Betting odds released for 2024-25 Wooden Award recipient

The 2024-25 college basketball season is still a few months away, but it’s never too early to start looking ahead to next year. The Wooden Award will be given to the top college basketball player in the country this coming season, and there are several intriguing candidates.

BetOnline has released its favorites for next year’s Wooden Award, according to Conor O’Neill, and the website has a freshman leading the way in Cooper Flagg of Duke. Behind him are several veteran players who have already accomplished a great deal in college basketball.

No matter who wins the Wooden Award this year, there will be a new winner after former Purdue star Zach Edey took home the honor each of the past two seasons. Here are the players with the best odds, per BetOnline:

Duke freshman Cooper Flagg, 4-1

Cooper Flagg is far from your typical freshman, which is why the 17-year-old has the best odds to win the Wooden Award next year. Just how good is Flagg? He scrimmaged against Team USA ahead of the 2024 Olympics and more than held his own against several of the top players in the NBA.

Flagg was the No. 1 player in the country for the class of 2024, per the On3 Industry rankings. He is expected to be one-and-done at the college level and NBA teams are already trying to position themselves to be able to draft him.

Kansas senior Hunter Dickinson, 5-1

Former Michigan star Hunter Dickinson continued to put up eye-popping numbers during his first season at Kansas, averaging 17.9 points and 10.9 rebounds per game. Dickinson is entering his fifth season of college basketball thanks to his COVID year in 2020-21.

Dickinson earned All-American honors at both Michigan and Kansas and enters his final year of college basketball with more than 2,200 points and 1,100 rebounds. It will be interesting to see if he can add Wooden Award winner to his already impressive resume.

North Carolina senior RJ Davis, 6-1

North Carolina has had several talented guards over the years, with RJ Davis being the latest one. The consensus first-team All-American is coming off of his best season in 2023-24 after he averaged 21.2 points per game.

After Caleb Love transferred to Arizona, Davis thrived in the lead role for the Tar Heels. He is fifth all-time in scoring at North Carolina and has a chance to add some more hardware to his trophy case this year, including potentially a Wooden Award.

Alabama senior Mark Sears, 8-1

Another guard who can score in bunches is Alabama star Mark Sears. The Ohio transfer led Alabama all the way to the Final Four last season while averaging a career-high 21.5 points per game.

The lefty shot an impressive 50.8 percent from the field and 43.6 percent from 3-point range last season. He is the top player for an Alabama squad that is expected to compete for a national title this season.

Kansas junior AJ Storr, 16-1

Wisconsin transfer AJ Storr should form quite the 1-2 punch at Kansas with fellow Wooden Award candidate Hunter Dickinson. Storr is now at his third school after starting his career at St. John’s.

The All-Big Ten selection considered turning pro after last season, before opting to transfer to Kansas instead. Storr led Wisconsin in scoring last year, averaging 16.8 points per game. The versatile guard can put up points in a variety of ways.

Houston senior LJ Cryer, 20-1

LJ Cryer excelled in his first season at Houston after transferring over from Baylor. The 6-foot-1 guard earned All-Big 12 honors last season after leading the Cougars in scoring at 15.5 points per game.

With Jamal Shead gone, Cryer should have even more opportunities to make plays this season. He is looking to get the Cougars to the Final Four after they dropped a heartbreaker against Duke in the Sweet 16 last year.

Arkansas senior Johnell Davis, 28-1

Former Florida Atlantic star Johnell Davis transferred to Arkansas this offseason to play for first-year head coach John Calipari. Davis was the AAC co-Player of the Year in 2023-24 after averaging 18.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.

Davis has more than proven that he can play at the highest level as he was a big part of FAU making the Final Four in 2023. It will be fun to see how he plays under Calipari and if he can get into the Wooden Award winner discussion.

Auburn junior Johni Broome, 33-1

Auburn All-American Johni Broome was one of the best players in the SEC last season, averaging 16.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Broome is a versatile big who does most of his scoring around the basket but can also step outside and knock down a jumper.

Broome considered turning pro after last season but he opted to return for his junior year after the Tigers were upset by Yale in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. He is hoping to lead Auburn to the Final Four this season and perhaps get in the discussion for the Wooden Award, too.

Gonzaga senior Khalif Battle, 33-1

Khalif Battle is now at his fourth school and entering his sixth season of college basketball. The 6-foot-5 guard started his career at Butler, playing one season there, before spending three years at Temple. He then transferred to Arkansas ahead of the 2023-24 season and is now at Gonzaga.

Battle can light up the stat sheet in a hurry as he averaged 14.8 points in only 24.7 minutes per game last season. Perhaps he will flourish under Mark Few at Gonzaga and can get into the Wooden Award conversation.

Baylor freshman VJ Edgecombe, 33-1

Finally, another freshman closes out the top-10 best odds for the Wooden Award in Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe. The Bahamas native was rated as the No. 4 overall player in the country in the class of 2024, per the On3 Industry rankings.

Edgecombe was the Gatorade Player of the Year in New York each of the past two seasons. The belief is that he will excel at the college level, too.

Remaining odds to win 2024-25 Wooden Award

Ace Bailey, Rutgers, 40-1
Caleb Love, Arizona, 40-1
Dylan Harper, Rutgers, 40-1
Liam McNeeley, Connecticut, 40-1
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton, 40-1
Ryan Nembhard, Gonzaga, 40-1
Tyrese Proctor, Duke, 40-1
Zeke Mayo, Kansas, 40-1
Graham Ike, Gonzaga, 45-1
Grant Nelson, Alabama, 45-1
Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State, 45-1
Coleman Hawkins, Kansas State, 50-1
Hunter Sallis, Wake Forest, 50-1