Winning March Madness is obviously a team achievement, but it wouldn't be possible without a star player shining particularly bright on the court.
The latest: As the favourites of the tournament, the Houston Cougars are well-represented atop this MOP leaderboard — with senior guard Marcus Sasser leading the way. Looking elsewhere, Purdue's Zach Edey and Kansas' Jalen Wilson both have solid cases.
Check out the latest March Madness Most Outstanding Player odds.
March Madness Most Outstanding Player odds
Check out the latest odds to win March Madness MVP. Click linked odds to add selection to your betslip.
| Team | Odds (pre-tourney) |
| Marcus Sasser (Houston) | +720 |
| Jarace Walker (Houston) | +800 |
| Brandon Miller (Alabama) | +800 |
| Jamal Shead (Houston) | +900 |
| Tramon Mark (Houston) | +1,000 |
| J'Wan Roberts (Houston) | +1,000 |
| Mark Sears (Alabama) | +1,200 |
| Noah Clowney (Alabama) | +1,300 |
| Jaime Jaquez Jr. (UCLA) | +1,400 |
| Tyger Campbell (UCLA) | +1,600 |
| Drew Timme (Gonzaga) | +1,700 |
| Adama Sanogo (UConn) | +1,900 |
College basketball odds as of 6:15 p.m. on 03/13/2023.
Best odds to win March Madness MVP
The favourite: Marcus Sasser (+720)
It should surprise no one that the top scorer on the tourney favourite has the shortest odds to win Most Outstanding Player.
Sasser, averaging 17.1 points per game this season, is the lifeblood of the Cougars. And who knows how far they could've gone in last year's tournament with the star guard, who had foot surgery amid the 2021-22 season and missed Houston's Elite Eight run.
NCAA bracket: Play the bracket here
Speaking of injuries, another one popped up for Sasser during the AAC tournament.
Sasser suffered a groin injury in the tournament semis and missed the final — a 10-point loss to Memphis. Afterward, Sasser said he "should be 100%" for the Cougars' first-round matchup.
If you look past the potential injury concern, Sasser's own teammates might stand in his way the most. Every Houston starter has odds of 10-to-1 or better, creating quite a crowd atop the leaderboard.
Other Most Outstanding Player choices
Best value: Zach Edey (+1,300)
As the expectant Naismith College Player of the Year recipient, Edey already has our attention. Given that Purdue is a No. 1 seed with legitimate title dreams, this could all fall into place.
The 7-foot-4 Canadian is used on 32.6% of his team's possessions, which is the highest rate among all players in this tournament.
Edey averaged 22.3 points and 12.8 rebounds per game this season. If the Boilermakers go all the way, it'd be difficult to see anyone but him grabbing this award.
With back-to-back 30-point games entering March Madness, the big man is coming in hot.
Player to watch: Jalen Wilson (+1,300)
Wilson came awfully close to winning this award last year as Kansas danced to a national championship. If the No. 1-seeded Jayhawks run it back, he's their best bet to win this time around.
Check out what Wilson did last spring compared to his teammate, Ochai Agbaji, who won MOP:
| Player | PPG | RPG | APG |
| Agbaji | 13.7 | 4.7 | 1.5 |
| Wilson | 12.0 | 9.7 | 2.2 |
From those numbers alone, you'd think Wilson would've won. He even had a game-high-tying 15 points in the national championship. But Agbaji was far more efficient from the field (46.2% vs. 35.2%).
Wilson leads the Jayhawks in scoring this year (20.1 PPG) and should have every opportunity to be their main offensive force throughout the tournament. If he gets a second crack at MOP, we think he can take it.
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