College Hoops Summer Musings: Wooden Award Futures

This is an article written by Pat Taylor

Look, it’s the middle of July and we only have 1 sport on nightly right now so I’m digging into some college basketball futures talk over the next few month or so (along with some baseball). Let’s hop into the awards market here for the POY in college basketball. Draftkings lists Zach Edey from Purdue (+175), Kyle Filipowski from Duke (+800) and Hunter Dickinson from Kansas (+950) as the leaders in the clubhouse thus far. 

Wooden Award Futures Thoughts:

There are 3 players I have placed wagers on so far in this market and I will break down each of their cases below.

Kyle Filipowski (+800): “Flip” is a no brainer wager in my opinion. The star sophomore returns to Durham after a solid rookie campaign and should be even better this time around. The Blue Devils are a consensus top 3 team entering the season and return some of their most integral pieces from last season including starting PG Jeremy Roach, SG Tyrese Proctor and SF Mark Mitchell. All 4 of these players had some ups and downs throughout the season dealing with injuries, freshman mistakes and a new regime. Now they return with not only more experience and another summer under 2nd year head coach, Jon Scheyer, but with a top tier freshman class to bolster them. Flip could have been a top 20 draft pick but returns for what seem to be favorable NIL circumstances and higher draft stock. He not only led last year’s Duke team efficiency, he led the entire conference in efficiency (According to Evan Miya). Filipowski graded out as the 2nd best defender in the conference, as well. Filipowski should be able to show off his elite talent on both sides and could easily average a double double. Putting up gaudy numbers on a title contender should be enough to be a leading contender at season’s end. An 8-1 shot on Flip feels like the best value at the top of the board if you want to pick a favorite. 

Donovan Clingan (+50000): Clingan is my next name off the board. This number has only gone down since these odds were posted a few months back. The reigning national champion returns to Storrs and should be an absolute force for Dan Hurley and the Huskies. Clingan graded out as the most efficient player in the Big East as a freshman and he was only playing 13 MPG. He was the runaway best defender in the league and has a blossoming offensive game that will only be bolstered by the fact that star big man Adama Sinogo has left and will concede those minutes and shots on the floor to Clingan. While the Huskies will not be as talented as they were last season (how could they be?) they still will most likely be a consensus top 20 team all season. Clingan will get plenty of screen time as the face of the defending champions and do not be surprised if he rises to the challenge or even exceeds those expectations. A 50-1 shot here makes a lot of sense.

Ryan Kalkbrenner (+75000): This longshot number is the most egregious and valuable on the board to me. Creighton will be a top 10 team in the nation by the end of the season and Kalkbrenner will be a leading reason. Kalk is one of the best players in the nation, no doubt, and returns for his senior campaign with a chip on his shoulder. The Blue Jays were so so close to a Final Four berth before bowing out in the Elite 8 in a tight one vs San Diego State. Kalk was the 9th most efficient player in the Big East last season and also dealt with a major injury mid season which caused him to miss a good number of games. Kalk should be back and better than ever and I expect not only an improvement in terms of individual numbers but the team overall. If Kalk can up his PPG and RPG just a tad (he already averages 2 BPG), he should have a case if Creighton is in national title contention. Ashworth will be an upgrade on Nembhard (Yes, I said it) and Trey Alexander should be great as always. The loss of Arthur Kaluma hurts a bit but expect some others to step up. I am high on this Blue Jay squad and Ryan Kalkbrenner and will happily take a big number like 75-1 this early on. 

As the season goes on, there will certainly be other players I wager on. Be on the lookout by checking out my Twitter (@PTsBestTakes) or here at Happy Hour Sports for another article!