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March Madness MVP Odds: NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player

Rob Paul

Last Updated: February 21, 2025 1:53 PM EST • 3 min 6 sec read.

March Madness MVP odds
Pictured: Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) is congratulated by guard Caleb Foster (1) after dunking during the second half against the California Golden Bears at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Photo by: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

The NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player award is given to the player who most influences his team's success. March Madness MVP odds will soon be made available. As you might expect, that honor almost always goes to the national champion's star.

March Madness Most Outstanding Player odds often align with Wooden Award odds at the start of the tournament, at least. With Auburn and Duke both expected to be top seeds, it is likely that Auburn's Johni Broome and Duke's Cooper Flagg will be among the favorites when March Madness MVP odds open.

March Madness MVP odds

March Madness MVP odds for the 2025 NCAA men's basketball tournament will soon be made available.

Editor's note: The odds listed below are not live and are from last year's tournament.

PlayerDraftKingsFanDuelBetMGMbet365
Zach Edey+175 ❄️+210+210+225 🔥
Donovan Clingan+200 🔥+185+190 +170 ❄️
Stephon Castle+400+360+350 ❄️+400 🔥
Tristen Newton (winner)+700 🔥+650+650 ❄️+550
Cam Spencer+1100+1900 ❄️+1000 🔥+1100 🔥
Braden Smith+4000+3400 +3000+3500 🔥
Alex Karaban+4000+4000 +4000 ❄️+5000
Lance Jones+6000 🔥+5000 +5000+6600 ❄️
Fletcher Loyer+10000 +10000 🔥+10000 ❄️+10000 

Entering last year's men's national championship game between the Purdue Boilermakers (34-5) and the UConn Huskies (37-3), it was Zach Edey and Donovan Clingan atop the oddsboard. However, Huskies All-American Tristen Newton was named March Madness MVP after a strong performance in UConn's 75-60 win over Purdue. 

Newton was our top pick for the award in our March Madness MVP predictions while Edey was the popular name to win it after spending all season atop the Wooden Award odds. With the season over, we take a look at Newton's performance and how his odds stacked up at our best sports betting sites.

March Madness MVP odds analysis 

As mentioned above, March Madness MVP odds will often align with Wooden Award odds at the start of the NCAA men's basketball tournament. Current Wooden Award favorites include Duke's Cooper Flagg, Auburn's Johni Broome and Purdue's Braden Smith.

What bettors must also consider when betting on March Madness MVP odds is how deep each player's team is expected to go in the tournament. This award typically goes to the player who performed the best on the National Championship team.

Flagg's Duke team is currently projected to be a 1 seed, as is Broome's Auburn team. Smith's Purdue squad is currently slated to be a 2 seed, according to most bracketologists.

March Madness MVP history

If it seems like March Madness MVPs only come from teams that win the championship, you would be mostly right.

While it was a far more common practice for the tournament committee to honor the best player in the competition regardless of whether his team took home the title, that trend has long since faded. Here's a look at the list of NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Players since 2000 (the 2020 tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic):

YearPlayerCollegeTitle
2024Tristen NewtonUConn✅
2023Adama SanogoUConn✅
2022Ochai AgbajiKansas✅
2021Jared ButlerBaylor✅
2019Kyle GuyVirginia✅
2018Donte DiVincenzoVillanova✅
2017Joel Berry IINorth Carolina✅
2016Ryan ArciadaconoVillanova✅
2015Tyus JonesDuke✅
2014Shabazz NapierUConn✅
2013Luke HancockLouisville✅
2012Anthony DavisKentucky✅
2011Kemba WalkerUConn✅
2010Kyle SinglerDuke✅
2009Wayne EllingtonNorth Carolina✅
2008Mario ChalmersKansas✅
2007Corey BrewerFlorida✅
2006Joakim NoahFlorida✅
2005Sean MayNorth Carolina✅
2004Emeka OkaforUConn✅
2003Carmelo AnthonySyracuse✅
2002Juan DixonMaryland✅
2001Shane BattierDuke✅
2000Mateen CleavesMichigan State✅

There hasn't been an NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player from a non-title team since 1983 when future No. 1 pick and Pro Basketball Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon took home the honor for a Houston Cougars team that fell to NC State in the title game.

March Madness MVP FAQs

Who won the March Madness MVP last year?

UConn's Tristen Newton won the award despite having odds as long as +700 heading into the men's national championship. He beat out Purdue's Zach Edey and UConn's Donovan Clingan, the favorites by the March Madness MVP odds.

Edey's odds were as low as +175, representing an implied probability of 36.36%, while Clingan's were as low as +170, representing an implied probability of 37.04%. Newton's +700 odds implied a 12.50% probability that he would win the award.

How is the March Madness MVP determined?

Media members choose the tournament's Most Outstanding Player following the completion of the championship game.

How can I bet on the March Madness MVP?

Sports betting sites have menus devoted to March Madness markets; simply access these markets via your sportsbook of choice, search for "March Madness MVP" (or "Most Outstanding Player"), select the player you wish to bet on, set your stake and send it through!

When will March Madness MVP odds be available to bet on?

March Madness MVP odds typically appear right after the brackets are announced on Selection Sunday.

March Madness betting odds pages

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Here are our best March Madness betting sites:

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Written By:
Rob Paul
Rob is a Publishing Editor at Sportsbook Review. He’s been with the team since early 2024, with this being his first full-time role in the sports betting industry. Before joining SportsbookReview.com, he contributed to various sports outlets, including FanSided and Pro Football Network. During that period, he spent five years working full-time as a local community journalist, after attending Durham College for journalism and Wilfrid Laurier University for history. He previously hosted an NFL draft and college football-focused podcast where he had the opportunity to interact with future NFL players such as Maxx Crosby and Quinn Meinerz. Rob has spent multiple years working as a freelance podcast producer for numerous sports-related podcasts while making guest appearances on several college football shows. He’s also made guest appearances on SportsTalk Mississippi on several occasions to talk all things NFL draft. Rob values the way sports betting acts as a catalyst for telling stories and growing interest in certain sports, particularly FCS football, WNBA, and mid-major college basketball. He’s always been drawn to the more obscure teams and conferences in major college sports, but most of all, Rob loves using stats to find the best player props to back.