Zach Edey Is BetMGM’s Biggest Wooden Award Liability

Heading into this season, expectations for Purdue center Zach Edey weren’t extremely high. Despite the fact that he was coming off of a sophomore season in which he averaged 14.4 points and 7.7 rebounds in only 19.0 minutes, the 7’4, 295-pound big man was a role player during his underclassmen years. Could he play more minutes at his size? Now as the go-to scorer, how would he fare?

Those simple questions led to long +3000 odds on him to win the Wooden Award entering the campaign, per BetMGM.

Pretty quickly, Edey proved his doubters (and sportsbooks) wrong, establishing himself as the most dominant player in college hoops. As a result, his odds moved from +3000 to -1400 and he’s picked up 35.3% of the tickets and 68% of the handle as BetMGM’s biggest liability.

Averaging 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in 31.6 minutes per contest, Edey has led the #5 Boilermakers to a 24-5 record with two regular season games remaining and is the overwhelming favorite to win the nation’s top individual honor.

While I have some questions about Edey’s effectiveness as a future NBA player, there’s no doubt that he’s been a nightmare for opposing coaches to gameplan for. 

"We couldn't cover him," Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said after a loss to Purdue earlier this season, per CBS Sports. "He's bigger than any player I've ever coached against, he's more skilled with his hands than any player I've coached against." 

Think about all of the stars Izzo has coached again; that was high praise.

Only time will tell if Edey and the Boilermakers make a run in March, but there’s no denying that he’s had a dominant and impactful 2022-2023 campaign. 

You probably don’t want to get in on Edey at -1400, but there’s no better place to bet on college hoops than BetMGM. Use our exclusive offer below and open your account now!