By Dan Kilbridge | Mar 8th, 2021 | 3 mins

Latest Wooden Award Odds: Garza Now An Even Bigger Favorite

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Sportsbooks that long held Iowa’s Luka Garza as the Wooden Award betting favorite have increased their stance five-fold this week.

Garza is now a -10000 favorite to take Player of the Year honors in the college basketball futures betting market with conference tournaments underway. He was previously available around -2000 for the past month and was even money earlier in the season. Wooden Award voting takes place form March 15 to March 22 and, according to the award’s website, voters are to consider the “entire season of play, as well as the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament.”

The huge swing at the top of the board also led to movement from the next tier of contenders with March Madness upon us. Oklahoma State freshman Cade Cunningham surged up the board to +800 and Gonzaga’s Corey Kispert is third at +1000.

Jared Butler’s odds lengthened to +1500 and Gonzaga forward Drew Timme went from +550 to +2000. Illinois’ Ayo Dosunmu is sixth at +3000 after missing time in recent weeks with an injury.

Latest Wooden Award 2021 Odds

All college basketball odds are via DraftKings and are current as of publication and subject to change.

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C Luka Garza, Iowa

Current odds: -10000

Betting outlook: Garza finished the regular season averaging 23.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. He is no longer the nation’s leading scorer but clearly stands out as the top player in the eyes of oddsmakers and the betting public.

Iowa and Garza finished the regular season in style. The Hawkeyes have won seven of their past eight, including strong wins over Wisconsin and Ohio State. The Hawkeyes earned the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten tournament and will play Friday against either Wisconsin or the winner of Wednesday’s Nebraska-Penn State game.

G Cade Cunningham, Oklahoma State

Current odds: +800

Betting outlook: Cunningham shot up the board this week thanks to several huge performances, including 40 points in a win over rival Oklahoma. He also had 24 points, seven rebounds and four assists in an 81-70 loss to Baylor Thursday.

Cunningham’s postseason status is in jeopardy, however, as he missed Saturday’s game against West Virginia with an ankle injury. The 6-foot-8 freshman lived up to the hype this season with 19.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. He is also the clear-cut favorite to go No. 1 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft, assuming he turns pro.

G Corey Kispert, Gonzaga

Current odds: +1000

Betting outlook: Kispert’s odds went a tad longer, from +900 to +1000 this week, but he still went up to No. 3 on the betting board. Teammate Drew Timme dropped from +550 to +2000. These were money-based shifts rather than performance – Gonzaga didn’t play last week ahead of the West Coast Conference Tournament, where the Bulldogs play on Monday in the semifinals against Saint Mary’s.

Kispert is a dynamic player who can shoot from deep and hold his own in the paint. He finished the regular season with 19.5 ppg and 4.9 rpg to lead the only unbeaten team in the nation. But given the lack of quality competition, it’s hard to see Kispert making much noise on the Wooden ballot.

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Dan Kilbridge

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