Tennessee super senior guard Dalton Knecht exited the Christmas break with the fifth best odds to win the Wooden Award— given annually to college basketball’s top players.
But since then, Knecht is on an absolute tear and is moving up the Wooden Awards odds list.
Knecht is currently +2000 to earn college basketball’s top annual award, according to betonline.ag. Its the second best odds of any player. Knecht is still a distant second behind Purdue big man Zach Edey. Edey is the reigning Wooden Award winner and is still the odds on favorite to win the award at -1400.
Still, Knecht comes in ahead of a number of highly touted players including Kansas’ Hunter Dickinson (+2500), North Carolina’s RJ Davis (+3300), Duke’s Kyle Filiposki (+3300) and UConn’s Tristin Newton (+3300).
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Knecht was one of 25 players that landed on the midseason Wooden Award Watch List earlier this month. While unseating Edey to win the award seems unlikely, Knecht being second on the odds list is an encouraging sign for him to be the first Tennessee First Team All-American since Grant Williams in 2019.
Through 18 games, Knecht is averaging 18.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game this season and is shooting 47.9% shooting from the field and 40% shooting from three-point range.
Knecht exited the Christmas break averaging 15.7 points on 45.5% shooting from the field and 38% shooting from three-point range and was on a cold stretch before Christmas. The 6-foot-6 wing scored 15 points against Norfolk State and eight points against Ole Miss in the first two games after the break.
Since then, Knecht has been on an unreal tear. Knecht is averaging 32 points and 5.5 rebounds over the last four games earning SEC Player of the Week honors in consecutive weeks and Naismith National Player of the Week honors last week.
