The men’s college basketball season is in its infancy, however, we’re already eyeing who will win the 2024 Wooden Player of the Year? Why? Because the futures bet pays big money. Youre going to want to read this to get our expert betting prediction on it!
- What: 2023 Wooden Award
- When: All 2023-24 NCAA Season
2024 Wooden of the Year Odds
First things first, let’s take a quick look at the current Wooden of the Year betting odds. These are available at top betting sites for the NCAA. As it stands, these players are betting favorites:
| Player |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zach Edey (Purdue) | +175 | +175 | +175 |
| Hunter Dickinson (Kansas) | +300 | +300 | +300 |
| Kyle Filipowski (Duke) | +800 | +800 | +800 |
| Armando Bacot (North Carolina) | +1600 | +1600 | +1600 |
| Tyler Kolek (Marquette) | +2500 | +2500 | +2500 |
| Oumar Ballo (Arizona) | +3000 | +3000 | +3000 |
The odds-on favorite is Edey, who just happens to be the reigning champion too. The big man dominated the college game a year ago in ways we’ve literally never seen before. Last year, he became the first-ever college player to record at least 750 points, 400 rebounds, 70 blocks, and 50 assists in a single season. If he can top those numbers, Edy will have a strong case for back-to-back wins — a feat that’s only been done once by Ralph Sampson in 1983.
With that in mind, let’s dive into our best bets to win the Wooden Award below.
Best Betting Picks To Win Wooden Award
All right, with a bet like this — that has so many betting options — you’d be smart to make multiple Wooden Award betting picks. Banking all your money on one player is just too risky. We mean, all it takes is one injury to derail a season-long bet. Personally, we’re laying down two bets on two different players. Here’s who we got:
Zach Edey
We get it, Edey is embarking on almost unprecedented history here. Repeating the Wooden Award has been done once and that was 40 years ago. So history appears to be on Edey’s side, but is it really? A closer look says no actually.
Perhaps the biggest reason no one has won consecutive Wooden Awards since Sampson is, well, most winners never have a chance at defending the hardware. You see, previous winners typically go on to the NBA rather than return to defend the Wooden Award in college. Zion Williamson, Anthony Davis, Blake Griffin, and Kevin Durant, among others, are examples of winners who chased the riches of the NBA instead of returning to college.
In the modern era, only two Wooden Award winners returned to play — the 2022 recipient Oscar Tshiebwe and 2008 victor Tyler Hansbrough. Tshiebwe had a letdown season and didn’t even finish top-5 in voting last year, whereas Hansbrough got second overall in the voting during his defense season.
So as you see, Edey is in more unprecedented territory as a return Wooden Award winner than a player going for back-to-back. We’re confidently putting money on him. Don’t you have to given his utter dominance a season ago when he averaged 22.3 points and 12.9 rebounds per game. The college game, unlike the pros, has shifted toward the big men and Edey is the prototypical example.
Something else Edey has going his way is the strength of Purdue. As it stands, the Boilermakers are No. 1 in the entire country. If this continues, it’s hard to not see Edey as the prime candidate. So many of these MVP or Player of the Year type awards often go to the best player on the best team, and that would be Edey in this case.
If you remember, Purdue was shockingly beaten by a No. 16 seed in NCAA history — only the second time a No. 1 was knocked out in the opening round. Embarrassing, yes, but probably fuel for the Boilermakers to use during the entire 2023-24 campaign. All things considered, Edey deserves money in this spot.
Hunter Dickinson
Also deserving money alongside Edey is Dickinson out of Kansas. Both are plus-money right now, which affords the luxury of dropping separate bets (you can still come up profitable so long as one wins the honor).
Dickinson is another case study in college hoops evolution toward the big man. Get this, Dickinson is a 7-foot-2 monster for the Jayhawks. So far this season, Dickinson is averaging 21.2 points (on 66 percent shooting) and 12.7 rebounds. Those numbers are right in line with Edey’s own season averages. Dickinson’s strong start has halved his betting odds, which were +750 in the preseason.
Here’s where Dickinson can separate himself from Edey: having a stronger team. We honestly like how Kansas is constructed more than Purdue. This is because Edey is the Boilermakers, whereas Kansas is anchored by Dickinson, but they have various shooters surrounding the big men. To us, that seems like a better winning formula, which could vault Dickinson in this vote.
We say throw money on both Edey and Dickinson and let the better player win out.
How To Bet On NCAA 2024 Futures?
The Wooden Award is just one of many 2024 futures bets you can make on the NCAA. Others like who’s winning March Madness are also available. To bet on all these, hit one of the bookmakers listed underneath.
You can compare betting sites by reading our latest sportsbook reviews. While you’re at it, compare lucrative sign-up bonuses too. Information on both can be found in the table below.
