Stare Down Sports

Wooden Award.

Before the season, I broke down some Wooden Award Futures. Making my case for players like Armando Bacot, Hunter Dickinson, and Donovan Clingan.

Two and a half months later, some of those names are obsolete while others are amongst the favorites. Also other names have jumped into the conversation.

Dalton Knecht for one, has had an amazing January thus far in SEC conference play.

Wooden Award Recap

Here is the original look at the Wooden Award from before the season.

Donovan Clingan, who is looking to return this week from injury has almost zero shot due to the times missed injured. Clingan is currently priced at +25000.

Hunter Dickinson has not looked like the best player in the nation since joining Kansas. As their offense struggles to score, he struggles as well. In his last outing he did score 21 points and grab 7 boards. He is just not Wooden Award material, despite being the second favorite behind Zach Edey. Dickinson is +1200.

Another previous player mentioned is the heart and soul of one of the best teams in the nation currently. Armando Bacot is leading North Carolina to a beautiful 4-0 ACC conference start. He is averaging 15 points and 11 rebounds per game while shooting at 54%. He is priced at +25000 currently.

Zach Edey is the favorite this season as well as the previous winner. He is priced at -500 and looking to be the first player since Ralph Sampson in the early 80’s to win two Wooden Awards. Edey is coming off of a monster 33 points and 14 rebounds performance against rival Indiana. It is truly Edey vs the world in this market.

New Names Worth a Shot

While Zach Edey seems to have this award wrapped up and in the bag. There are other players who is continue to improve can make a run at this.

Dalton Knecht is currently the 5th favorite priced at +5500 and my favorite player to make a run at the award. Kyle Filipowski and RJ Davis are the third and fourth favorite after Zach Edey and Hunter Dickinson.

Knecht has been on a tear since the SEC conference play has started. In his last three games he scored 39, 36, and 28. As he gets more and more comfortable, I am just waiting for him to have a 50 point outbreak. He is leading the Tennessee Vols to the top of the SEC right now. I took a small position on him this morning, as even if he does not win, I do not think a number this big will be available much longer. He is averaging 19 points, 4 rebounds a game, shooting 49%.

Kyle Filipowski is priced at +2500 and is playing under the radar. He averages 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assist on 52% shooting.

RJ Davis has been spectacular for UNC so far this season, and is currently the fourth favorite priced at +3000. He is currently averaging 20 points per game with 3 rebounds and 3 assist.

Again Zach Edey is head and shoulders over the composition, however there are still 2 months left in the season.

Rowan Donaghey, Sports Reporter and Betting Analyst for Stare Down Sports. You can follow him on the X via @RowanDonaghey

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