LOS ANGELES -- Seven freshmen are on the 20-player midseason Wooden Award watchlist, but one name stands far above the rest.
According to updated odds released this week by BetOnline.ag, Duke freshman Cameron Boozer is an overwhelming favorite to win the Wooden Award as the nation’s most outstanding player. Listed at 1/30 (-3000), Boozer’s odds are so steep that a bettor would need to risk $3,000 to win $100.
It’s a staggering position for any player — let alone a freshman — midway through the season.
Boozer headlines a talented class of first-year players who have made an immediate impact nationally. He is one of seven freshmen on the prestigious 20-man midseason Wooden Award watchlist, underscoring the youth movement shaping college basketball this season.
The next-closest contender in the betting market is BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa at 11/1. Illinois’ Keaton Wagler follows at 28/1, while Purdue’s Braden Smith sits at 33/1 and Texas Tech’s JT Toppin is listed at 40/1.
Iowa State’s Joshua Jefferson rounds out the top tier at 50/1, with Houston freshman Kingston Flemings at 66/1 and Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. at 75/1.
Several other notable names appear further down the board. Vanderbilt’s Tyler Tanner and Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears Jr. are both listed at 100/1, while Michigan’s Yale Lendeborg checks in at 150/1. Texas Tech’s Christian Anderson is 180/1.
Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson — widely projected as a potential No. 1 overall NBA draft pick — sits at 200/1 after battling injuries and illnesses this season that have limited his momentum in the Wooden Award race.
Florida’s Thomas Haugh is 250/1, while Arizona’s Jaden Bradley, Gonzaga’s Graham Ike, Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz and Alabama’s Labaron Philon are each listed at 300/1.
Kansas State’s PJ Haggerty is a longshot at 500/1, and North Carolina freshman Caleb Wilson rounds out the board at 1000/1.
The Wooden Award midseason watchlist, selected by a panel of national college basketball experts, highlights the leading candidates for the sport’s most prestigious individual honor. While much can change over the final stretch of the season, the betting market currently suggests the race runs squarely through Durham.
For now, Boozer isn’t just the frontrunner — he’s the prohibitive favorite.