The Women’s NCAA Tournament is winding down with UCLA and South Carolina each having already secured a spot in the Final Four, while the remaining two seeds are set to be decided tonight. In the opening game, Texas will face off with TCU with the bad blood between Hailey Van Lith and the program dating back to her time at Lousiville.
Plenty of time has passed and Van Lith is now representing the third college of her career at this stage of the tournament. The TCU star is coming off an impressive 26-point performance on Saturday to lift the Horned Frogs over Notre Dame.
Texas enters this game as a 7.5-point favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook and -.340 on the Moneyline TCU holds +270 odds on the Moneyline and the game total is set at 127.5.
Best Hailey Van Lith Prop Bets
While there are not the typical over/under prop bets offered, you can bet Hailey Van Lit to record over 18+ points, 2+ three-pointers, 5+ rebounds, 6+ assists, and 29+ combined points, rebounds, and assists for -130 odds or better on DraftKings Sportsbook.
On the season overall, Van Lith is averaging 17.9 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 33.9% from beyond the three-point arc on 5.2 perimeter shots per game. Her 26-point performance in the previous matchup tied for her third-highest scoring output of the season while the 5-foot-7 guard also added nine rebounds and four assists.
Texas will provide a difficult challenge as they have looked like one of the best teams in college basketball all season. They went 35-3 in the regular season earning a top seed in the NCAA Tournament and have defeated William & Mary, Illinois, and Tennessee to reach this point. They rank 14th in the country in scoring, 19th in opponents points allowed, and have limited opponents to the second-fewest made three-pointers per game this season.
While Texas will be a tough opponent, it has become clear at this point in her collegiate career that Hailey Van Lith is at her best when the lights are the brightest. While I like the -120 odds of Van Lith recording 18+ points as well, I am taking it a step forward for her to reach 20+ points at +135 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Van Lith has recorded 20+ points in 15 games already this season, including five of her last nine games. She reached this total in two of the three conference tournament games and has the momentum of the 26-point performance in the previous game to build off. Excluding her freshman season, she has scored 20+ points in nine of the 16 NCAA Tournament games she has played.
She has done a nice job downplaying the matchup and saying all the right things publicly, but Van Lith is a player who is motivated by the bad blood of past matchups. Sedona Prince and Madison Conner are plenty capable of generating offense in their own right, but Van Lith will have the ball in her hands at the biggest moments. Texas is excellent at limiting opponents’ three-point shooting but can be vulnerable on the interior, where Van Lith is most comfortable attacking.
Look for her to set the tone early in this game and be TCU’s primary driver of offense throughout. Hailey Van Lith is plenty aware of the stakes of this game and will do everything possible to keep TCU alive in the tournament. Look for her to deliver by scoring 20+ points again tonight.
Hailey Van Lith to Record 20+ Points at +135 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook.
