Wooden Award Odds & Favorites 2026: Purdue's Braden Smith Leads Entering Season
With no freshman like Cooper Flagg entering college basketball this season, the Wooden Award odds are littered with veterans and transfers ahead of a wide-open race.
Atop the board is Purdue's Braden Smith, a senior guard who leads a Boilermakers team that enters the season as the March Madness odds favorites. Smith is +600 to win the Wooden Award, giving him substantially shorter odds than the next two players on the board, Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg (+1200) and Texas Tech's JT Toppin (+1200).
Trailing those three is Smith's teammate, Trey Kaufman-Renn (+3000), and a trio of major transfers - NC State's Darrion Williams (+3000), UCLA's Donovan Dent (+3000), and Iowa's Bennett Stirtz (+3500). The Big Ten looks like the conference to target with your college basketball picks for the Wooden Award this year.
📊 Live Wooden Award odds 2026
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🔢 Wooden Award opening odds
Odds via DraftKings.
- Braden Smith (+500)
- JT Toppin (+750)
- Yaxel Lendeborg (+1000)
- AJ Dybantsa (+1200)
- Trey Kaufman-Renn (+1800)
- Darryn Peterson (+2000)
- Darrion Williams (+2000)
- Otega Oweh (+2500)
- Solo Ball (+2500)
- Donovan Dent (+2500)
- Boogie Fland (+2500)
- Emanuel Sharp (+3000)
- Ja'Kobi Gillespie (+3000)
- Bryce Hopkins (+3000)
- Richie Saunders (+3500)
- Alex Karaban (+3500)
- Tahaad Pettiford (+3500)
- Milos Uzan (+4000)
- DJ Wagner (+4000)
💰 Wooden Award odds history
| Year | Name | Opening odds |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Cooper Flagg, Duke | +700 |
| 2024 | Zach Edey, Purdue | +175 |
| 2023 | Zach Edey, Purdue | +3500 |
| 2022 | Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky | +4000 |
| 2021 | Luka Garza, Iowa | +250 |
| 2020 | Obi Toppin, Dayton | N/A |
| 2019 | Zion Williamson, Duke | N/A |
| 2018 | Jalen Brunson, Villanova | N/A |
| 2017 | Frank Mason, Kansas | N/A |
| 2016 | Buddy Hield, Oklahoma | N/A |
| 2015 | Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin | N/A |
| 2014 | Doug McDermott, Creighton | N/A |
| 2013 | Trey Burke, Michigan | N/A |
❓ Wooden Award FAQs
Who is the Wooden Award favorite?
Purdue's Braden Smith is the Wooden Award odds favorite. Smith's odds (+600) imply a 14.29% probability he'll win the award, according to our odds calculator.
When is the Wooden Award winner announced?
The Wooden Award winner is announced following the NCAA championship game.
Has a freshman ever won the Wooden Award?
Four freshmen have won the Wooden Award. Duke's Cooper Flagg last year, Duke's Zion Williamson (2019), Kentucky's Anthony Davis (2012), and Texas' Kevin Durant (2007).
Who won the Wooden Award last year?
Duke's Cooper Flagg won the Wooden Award last year as a freshman.
What is the difference between the Wooden Award and the Naismith Award?
Although both are college basketball player of the year awards, the voting processes are different.
The Naismith Award is voted on by a board of NCAA basketball administrators, media members, and head coaches. The Wooden Award is voted on by more than 1,000 sports writers and former winners, and also takes into consideration a player's academic performance and character on top of their play.
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