Obi Toppin is topping Wooden Award odds
Dayton Flyers forward Obi Toppin brings the ball up the court during an Atlantic 10 Conference basketball game between Dayton and Saint Louis. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire)
February 26th, 2020
The 2019-2020 college basketball season has provided one unexpected twist after another. No. 1 seeds have experienced a rash of defeats, North Carolina has been terrible, and mid-majors are making a climb up the rankings to an extent we’ve never seen.
One ancillary effect is a Wooden Award race that has been tumultuous and unique. The battle for the season’s most outstanding individual player is down to four players—Obi Toppin, Luka Garza, Malachi Flynn, and Jared Butler.
Odds to win the John R. Wooden Award
| Player | Wooden Award odds |
|---|
Obi Toppin | +100 |
Luka Garza | +120 |
Malachi Flynn | +350 |
Jared Butler | +400 |
Payton Pritchard | +400 |
Obi Toppin (Dayton)
Toppin is the favorite with just a few weeks left. He is the best player on the most surprising team in the country. The 6-foot-9 forward averages 19.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, and grades as the most efficient offensive player in the Atlantic 10. He is shooting nearly 70% on two-point field goals and has led the charge for Dayton, from relative obscurity to national-championship contender.
Holy crap, look at these 3 dunks from Obi Toppin. Dude just glides through the air pic.twitter.com/8ZTXr3iJYq
— Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) February 22, 2020
Luka Garza (Iowa)
Garza is fourth in the country in points per game (23.7) and is hauling down 9.6 rebounds per game, as well. He is the big man for a Big Ten team, and yet he shoots 38% from three-point to stretch the floor for an Iowa team that desperately misses its best long-range shooter, Jordan Bohannon.
Iowa often looks lost on offense when Garza isn’t in the game, and while the Hawkeyes aren’t in the polls today, their 19-9 record has them very close to locking up an NCAA Tournament bid.
Malachi Flynn (San Diego State)
It’s hard to imagine Flynn winning the award, after San Diego State's first loss of the season against UNLV. He has had an impressive season, but much of his momentum was correlated to the aura surrounding a potential undefeated campaign.
His stats aren’t overwhelming, and he doesn’t have the name recognition, because he’s out west playing for a mid-major.
Time to start paying more attention to Malachi Flynn, best player for undefeated San Diego State, maybe sleeper NBA prospect
— Jonathan Wasserman (@NBADraftWass) February 18, 2020
PnR: 93rd percentile
Spot-ups: 90th
ISO: 89th
Sharp dribble, smart passer (5.1 APG to 1.5 TO), pesky on D (1.9 SPG), DEEP range. 22-6-6 vs Boise State: pic.twitter.com/ZypwwdfFdy
Jared Butler (Baylor)
Butler and his Baylor Bears have spent a good portion of the season at No. 1. He is the engine for one of the best teams in the country, but a recent loss to Kansas likely hurt his chances.
He had 22 points in the loss and outplayed his rival, Devon Dotson, but Baylor will need to run the table in impressive fashion, with Butler leading the way, for him to make up enough ground on the two favorites.
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