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March Madness MVP Predictions: Knecht, Newton, Reeves to Shine in 2024 NCAA Tournament

Philip Wood

Last Updated: March 21, 2024 1:32 PM EDT • 3 min 9 sec read.

Dalton Knecht #3 of the Tennessee Volunteers drives to the basket during the first half against Rylan Griffen #3 as we make our best March Madness MVP predictions.
Dalton Knecht #3 of the Tennessee Volunteers drives to the basket during the first half against Rylan Griffen #3 of the Alabama Crimson Tide. Photo by Brandon Sumrall/Getty Images/AFP

Dalton Knecht (+2500), Tristen Newton (+1200), and Antonio Reeves (+8000) are primed for an outstanding NCAA Tournament in which they can compete for MVP honors. We make our March Madness MVP predictions based on the best March Madness MVP odds.

In most cases, to secure the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament award, you must be on the winning team. Hakeem Olajuwon was the last player to receive this accolade without being part of the championship-winning school, and that was back in 1983.

Thus, the initial step in narrowing down the list of candidates is eliminating players on teams with slim chances of winning the national title. After that, the focus shifts to identifying the player most likely to excel when it matters most.

To accompany our best March Madness picks, here are our best 2024 March Madness MVP predictions (odds via our best March Madness betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player picks

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Dalton Knecht, Tennessee ⭐⭐⭐

Best odds: +2500 via bet365

Of all the two seeds, the Tennessee Volunteers have the easiest path to the Final Four. With the Purdue Boilermakers consistently struggling in March over the past few seasons and the Kansas Jayhawks announcing Kevin McCullar Jr. is out for the NCAA Tournament, the Volunteers are a good shout to win the region.

While teams like the UConn Huskies and Houston Cougars have multiple players who could win tournament MVP, Dalton Knecht is the only player on the Volunteers with any chance to win it. If the Volunteers end up winning the national title, it will be because of Knecht, who averages 21.1 points per game.

At the time of writing, the Volunteers have the sixth-best odds to win the tournament at every major sportsbook.

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Tristen Newton, UConn ⭐⭐⭐

Best odds: +1200 via bet365

Tristen Newton was great in the Huskies’ title run a season ago, but it was teammate Adama Sanogo who ultimately won MVP. However, if the Huskies repeat, it should be Newton’s award to lose.

He leads the team in points per game (15.2) and assists per game (6.0) and is second on the team in rebounds per game (7.0). Interestingly, Donovan Clingan has shorter odds to win this award, but if the Huskies are going to win the title, it’s going to be Newton who does the most offensively for this team.

Clingan could win the award if he pads his stats in the first game against the Stetson Hatters. However, with how difficult the East Region is, there are no opportunities beyond the first game for Clingan to produce at a higher level than usual. If the tournament favorites win it all, Newton is the MVP.

Antonio Reeves, Kentucky ⭐⭐

Best odds: +8000 via bet365

The Kentucky Wildcats didn’t get a bad draw in the South Region. If they can advance to the Elite Eight, they’ll likely have a very tough matchup, probably against Houston’s top-notch defense, but that would be a winnable game for the Wildcats.

Though five different players average double figures for the Wildcats, Antonio Reeves has separated himself from the rest, averaging 20.0 points per game. If Kentucky advances to the Final Four and eventually wins the title, it will be due to increased productivity on the offensive side. The only way they’re going to do that is if Reeves increases his level and leads them to victory.

Reeves is +8000 to win MVP, admittedly a decided outsider. However, when you consider that Kentucky is in the top 10 at every major sportsbook when it comes to winning the national title, making it a more appealing pick.

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March Madness betting odds pages

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Written By:
Philip Wood
Phil is a Sports Betting Analyst for Sportsbook Review and BettingPros.com, specializing in NFL and college football. He previously covered college football and college basketball for CanesInsight.com, where he also hosted the College Football Pick 'Em podcast. Phil is always looking for value, especially on lines that just seem too good to be true. His belief is if a line doesn't make sense, just assume that Vegas knows something you don't. An alumnus of The U, Phil always holds out hope that the next head coach will be the one who turns the football program around. Some would call him a frontrunner for his love of the Yankees and the Celtics, but he's also a diehard Detroit Lions fan and will never forgive the refs for the blown pass interference call against the Cowboys in 2015.