2021 Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year Odds Tracker
By Sascha Paruk
Updated:
- Iowa’s Luka Garza dominated the 2020-21 college basketball season, sweeping the major individual awards
- Also the preseason favorite, Garza averaged 24.1 points and 8.7 rebounds per game
- See how the odds moved over the course of the 2020-21 season
The 2020-21 college basketball season was unlike any other due to the impacts of COVID-19. But Luka Garza wasn’t slowed in the slightest, averaging over 24 points and nearly nine rebounds per game in a sensational season for the Iowa Hawkeyes.
The graphs and timeline below show how the odds to win basketball’s two major individual awards fluctuated during the 2020-21 season.
2021 Wooden Award Top Contenders
Feb. 17: Garza improved from -1500 to -1733 with just a few weeks to go in the regular season.
Feb. 2: Another strong week from Jared Butler has improved his odds to +450. But Garza also improved from -1400 to -1500. Oddsmakers still see this as a one-horse race.
Jan. 26: Ayo Dosunmu, who had been the second-favorite since the odds opened, has faded to fourth at+1100, a steep decline from +650 last week.
Jan. 20: Baylor’s Jared Butler (+1500) was one of the few secondary contenders whose odds improved over the past week, as prohibitive favorite Luka Garza shortened to -750.
Jan. 12:Â Garza is now an even -500 while second-favorite Dosunmu has faded from +470 to +500.
Jan. 4: Corey Kispert (+900) has emerged as the leading candidate from the undefeated, top-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs.
Dec. 23: Gonzaga’s freshman point guard, Jalen Suggs, improved from +8000 to +825 since last week. He balled out against #3 Iowa, racking 27 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals during a dominant 99-88 neutral-court victory.
Dec. 16: Anyone hoping for an interesting race will be disappointed with the early returns: Luka Garza shortened further, moving from -228 to -400.
Dec. 8: Iowa’s Luka Garza is a huge, odds-on favorite less than a month into the season. His -228 odds carry an implied probability of 69.5%!
2021 Wooden Award Odds
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Luka Garza (Iowa) | -1733 |
| Jared Butler (Baylor) | +867 |
| Ayo Dosunmu (Illinois) | +1000 |
| Corey Kispert (Gonzaga) | +1967 |
| Drew Timme (Gonzaga) | +1967 |
| Garrison Brooks (UNC) | +5000 |
| Mac McClung (Texas Tech) | +5000 |
| Sharife Cooper (Auburn) Collin Gillespie (Villanova) | +5000 |
| Trayce Jackson-Davis (Indiana) | +7333 |
| Isaiah Livers (Michigan) | +7500 |
| Matt Coleman III (Texas) | +7500 |
| Cade Cunningham (Oklahoma State) | +8000 |
| D’Mitrik Trice (Wisconsin) | +8300 |
| Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (Villanova) | +9000 |
| Colbey Ross (Pepperdine) | +10000 |
| Â Jalen Crutcher (Dayton) | +10000 |
| Jalen Johnson (Duke) | +10000 |
| Javonte Smart (LSU) | +10000 |
| Marcus Garrett (Kansas) | +10000 |
Odds as of February 17th, 2021.
2021 Naismith Top Contenders
Nov. 24: With the season set to begin Wednesday night, there’s been an infusion of upperclassmen into the race for Naismith, with Marcus Garrett of Kansas and Corey Kispert of Gonzaga vaulting into the top five at odds of +1000. Luka Garza and Ayo Dosunmu remain the top favorites.
Oct. 9: With upperclassmen returning and the season beginning November 25th, Iowa’s Luka Garza and Illinois’ Ayo Dosunmu are favorites at odds of +225, and +450, respectively.
June 17: Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham has opened as the +300 favorite to win the 2020-21 Naismith Player of the Year award, while USC’s Evan Mobley is the other top contender at +950.
2021 Naismith Player of the Year Odds
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Luka Garza (Iowa) | +375 |
| Ayo Dosunmu (Illinois) | +500 |
| Jared Butler (Baylor) | +600 |
| Marcus Garrett (Kansas) | +1000 |
| Corey Kispert (Gonzaga) | +1000 |
| Remy Martin (Arizona State) | +1000 |
| Cade Cunningham (Oklahoma State) | +1500 |
| Joel Ayayi (Gonzaga) | +2000 |
| Marcus Zegarowski (Creighton) | +2000 |
| Kihei Clark (Virginia) | +3000 |
| Kofi Cockburn (Illinois) | +3000 |
| Collin Gillespie (Villanova) | +3000 |
| Ochai Agbaji (Kansas) | +4000 |
| Sam Hauser (Virginia) | +4000 |
| MaCio Teague (Baylor) | +4000 |
| McKinley Wright IV (Colorado) | +4000 |
| Garrison Brooks (UNC) | +5000 |
| Seth Towns (Ohio State) | +5000 |
| D’Mitrik Trice (Wisconsin) | +4000 |
Odds as of November 24th.
Naismith Winners by Class
Williamson became just the third freshman to win the award last season, and Cole Anthony will look to become the fourth this year.
Naismith Winners by Position
Four of the first six Naismith Award recipients were centers, but that trend has changed in recent years as more schools have adopted small ball lineups. The last center to win the honor was Tim Duncan, who won by a landslide in 1997 during his senior season at Wake Forest.
Past College Basketball Player of the Year Winners
| Wooden & Naismith Award | Class | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Obi Toppin (Dayton) | sophomore | 2020 |
| Zion Williamson (Duke) | freshman | 2019 |
| Jalen Brunson (Villanova) | junior | 2018 |
| Frank Mason III (Kansas) | senior | 2017 |
| Buddy Hield (Oklahoma) | senior | 2016 |
| Frank Kaminsky (Wisconsin) | senior | 2015 |
| Doug McDermott (Creighton) | senior | 2014 |
| Trey Burke (Michigan) | sophomore | 2013 |
| Anthony Davis (Kentucky) | freshman | 2012 |
| Jimmer Fredette (BYU) | senior | 2011 |
| Evan Turner (Ohio State) | junior | 2010 |
| Blake Griffin (Oklahoma,) | sophomore | 2009 |
| Tyler Hansbrough (UNC) | junior | 2008 |
| Kevin Durant (Texas) | freshman | 2007 |
| JJ Redick (Duke) | senior | 2006 |
| Andrew Bogut (Utah) | sophomore | 2005 |
| Jameer Nelson (St. Joseph’s) | senior | 2004 |
| TJ Ford (Texas) | sophomore | 2003 |
| Jason Williams (Duke) | junior | 2002 |
| Shane Battier (Duke) | senior | 2001 |
| Kenyon Martin (Cincinnati) | senior | 2000 |
Obi Toppin dazzled voters and fans alike with his aerial prowess and double-double average before the COVID-19 shortened 2019-20 season.
Schools with the Most Naismith Winners
Archived Naismith POY Odds: 2020
Managing Editor
Sascha has been working in the sports-betting industry since 2014, and quickly paired his strong writing skills with a burgeoning knowledge of probability and statistics. He holds an undergraduate degree in linguistics and a Juris Doctor from the University of British Columbia.
