For the first time in the history of the Women’s NCAA Tournament, the event will feature four First Four games. The Incarnate Word Cardinals and Howard Bison get the honor of playing in the first women’s First Four game, on Thursday at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C. The Bison are eight-point favorites in the 2022 Women’s First Four odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is 120.5.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. The winner will advance to face No. 1 seed South Carolina on Friday. In the other three First Four games, DePaul faces Dayton (+3) on Wednesday and Mount St. Mary’s meets Longwood (-4.5) and Florida State squares off against Missouri State (-1.5) on Thursday. Before locking in any women’s college basketball picks for the First Four, be sure to see the women’s college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine experts Calvin Wetzel and Aaron Barzilai.
Barzilai is a Ph.D. from Stanford who served as Director of Basketball Analytics for the Philadelphia 76ers. Five years ago, he founded HerHoopStats.com — a groundbreaking website that unlocks insights about the women’s game. Wetzel, the site’s lead betting writer, incorporates his mathematical background and strong knowledge of women’s NCAA hoops to turn the site’s prediction model into picks.
Barzilai and Wetzel got off to a fast start with SportsLine as they went 13-7 on their first 20 picks. Currently, they are 559-408 overall (+113.80 units, +12.99 percent) in the 2021-22 women’s college basketball season.
Now, Wetzel and Barzilai have set their sights on the Women’s NCAA Tournament and the First Four games. You can see the picks only at SportsLine. If you successfully parlay their picks, you’re looking at a payout of more than 12-1.
Top Women’s NCAA Tournament First Four expert picks
Wetzel and Barzilai’s prediction model crunched the numbers, and the experts are taking under 120.5 points in the Howard-Incarnate Word game. The Bison are coming off a 61-44 victory over Norfolk State in the MEAC championship game. Meanwhile the Cardinals are fresh off the program’s first Southland Conference tournament title, after beating Southeastern Louisiana, 56-52 in overtime.
But both of these struggle to score. Howard ranks 151st in scoring offense (65.6 points per game) while Incarnate Word ranks 296th (58.0). “Each team has held its opponents to an average of under 50.0 points over the last three contests, and neither of them is a scoring juggernaut,” Wetzel and Barzilai say.
How to make Women’s NCAA Tournament First Four picks
Wetzel and Barzilai have locked in three other picks they love, including one that they consider a “best bet.” You can get their picks only at SportsLine.
Which Women’s NCAA Tournament First Four picks should you target in a four-way parlay? And which pick is a best bet? Visit SportsLine to see what picks to jump on, all from the experts who are an outstanding 559-408 on their women’s college basketball pick, and find out.
