As far as sites for betting can be said to have minds, that is. Five players are tied for best odds to win the NCAA Basketball Tournament – aka March Madness – Most Outstanding Player award.
Josh Hart
To say that Josh Hart is the heart of the Villanova Wildcats would not be just a lame pun; it would be a truth as great as Evolution. The senior shooting guard leads Nova in points (18.9), rebounds (6.5), and minutes per game (33.2), and is second in assists (3.1), steals (1.6), and three-point percentage (40.7%). In addition to that, Hart was named the 2017 Big East Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Year. Hart scored a career-best 37 points and added 11 rebounds and four assists in a 74-66 win over Notre Dame on December 10th, 2016.
Justin Jackson
The junior forward took over 150 more shots than any other North Carolina player, but you won’t see any of his teammates wresting the ball away from him ala Carlton Banks. Jackson is averaging 18.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.7 per game and was named the 2017 Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Year – beating out Luke Kennard, of whom we will speak further below. Even though he’s tied with the others on this list, JJ would be almost a lock to win MOP should the Tar Heels go all the way to winning the national championship.
Frank Mason III
FM3 is the odds-on favourite at most sites for betting to win the AP player of the year award, but that favouritism has not given him an edge as far as the NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player award is concerned. However, his 2017 Big 12 Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Year was well deserved, considering he lead the conference in points per game (20.8), was fourth in assists (5.1), and shot 48.7% from both the field and the three-point line. Mason is essential to Kansas, though perhaps no more essential than Josh Jackson, whose absence may or may not have cost the Jayhawks the Big 12 tournament.
Nigel Williams-Goss
The junior guard and the Gonzaga Bulldogs have been a symbiotically perfect fit for each other since the former transferred from Washington. The Zags had a near-perfect regular season, improved their record from 28-8 (15-3) in 2016 to 32-1 (17-1), and finished second in the AP and Coaches polls. Meanwhile, Williams-Goss posted the best numbers of his career and was named 2017 West Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Year. A perfect example of what made these two right for each other is the fact that Williams-Goss had to redshirt the 2015-16 season, but Gonzaga has a great track record of developing players during their redshirt year.
Luke Kennard
The sophomore guard rounds up the list of equally-favoured MOP candidates at most sites for betting. Kennard averages 20.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game, and shoots 49.9% from the field, and 44.3% from the long range. Additionally, he was named the 2017 ACC Tournament MVP.
