Obi Toppin's Wooden Award odds continue to improve

As the college basketball season enters the meat and potatoes of the conference schedule, a few of the country’s best have taken missteps, while others have made a compelling case to become the win the John R. Wooden Award as the nation's most outstanding player.

Odds to win the Wooden Award

Rising: Obi Toppin (+900)

The player with the fourth-best odds to bring home the Wooden Award has remained steady throughout the season. A 6-foot-9 forward, who can post up Atlantic 10 opponents or knock down threes as the Flyers’ trailer, Toppin’s versatility makes him one of the most entertaining watches in college basketball. Did I mention he is a rim’s worst nightmare?

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Toppin has made more than 60% of his field goal attempts and averages 19.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game. After a win over VCU, the Flyers are about to enter cruise control in Atlantic 10 play, which gives Toppin ample time to improve his already impressive numbers.

Falling: Cole Anthony (+3800)

Once BetAmerica’s favorite to win the Wooden Award, a knee injury has forced him to the sideline. Without Anthony the Tar Heels are terrible. Even Roy Williams is saying it publicly.

“We stunk, OK? We were not very good,” Williams said on his weekly show, after the Heels’ lost their third straight game. “The crazy thing about it is, our team—and we’ve had some very gifted teams. This is not a very gifted team. It’s just not.”

Rising: Markus Howard (+625)

There are two reasons Howard is one of the top contenders for the Wooden Award. The standout from Marquette is the nation’s leading scorer, at 26.5 points per game, and most everybody else is underwhelming.

The erratic nature of this year’s college basketball season has been well documented. It’s not just that teams are struggling. The star players aren’t quite finding their groove, either. Jordan Nwora is scoring at a high clip, but Louisville have been pedestrian, compared to preseason expectations. The same goes for Cassius Winston of Michigan State.

Howard has continued to get buckets, even though he is not surrounded by much talent. If the Golden Eagles can claw their way into the NCAA Tournament, Howard has a shot to win the award.

Rising: Payton Pritchard (+2100)

Playing on the West Coast will not do Pritchard any favors but he is forcing himself into the conversation. The senior leader does just about everything for Oregon. A 6-foot-2 guard, Pritchard averages 19.2 points, 5.9 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game.

Never shy in the biggest moments, Pritchard proved he is March material in a big win over the Michigan in Ann Arbor.

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