will have already won a game, Holy Cross. Round 2 is against Ivy League champion Princeton Tigers or West Virginia, which finished in a three-way tie for fourth place in the Big 12. If seeds hold, the Hawkeyes then face a team they split with during the regular season: Kansas State, which challenged No. 1 seed Texas in the Big 12 tournament semifinals. All this is before having to potentially face the defending national champion, LSU, or a team that was No. 2 in the rankings for a good portion of the season, UCLA.

The bracket is almost screaming at us that Iowa will be the first 1-seed to lose. But instead, the Hawkeyes might be the team that runs the toughest gauntlet to get to the Final Four. We saw Iowa at its best in the NCAA tournament last year, and could see the same again this year.