UCLA Women's Basketball: Bruins Hold Strong Odds To Win 2025 Championship

Can the Bruins contend for the title?

Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

UCLA women's basketball failed to advance past the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 for the second year in a row when they lost a tough game to LSU in the March Madness tournament. The Bruins are still seeking their first NCAA championship, having only won an AIAW (Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women) Tournament championship in 1978.

The closest the Bruins have come to a championship was their NCAA Elite Eight appearance in 2018, their lone such appearance in the Cori Close era.

Despite their lack of success deep in the NCAA Tournament, the Bruins have high odds to take home the NCAA national title in 2025. The Bruins have the seventh-best odds to win the title, with +1400 odds. They are behind the favorites, South Carolina, who have +180 odds. After South Carolina, UConn and USC are tied for the second-best odds (+400 odds), Texas is fourth with +700 odds, LSU is fifth with +900 odds, and Notre Dame is sixth with +1000 odds, via Bet Online.

It helps the Bruins' case that they have much of their core returning to the team in 2024-25, starting with stars Kiki Rice and Lauren Betts. Rice was the No. 2 recruit in their high school class, while Betts was the No. 1 recruit. Betts initially played for Stanford, before transferring to the Bruins. They've also added Washington State transfer Charlisse Leger-Walker, Texas A&M transfer Janiah Barker, and Oregon State transfer Timea Gardiner.

In additions to the transfer class, UCLA adds five-star recruits Kendall Dudley and Avary Cain, along with four-star Zania Socka-Nguemen. These new additions should help bolster the squad into finally contending for an Elite Eight appearance, if not the title as well.

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