This year’s Final Four is one for the ages. There are so many storylines to follow as March Madness concludes in New Orleans. All four schools – Duke, Kansas, Villanova, and North Carolina – feature blue blood college basketball programs, storied teams with 17 combined championships. We’re also getting to witness the first-ever Duke-North Carolina NCAA Tournament game. This legendary sports rivalry consists of 257 meetings, and now we’re set to experience history in Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski’s farewell season. What an amazing story it would be for Coach K to win his sixth national title.
The Final Four, though, is really about the players. Throughout the tournament, the odds for Most Outstanding Player have shifted throughout the betting market from game to game. Now that we’re down to four teams and have watched certain players step up their game, we have a new list of MOP betting odds.
Duke freshman Paolo Banchero (+300) is the new favorite to win MOP, followed by Kansas senior guard Ochai Agbaji (+450). Villanova veteran Collin Gillespie (+800) and Kansas guard Remy Martin take up the next two spots on the betting board, and Villanova Jermaine Samuels (+1200) rounds out the top five. A North Carolina player finally comes in at number six, and it’s big man Armando Bacot (+1400).
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BetMGM Odds For Most Outstanding Player
| Player (Team) | Odds | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paolo Banchero (Duke) | +300 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ochai Agbaji (Kansas) | +450 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Collin Gillespie (Villanova) | +800 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Remy Martin (Kansas) | +900 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jermaine Samuels (Villanova) | +1200 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Armando Bacot (North Carolina) | +1400 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Brady Manek (North Carolina) | +1600 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mark Williams (Duke) | +1800 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Caleb Love (North Carolina) | +2200 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jeremy Roach (Duke) | +2200 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wendell Moore Jr. (Duke) | +2500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AJ Griffin (Duke) | +2500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Christian Braun (Kansas) | +2800 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jalen Wilson (Kansas) | +3300 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| R.J. Davis (North Carolina) | +5000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eric Dixon (Villanova) | +5000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Caleb Daniels (Villanova) | +5000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| David McCormack (Kansas) | +10000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Trevor Keels (Duke) | +12500 |
Most Outstanding Player Betting: Favorite, Sleeper, And Fade
Favorite: Paolo Banchero (+300)
There’s no question why Banchero is the frontrunner for MOP, as he has many factors going his way. He is Duke’s best player by far, averaging 18.5 points at a 51% clip from the field and a hot 53.3% from behind the arc during this tournament. Banchero now has an opportunity to strengthen his case against the easiest opponent in the Final Four, No. 8 North Carolina. Duke’s next-best player, Mark Williams, is also playing lights-out, putting up 14.5 points per game on a ridiculous 80.6% from the floor and swatting away four shots per game. As great as Williams is playing on both ends of the floor, Banchero is the bigger name and is grabbing more media attention, putting him in great position to win MOP.
Don’t Sleep On Remy Martin (+900)
BetMGM is hoping that Remy Martin doesn’t win MOP, as he has drawn 5.7% of betting tickets and 7.9% of the betting handle, making him the sportsbook’s biggest liability, according to Yahoo! Sports. BetMGM may not need Martin, but we loved Martin’s odds of +4500 heading into the Sweet 16, and we still him at +900 heading into the Final Four. Martin has taken the biggest leap amongst players left in the tournament. He went from being Kansas’ fifth-leading scorer in the regular season (8.6 ppg) to the team’s leading scorer in the tournament (16.8 ppg), even edging out teammate Agbaji (16.3 PPG). His previous obstacle was outperforming teammates Agbaji and Christian Braun (so far, so good). Should he help lead his team past Villanova and then either Duke or North Carolina, he has a great chance to earn the MOP honor over this fellow Jayhawks.
Fade Collin Gillespie (+800)
Gillespie is a fifth-year veteran for Villanova who provides clutch free-throw shooting at the end of games. While this clutchness has been immensely valuable to this team’s ability to close games, he hasn’t been contributing much elsewhere. He is scoring just 13 points per game on an abysmal 33.3% shooting. Meanwhile, teammate Jermaine Samuels has been one of the best performing players left in the tournament, averaging 17.5 points on 63.4% shooting and 8.5 rebounds. Additionally, it is going to be difficult for Villanova to beat Kansas with the loss of Justin Moore to a torn Achilles. Moore was a two-way player who put up big points and rebounds for ‘Nova, while also often guarding the opposing team’s best player. Sixth man Caleb Daniels will benefit the most from Moore’s absence. It would be wise to avoid Villanova players altogether, but if you must pick a Wildcat to win MOP, then go with Samuels and not Gillespie.
Also read: Final Four props | What’s Moore worth to ‘Nova-Kansas line? | UNC vs. Duke odds
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