2024 Most Outstanding Player odds: Donovan Clingan favored over Zach Edey
The NCAA men's championship is here, and bettors have a small window to wager on the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.
When it comes to the MOP market, Purdue's Zach Edey is probably the player that comes to mind for most.
The 7-foot-4 senior is now a two-time Naismith Player of the Year, and in Purdue's 2024 postseason run, he's been unstoppable, racking up 28 points per contest.
That said, the Purdue big man isn't the favorite to win MOP.
Let's check out the latest MOP odds at BetMGM, along with an expert pick from Will Hill.
2024 Men's March Madness Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament: *
Donovan Clingan, UConn: +190 (bet $10 to win $29 total)
Zach Edey, Purdue: +225 (bet $10 to win $32.50 total)
Stephon Castle, UConn: +375 (bet $10 to win $47.50 total)
Tristen Newton, UConn: +650 (bet $10 to win $75 total)
Cam Spencer, UConn: +1100 (bet $10 to win $120 total)
Braden Smith, Purdue: +3500 (bet $10 to win $360 total)
Alex Karaban, UConn: +4000 (bet $10 to win $410 total)
* odds as of 4/8/2024
Here's a look at the current betting action on the award:
Highest Ticket%
Zach Edey 26.6%
DJ Burns Jr 21.9%
Donovan Clingan 14.9%
Highest Handle%
Zach Edey 34.0%
DJ Burns Jr 19.6%
Donovan Clingan 17.0%
Biggest Liabilities
DJ Burns Jr
Zach Edey
Donovan Clingan
Will Hill's pick: Donovan Clingan +200
The first step when figuring out who to bet for tournament MOP is to identify which team you think will ultimately win the championship. Yes, a player from a team who didn’t win the title has won the award, but it hasn’t happened since 1983, when Akeem Olajuwon won this award for Houston, despite upstart NC State winning the title.
I think we’re past the days when this award can come from the losing team. It has also been decades since a player from the losing team has won Super Bowl MVP, and if LeBron James didn’t win NBA Finals MVP with his performance in 2015, it’s fairly safe to say the appetite is no longer there to reward anyone other than a player from the winning team.
I’m going to put my money on a Husky to win this award.
Clingan is the short shot at around 2-1 depending on where you shop and I believe is rightfully favored considering he’s shooting 67.5% in the tournament, while his presence on defense is hard to quantify (aside from the 14 blocks he has in four tournament games so far). It’s not a foregone conclusion that Clingan takes home the award if UConn wins it all, and if he handles Zach Edey en route to a second straight title, there will be strong sentiment to reward Clingan for his efforts.
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