Las Vegas releases updated Wooden Award odds entering postseason

With the 2021-22 college basketball regular season in the books, conference tournaments now taking place and the NCAA Tournament right around the corner, there continues to be a better idea of who the best player in the country is – and who should take home the John R. Wooden Award, which is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college basketball.

As the 15-player national ballot was revealed on Saturday, there are some big-name stars listed – highlighted by Kentucky forward Oscar Tshiebwe, who is considered to be the frontrunner for the prestigious award. Averaging 17.3 points, 15.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, Tshiebwe has played at a high level all throughout the season for the Wildcats.

Alongside Kentucky’s Tshiebwe, Paolo Banchero from Duke made the national ballot, along with a pair of Gonzaga stars in Chet Holmgren and Drew Timme. While Banchero has averaged 17.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game for the Blue Devils, Holmgren (14.4 and 9.7) and Timme (17.6 and 6.4) have combined for 32.0 points and 16.1 rebounds each outing for the Bulldogs.

While Gonzaga placed two of its standout players on the list, Auburn also had two stars put on the national ballot with Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler – who have both played significant roles for the Tigers in 2021-22. As Smith has put up 17.1 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, Kessler has averaged 11.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.5 blocks.

With plenty of worthy winners on the ballot, Las Vegas has released its updated Wooden Award odds – with the latest update coming Saturday at 6:28 p.m. ET.

Current 2022 Wooden Award Odds

Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky: -400

Johnny Davis, Wisconsin: +700

Keegan Murray, Iowa: +1200

Ochai Agbaji, Kansas: +1400

Kofi Cockburn, Illinois: +1400

Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga: +4000

Jabari Smith, Auburn: +4000

Jaden Ivey, Purdue: +4000

Bennedict Mathurin, Arizona: +6000

Drew Timme, Gonzaga: +6000

Walker Kessler, Auburn: +6000

E.J. Liddell, Ohio State: +8000

Collin Gillespie, Villanova: +8000

Paolo Banchero, Duke: +10000

Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana: +15000

Johnny Juzang, UCLA: +15000

Zach Edey, Purdue: +20000

James Akinjo, Baylor: +30000

David Roddy, Colorado State: +30000