Final Four Betting: Zach Edey Favored to Win Most Outstanding Player
Only four teams remain in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
With the Final Four semifinals slated to play this weekend, there are plenty of ways to get in on the action via the college basketball odds on FanDuel Sportsbook.
There are numerous ways to bet Connecticut vs. Alabama and Purdue vs. NC State, including prop bets being available for each game. On top of that, there are several Final Four Specials and National Championship futures to check out.
Here, we'll dive into the Final Four Most Outstanding Player odds and break down a few of the top names.
Please note lines are subject to change after this article is published.
Final Four Most Outstanding Player Odds
Here are the ten players with the shortest odds to win Most Outstanding Player:
Most Outstanding Player | Odds |
---|---|
Zach Edey (PUR) | +195 |
Tristen Newton (UCONN) | +340 |
Donovan Clingan (UCONN) | +340 |
Cam Spencer (UCONN) | +500 |
Stephon Castle (UCONN) | +2000 |
Mark Sears (BAMA) | +2000 |
DJ Burns (NCST) | +2900 |
For a full list, see the Final Four Most Outstanding Player odds on FanDuel Sportsbook.
Zach Edey, Purdue (+195)
Soon-to-be two-time Wooden Award winner Zach Edey is the favorite to win the Final Four Most Outstanding Player at +195.
Compare that to Purdue's National Championship odds (+190), and it's clear that Edey is the catalyst behind Boilermakers' success. Betting Edey to win Final Four Most Outstanding Player is essentially betting Purdue to win the National Championship.
Through four NCAA Tournament games, Edey has averaged 30.0 points, 16.3 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game. He's shooting 65.6% from the field and 66.7% from the free-throw line on 13.5 attempts per game.
Edey is fresh off a 40-point, 16-rebound game in the Elite Eight. While Purdue isn't the favorite to win the title, Edey is still a rightful favorite to win the Final Four Most Outstanding Player given his profound impact on the game.
Tristen Newton, UConn (+340)
Connecticut point guard Tristen Newton is tied for the second-shortest odds to win the Final Four Most Outstanding Player at +340.
Newton won the Big East Tournament MVP a few weeks back and has carried his hot play into the Big Dance. Through four games, Newton is averaging 13.8 points, 6.8 assists, and 4.0 rebounds per game. He's second on the Huskies with a 24.1% usage rate.
The do-it-all guard is no stranger to the Final Four. He played 33 and 32 minutes in last year's semifinal and championship, respectively, notably dropping 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists in the final.
While UConn is the National Championship favorite at -185, they have several players capable of winning Most Outstanding Player -- though Newton's tournament success and ability to fill up the box score makes him an intriguing way to back the Huskies to win it all.
Donovan Clingan, UConn (+340)
UConn big man Donovan Clingan is tied with Newton for the second-shortest odds to win Most Outstanding Player.
Clingan has taken charge in the NCAA Tournament, leading the Huskies with 15.8 points and 10.0 rebounds through four games. He's chipped in 3.5 blocks per game, proving to be one of the country's elite rim protectors.
Though he's cracked 25 minutes just once in four games, Clingan still boasts the team's highest usage rate (28.0%). A hypothetical matchup against Purdue's Zach Edey would do wonders for his Most Outstanding Player bid. If the 7'2" Clingan bested the 7'4" Edey head-to-head and UConn won, it would be easy to see Clingan winning the award.
Cam Spencer, UConn (+500)
Connecticut wing Cam Spencer rounds out the four favorites to win the Final Four Most Outstanding Player award at +500. No one else is shorter than +2000.
Spencer has been a reliable contributor for the Huskies during their Final Four run, averaging 13.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists through four games. Spencer hasn't been quite as lethal from beyond the arc in the Big Dance, but his 1.8 threes per game in the tourney and 38.9% mark from distance is still a strong line.
Spencer has averaged 31 minutes per game during the Huskies' run, but he's a distant fourth in usage rate (19.6%). Despite that, Spencer proved capable of lighting up the scoreboard in the regular season, notching at least 20 points eight times. If he can heat back up and turn up the aggression the next two games, Spencer could prove to be a real value in the Final Four Most Outstanding Player market.
Other Notables
After the top four, no other player has shorter than 20 to 1 odds to win the Final Four Most Outstanding Player.
Another Husky, Stephon Castle, along with Alabama's Mark Sears clock in at +2000. While Castle faces an uphill battle besting his trio of UConn teammates, Sears would be the obvious choice if the Crimson Tide won it all. He's averaged 24.3 points and 4.3 made threes through four NCAA Tournament games, shooting 44.7% from deep.
NC State's talented duo of DJ Burns (+2900) and DJ Horne (+3700) slide in next. The Wolfpack are the biggest longshot (+2000) to win the National Championship, but these two would be the leading candidates to win Most Outstanding Player if NC State cut down the nets. Burns has led the way with 18.3 points per game in the tournament, followed by Horne at 16.5.
Purdue's Braden Smith (+4000) and UConn's Alex Karaban (+6000) are the final two players inside +10000. Smith's all-around game (9.8 points, 9.5 assists, and 6.0 rebounds in the NCAA Tournament) is intriguing if Purdue won, but he'll obviously have a tough time edging Edey for the award. Karaban's scoring upside (eight games with 20-plus points) is intriguing as a longshot, even if he's averaged just 9.8 points in the tournament.
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