Wooden Award Odds 2024: Purdue's Zach Edey the Prohibitive Favorite To Repeat

Purdue Boilermakers star Zach Edey is running away with the 2024 Wooden Award, according to the latest college basketball odds from our best March Madness betting sites.

It's been over 40 years since we last saw a men's college basketball player win back-to-back Wooden Awards. That sure feels like an inevitability this year with Zach Edey dealing as the consensus favorite to win the 2024 Wooden Award.

Edey ran away with this award in 2023, becoming the first Purdue player to win it since 1994 (Glenn Robinson), and he's the clear front-runner to repeat in 2024 with an implied probability of 96.15% (at worst) across our best sports betting sites.

Can anyone catch the 7-4 center in this race? Or is it a foregone conclusion that Edey will make history with his second Wooden Award?

Here's a look at the latest 2024 Wooden Award odds and our college basketball picks among the favorites, contenders, and long shots.

Wooden Award odds 2024

(Odds updated Feb. 21)

Wooden Award favorite 2024

Zach Edey (-2500 via DraftKings)

There comes a certain point in every awards market when the likeliest outcome flirts with inevitability. That's usually when our best sportsbooks take down the market altogether, as there's no point offering odds on a virtual lock.

We're certainly creeping into that territory with Edey, who was dealing at "respectable" -900 odds at DraftKings just two weeks ago but is now catching a price that implies a better than 96% chance he'll win this award. And that may be underselling it.

That's what happens when you rank third in scoring (23.2 PPG) and rebounding (11.9 RPG) while slotting in the top 10 in field-goal percentage (61.3%) and blocks (2.3 BPG) - all categories that are otherwise dominated by mid-major leaders. Edey is doing it all for one of the top teams in the nation.

Edey is the central reason why Purdue is among the favorites by the latest March Madness odds and Final Four odds, and he's essentially cemented his case already to win his second Wooden Award. At this point, even an injury is likely too late to derail his candidacy in this race.

Wooden Award odds 2024: Contender

RJ Davis (+4000 via Caesars)

In a race that feels like it's already over, our best sites available for the North Carolina sports betting scene continue to price Davis as a legitimate contender in this market, even shortening his odds entering February as UNC climbed in the AP Poll.

That's a tougher case to make after the Tar Heels dropped three games to unranked opponents in February, but Davis continues to shine on an individual basis. He ranks in the top 10 in scoring (21.3 PPG) while playing over 86% of the time and taking more than 30% of the total shots for North Carolina.

That probably isn't enough to truly contend in this market without a late-season collapse for Purdue and an ascension for UNC. Still, keep your eyes on the senior guard, whose silky smooth highlight reel could sway some voters in theory.

North Carolina sports bettingNorth Carolina betting apps and the best North Carolina sportsbook promos! 21+ and present in NC. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER

Wooden Award odds movement

If you can believe it, Edey actually opened the season with plus-money odds from our best March Madness betting sites, even after winning the Wooden Award last year.

That price didn't last long, and the Purdue star has seen his odds shorten every few weeks as the Boilermakers continue to make their case for a No. 1 seed for the second consecutive season. Edey has been a big reason why, and we're now seeing his shortest odds in this market all season long.

As his odds shrink, other contenders - like UNC's RJ Davis and Tennessee's Dalton Knecht - have seen their odds length accordingly, though they've remained within striking distance amid statistically impressive seasons of their own.

Recent Wooden Award winners

Wooden Award betting analysis

Can anyone catch Edey in this year's Wooden Award race? It seems exceedingly unlikely with a month to go before March Madness, especially considering he's been arguably even better this year than he was when he won this award in 2023.

The one caveat is that this award, unlike player of the year honors in other leagues, rewards players for their performance in the postseason, too. That could open the door ever-so-slightly for someone to surpass Edey if the Boilermakers suffer another early exit in the NCAA Tournament.

Still, that didn't deter voters last year, and it seems unlikely that we'll see anyone usurp Edey in this year's voting. This is mostly a stay-away market at this point unless you really like one of the top contenders, but it feels too late for a true long shot to emerge.

March Madness betting odds pages

Wooden Award FAQs

Who is the Wooden Award favorite?

Purdue big man Zach Edey is the consensus betting favorite (-2500) to win the 2024 Wooden Award after claiming this award in 2023.

Who won the Wooden Award last year?

Zach Edey won the Wooden Award during the 2022-23 college basketball season. He opened with +3500 odds to win the award before his prolific season at Purdue.

When will the Wooden Award be decided?

The winner of the 2024 John R. Wooden Award will be announced during the week of the Elite Eight round, which begins on Saturday, March 30.

(21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER)
* Bonuses not applicable in Ontario.