2023 Wooden Award Sleeper: Trayce Jackson-Davis Has Value

As we move closer and closer to March, now is the time to look ahead on the schedule and figure out which players might be valuable to get in on. The key is getting the best number possible before it goes away, and you can do that right now by picking your spots in the market and making the most informed bet possible. The Hoosiers are red-hot right now, and their best player just had 25 points against the No. 1 team in the nation. Could this be the time to take a flyer on the Indiana star?

As always, BetQL will have you covered with every single game throughout the rest of the college basketball season, and we'll have articles just like these to try and find you the best value as the NCAA Tournament arrives before you know it.

Trayce Jackson-Davis To Win Wooden Award +2200 (DraftKings)

When you go into the college basketball futures market right now, Purdue big man Zach Edey has a huge lead on the rest of the field to take home the Wooden Award, as he is currently listed at -1200 or even more at most sportsbooks right now. This is certainly warranted, as Edey has been an absolute monster this season while leading the Boilermakers to a stellar record. However, there is still time for a possible upset here if he has a letdown game or his team starts to crumble down the stretch. Someone else could swoop in and snag this award right under his fingertips and I think the one person that has a chance to do that is Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis.

Jackson-Davis doesn't even have the second best odds behind Edey for the award. That would be Kansas Jayhawk Jalen Wilson, who has also been outstanding for his team this season. However, Kansas has been a pretty big disappointment relative to expectations coming off of a championship and people have clearly seen that. I think that could sway some people from voting for him should this become a real race again. That brings me to TJD, who I think has been incredibly valuable to Indiana and is the biggest reason why they are making a push right now as we get closer and closer to the NCAA Tournament. The Hoosiers have won four of their last five games, including one over Edey and No. 1 Purdue.

Indiana is a team that I recently placed a bet on to win the NCAA Championship at 60/1 before they took down the Boilermakers, and now that bet looks better than ever. I think they are a sleeper that can make some real noise in March, and Jackson-Davis will be the catalyst to a huge run. He's averaging 19.8 points, 11.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. Those types of numbers are incredible, and most of the time, would be a lock to win some kind of award. Edey is having a special season, but if things go awry, I think the vote could go to the guy on the team that is surging as we go down the stretch.

At 22/1 odds, I think it's worth a shot taking Trayce Jackson-Davis to win the Wooden Award. Sure, it's certainly a long shot at this point, but one worth taking (just a sprinkle, I'd say no more than beer money with Edey at -1200). College basketball is known for it's wackiness and come-from-behind upsets, so let's see if some magic can happen again!