The 2024-25 college basketball season is young and the best players in the country are making their cases to be named the best college player. Alabama guard Mark Sears is among the players turning heads early and has seen his odds improve considerably over the last week. Whether he’ll remain in the top spot for the weeks to come remains to be seen, but a loss to Purdue doesn’t appear to have hurt his chances.
Sears was among the odds-on favorites before the season began and was +1000 to win the Wooden Award last week before jumping up to become the sole favorite at +700, per BetMGM. He’s averaging 17.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game on 44.5% shooting. Sears had better numbers in all for categories last season but still commands 14.7% of the tickets and 32.9% of the handle on Wooden Award wagers, per the sportsbook.
Meanwhile, Kansas’s Hunter Dickinson moved from +800 to +750. His averages of 18.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks are on par with what he posted last season. He’s tied with Sears in handle percentage with 14.7%. Another dark horse is garnering plenty of attention in the shadows, though.
Purdue’s Braden Smith is a longshot but has moved from +8000 to 6600 in the last week. He’s averaging career highs in points (15.5), rebounds, rebounds (6.3), and assists (9.5). Beating the odd leader in a head-to-head matchup will help his case, but he’ll have to do a lot more to receive serious consideration. Even so, he ranks third in ticket percentage on Wooden Award wagers at 11.8%. Other notable names include Auburn Johni Broome and North Carolina’s RJ Davis. They command 13.8% and 13.2% of the handle on Wooden Award winner wagers, respectively.
Get up to $1,500 in Bonus Bets at BetMGM! All you need to do is CLICK HERE, sign up for a new account, make your first deposit and bet! Don’t miss out!
Related
