If there was one thing – and one thing only – that we all learned the first two months of the 2024-25 college hoops season, it was that Auburn Tigers center Johni Broome is a really good basketball player.
Auburn’s big man is a big reason why the Tigers can be found in the conventional polls at No. 2, exactly where they have been for the last five weeks just behind their SEC rivals from Tennessee.
Broome’s outstanding play has catapulted him up the ladder to the tip-top of the favorites to take home the Wooden Award, given out each year to the top college player in the country. It’s no coincidence that Auburn has also moved to the top of the NCAA futures odds to win the National Championship.
Broome Averaging A Double-Double
Hats off to bettors who got down on Broome being named the top college player back in October when he was fetching a +5000 return. Most top sportsbooks now have the 6-10 senior pegged in the -200 to -250 range.
Likewise, Auburn was offered at +3000 to win its first NCAA Championship, with that line now being offered for +550 to +600.
Name a statistical category, and Broome likely leads the Tigers. Heading into Tuesday night’s game at Texas, Broome was averaging 18.6 PPG and had scored 20+ in nine of Auburn’s 14 games. He also leads the Tigers in rebounds (11.1 per game), assists (3.3) and blocks (2.7)
His game is down low, obviously, but Broome isn’t afraid to put it up from outside with 40 attempts and 12 made 3-pointers. The only blemish is that 60% free throw shooting accuracy, something to watch as coaches gameplan around him in SEC play.
Chaz Is King In Knoxville
Tennessee hasn’t remained unbeaten and ascended to the No. 1 ranking without having some studs on the floor, and one of Broome’s stiffest challengers is Volunteers guard Chaz Lanier.
The 6-4 senior from Nashville wasn’t even among the 50 names on the preseason Wooden Award watch list, and has soared to fourth on the betting at +1100. The Volunteers were also down the list as a +5000 bet to win it all, and those NCAAB odds are presently +1000 to +1100.
Lanier leads the SEC averaging 20.3 points a night, good enough for 14th in the country, and his 4 made 3-pointers per game rank second in the nation. He scored a season-high 29 in Tennessee’s conference opener against Arkansas.
It helps that Lanier can concentrate just on scoring with a point guard like Zakai Zeigler sharing the Tennessee backcourt. Ziegler was on the preseason Wooden watch list, and while he has fallen back to +25000 to win it, his 8 assists per game are among the nation’s leaders.
Other SEC players on the board currently include Walter Clayton Jr. of Florida (+12500), Mark Sears of Alabama (+15000), Mississippi State’s Josh Hubbard (+250000) and Tre Johnson of Texas (+25000).
Preseason Favorites Tumble Back
Heading into the campaign, oddsmakers had Hunter Dickinson of Kansas and North Carolina’s RJ Davis sharing the spotlight as co-favorites, with most shops offering them around +800. Both were also included on the preseason Wooden watch list.
It was a much-ballyhooed meeting when the Tar Heels and Jayhawks met at Allen Fieldhouse about two months ago. Davis scored 16, though he struggled to find the basket on 3-15 shooting, while Dickinson pumped in 20 with 10 boards in the 92-89 Kansas win.
Dickinson should still find a spot on the midseason watch list when it is released, but he has dropped down the betting chart as a +25000 longshot. That could change if Dickinson can lead the Jayhawks though what promises to be a tough Big 12 slate.
Davis has also fallen to +25000 and might be one of the names scratched on the midseason watch list. That’s due in part to his numbers dropping across the board, especially his shooting accuracy, as well as UNC having another down season and currently on the bubble to make the NCAA Tournament.
Flagg & Jones Trailing Broome On Wooden Odds
For the bettors who have not yet climbed upon the Broome bandwagon, there is some value to be found on Duke’s Cooper Flagg and Marquette’s Kam Jones.
Granted, the potential payday was bigger for each of them back in October, but there’s still plus-money being offered. Flagg was a +1200 preseason pick and is now priced around +300, a little less in some places.
Jones was something of a longshot at +8000 to win the Wooden Award when the season began, and still a +800 pick. The 6-5 senior has started the Golden Eagles’ last 87 games, and is leading Marquette in scoring for a third consecutive season.
