Kansas basketball duo listed as early player of the year favorites

As the 2024-25 college basketball season is set to begin, there are two players on this year’s Kansas basketball roster who oddsmakers like as potential Wooden Award winners when it’s all said and done.

Both Hunter Dickinson and AJ Storr find themselves listed among the favorites across multiple betting sites. Below is where the two players sit according to various sportsbooks as of Oct. 16:

• FanDuel: Dickinson +550 (No. 1 overall); Storr +4000 (tied at No. 7 overall)
• DraftKings: Dickinson +750 (No. 2 overall); Storr +2000 (tied at No. 4 overall)
• BetMGM: Dickinson +750 (No. 2 overall); Storr +2000 (tied at No. 6 overall)

The John R. Wooden Award is given annually to the best player in men’s and women’s college basketball as voted on by a panel of college basketball experts from across the country.

If either Dickinson or Storr were to win the award, they would join rare company as only two Jayhawks have ever taken home the honor in program history.

The first was Danny Manning following his stellar season in 1988 when he led the Jayhawks to a national championship. The second was Frank Mason III in 2017 who won the award after averaging 20.9 points and 5.2 assists per game during his senior season.

With a deeper roster than last year and several players capable of scoring on any given night, it’s unclear how that may impact either Dickinson or Storr’s chances of taking home the award if their points per game were to suffer because of all the talent on this year’s KU team.

Head coach Bill Self even mentioned recently that he would like to see Dickinson’s minutes drop compared to last season to better preserve him throughout the game.

However, the fact that both Dickinson and Storr are listed as two of the favorites for this year’s Wooden Award speaks to their talent and the types of seasons both players are expected to have.

If they end up being finalists for the award as the season goes on, it will only mean good things for KU’s chances of bringing home another championship this year.