At the start of the season, Johni Broome was a long shot at +3500 to win the Wooden Award. Now, with just seven games left in the regular season, the Auburn forward has surged to +175, holding the second-shortest odds behind Duke’s Cooper Flagg (-250) at BetMGM.
The race between Broome and Flagg has tightened significantly over the past week. Broome’s odds dropped from +300 to +175, while Flagg’s number has moved in the opposite direction, shifting from -550 to -250.
Broome has been the driving force behind Auburn’s rise to No. 1 in the AP Poll, averaging 18.1 points and 10.7 rebounds per game while leading the Tigers to a 9-1 record in SEC play, tied with Alabama for the best mark in the conference. Flagg, meanwhile, has been putting up 19.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game as a freshman phenom, keeping him in pole position for the Wooden Award.
But while Flagg remains the betting favorite, Broome has become the more popular pick at the sportsbook. According to BetMGM, Broome is drawing 18.1% of all bets and 27.7% of the total money wagered, leading the way in both categories. Purdue’s Braden Smith follows closely behind in ticket percentage (13.2%), while Flagg holds the second-highest handle percentage at 19.8%.
That makes Broome BetMGM’s biggest liability to win the award. Meanwhile, Duke (+450) has emerged as the sportsbook’s biggest liability for the National Championship, leading in both ticket percentage (13.7%) and handle percentage (19.3%). Auburn (+425) is second in betting interest, capturing 7.0% of the tickets and 9.0% of the handle, while Kansas (+2500) rounds out the top three (7.0% tickets, 6.4% handle).
As the season winds down, all eyes will be on Broome and Flagg to see if the odds continue to shift—or if one of them can pull away in the Wooden Award race.
Related
