2026 Wooden Award Odds: Jeremy Fears Jr. Leads Preseason Favorites
The Wooden Award is given annually to the most outstanding men's college basketball player.
Duke's Cameron Boozer won the honor last season, but now that he has taken his talents to the NBA, who's next?
Could another Blue Devil give Duke its third straight winner?
Let's check out the odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of Nov. 2.
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Jeremy Fears Jr., Michigan State: +850
Thomas Haugh, Florida: +1000
John Blackwell, Duke: +1200
Tyler Tanner, Vanderbilt: +1600
Tyran Stokes, Kansas: +1700
David Mirkovic, Illinois: +2000
Tounde Yessoufou, St. John's: +2600
Jordan Smith Jr., Arkansas: +2800
Flory Bidunga, Louisville: +3200
Alex Condon, Florida: +3300
Stefan Vaaks, Illinois: +3600
Caleb Holt, Arizona: +3800
Jeremy Fears Jr. is the preseason favorite to win the Wooden Award (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images).Jeremy Fears Jr. is the preseason favorite to win the Wooden Award (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images).
Here's what to know about the oddsboard:
The Favorite: Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. is the +850 favorite to win the Wooden Award. During his sophomore season last year, Fears averaged 15.2 points and a nation-leading 9.4 assists per game, totaling 328 assists against just 85 turnovers for a 3.86 assist-to-turnover ratio. He also shot 88.5% from the free-throw line and posted a 58.5% true shooting percentage. He became just the fourth player in college basketball history to record at least 500 points and 300 assists in a season, joining Ja Morant, Kay Felder and Braden Smith. Fears is looking to become the first player in Michigan State history to win the Wooden award.
John Blackwell looks to be the third straight Duke Blue Devil to win the Wooden Award (Photo by Reed Hoffmann/Getty Images).John Blackwell looks to be the third straight Duke Blue Devil to win the Wooden Award (Photo by Reed Hoffmann/Getty Images).
Duke's Dominance: Duke’s Cooper Flagg won the award in 2024 and Cameron Boozer won the award in 2025. Can a Blue Devil make it three straight? Duke’s best chance on the early oddsboard is Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell, who sits as the +1200 third choice heading into the season. Blackwell has improved every year, increasing his scoring average from 8.0 points per game as a freshman to 15.8 as a sophomore and 19.1 as a junior. Now, he gets a massive opportunity as a member of the preseason national title favorite. Last season, Blackwell became the only player in Big Ten history to record at least 650 points, 95 made 3-pointers and 150 made free throws in a single season. What does he have for an encore this season?