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Luka Garza‘s decision to return for his senior season at Iowa is shaping up to culminate in winning the Wooden Award as the nation’s best player.

The 6-foot-11 Garza is leading the nation in scoring coming off a 33-point effort in No. 5 Iowa’s 86-71 win over No. 16 Minnesota. Averaging 26.6 points and 8.6 rebounds through 13 games, Garza is the -500 favorite to win the Wooden Award at DraftKings, where he is backed by eight percent of the bets and 23 percent of the handle.



Gonzaga’s Jalen Suggs and Drew Timme have the second-lowest odds at +2000, with Suggs backed by 12 percent of the bets and 15 percent of the handle compared to Timme’s 6 and 10 percent, respectively.

Garza entered the 2020 NBA Draft following his All-American junior year but ultimately withdrew his name the day before the deadline. The Big Ten player of the year was a runner-up to Obi Toppin of Dayton for both the Naismith Award and the Associated Press National Player of the Year in 2019-20.

Top-ranked Gonzaga continues to lead the NCAA Tournament odds, with the Bulldogs offered at +350 by DraftKings. They are backed by 22 percent of the bets and 28 percent of the handle, with the next closest teams being Baylor (+800) backed by eight percent of the bets and Illinois (+1100) backed by 9 percent of the handle.

Villanova has the second-shortest odds at +700, but the Wildcats have only received four percent of the bets and are backed by 5 percent of the handle at the sportsbook.

–Field Level Media (@FieldLevelMedia)