The Final Four is set! It’s comprised of two No. 1 seeds Gonzaga, Baylor a No. 2 Houston and shockingly, a No. 11 seed UCLA. With each brings a number of players that will either lead it to the Promised Land or go down in defeat trying. Betting odds for the Most Outstanding Player Award have been on the board for quite some time now, so there’s no better time than now to jump into the fray at online sportsbooks before any more value is lost. The following are players I’ve already invested in to win the award, as well as a finals matchup prop suggestion that I’d personally love to see play out in order to guarantee myself a first place finish in my bracket tourney home league.
Most Outstanding Player Odds
Drew Timme +172
Jalen Suggs +332
MaCio Teague +556
Corey Kispert +659
Davion Mitchell +761
Jared Butler +812
Quentin Grimes +1226
Marcus Sasser +1855
Johnny Juzang +2281
Dejon Jarreau +2604
Matthew Mayer +5000
Favorite to Bet: Corey Kispert +659
I get why Timme is the odds on favorite to win this award. Though he doesn’t look the part, the kid’s got game! Nothing seems to effect his play on the court. He’s simply just cool like the other side of the pillow. That said, he could run into some issues navigating amongst UCLA’s tress down low. Should that occur, it will allow both Jalen Suggs and hopefully Kispert the opportunity to make some hay from deep. UCLA allows a near 35 percent success rate from beyond the arc No. 261 and allows nearly 32 percent of the points scored against its defense to come from deep. Kispert is shooting 42 percent from long range in this tournament. I have the Zags winning it all. Should that occur, someone on the roster will win the award. Might as well go with the one owning the longest odds!
Underdog to Bet: Quentin Grimes +1226
There’s just something about this kid that breeds confidence. Being a loyal Kansas Jayhawks supporter, it pains me to think he was once on Bill Self’s roster but decided to bolt for greener pastures back in his home state. Regardless, Houston wouldn’t be in the Final Four if not for his shooting acumen over the course of this tournament. He’s the Coogs leading scorer and has gone for 18, 22, 14 and 18 points in the team’s four wins to reach the final weekend of the tourney. He already showed he has the intestinal fortitude to come up with big shots when Houston pulled off a dramatic comeback to defeat Rutgers in the Round of 32. Since then, he’s drained eight 3-pointers and converted all eight of his free throws. If Houston ultimately proves to be the last team standing, Grimes will be one of the main contributors if not the alpha.
Longshot to Bet: Johnny Juzang +2281
In order to win this award, more times than not you have to be on the roster of the winning team. UCLA is a 14-point underdog for Saturday night’s game against Gonzaga. That doesn’t bode well for cashing this ticket. Even so, I’m making a small beer money investment just in case the Bruins somehow manage to log yet another outright win as underdogs. What’s most amazing about Juzang’s recent level of play is the fact that he’s more or less been playing on one leg due to a severely sprained ankle. Still, it hasn’t stopped him from averaging 20 points per game dating back to the Pac-12 Tournament. If not for his scoring eruption against Michigan, UCLA would’ve been bounced. The kids a gamer and won’t be the least bit intimidated by any of the next two opponents should UCLA pull a shocker and get to Monday night.
Championship Game Exact Matchup: Gonzaga/Houston +200
Alabama and Gonzaga were the two teams I heavily invested in from a futures odds perspective over the course of the regular season. I certainly wish I added Houston to the mix. Regardless, I absolutely love the fight Kelvin Sampson’s kids put forth on a gamely basis and give them a much better shot of defeating Baylor than linemakers do. The Zags are decided favorites against UCLA and I simply just foresee them being too much for the Bruins to handle for a full 40 minutes. From a self-serving viewpoint, I’ve got the Zags defeating Baylor in the title game of my big money tourney league. I’m currently in first place heading into the Final Four by a single point. If Houston defeats Baylor on Saturday, I will have locked up the win and with it the right to talk as much smack to my counterparts as I want. I want that to happen! I need that to happen! So college basketball gods, will you please allow for the Zags to battle the Coogs on Monday night? ;
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