March Madness Most Outstanding Player picks: Cooper Flagg, Walter Clayton Jr. and long shots

New York Times

25-03-2025

Big stage. Bright lights. All the eyeballs.
The NCAA Tournament is college basketball's marquee event where bettors grip tickets, coaches profusely sweat and unforgettable stars are born.
March is the single best month on the sports calendar. It's not remotely close. Yes, even when chalk reigns supreme.
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Disagree? Meet me at the monkey bars at 3:15 sharp.
Today, we're here to look at the Most Outstanding Player award from a betting perspective.
From Bill Russell to Danny Manning to Carmelo Anthony to UConn's Tristen Newton — last year's Most Outstanding Player award winner — the MADNESS has forged indelible memories and prompted players to achieve legendary status.
With betting odds finally posted for one of the game's most prestigious awards, let's dive into which player from this year's group of candidates could yield a bumper crop of bank for backers. If you're putting down a few bucks on this futures bet, here are a few worthy names.
All of Durham collectively gasped when the Wooden Award frontrunner gruesomely wrenched his ankle in the second round of the ACC Tournament. To everyone's surprise, Flagg healed rapidly, showing zero hindrances in sweat-free triumphs over Mount St. Mary's and Baylor. Over those contests, he totaled an impressive 32 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists. He also cleaned up in defensive categories, collecting three total blocks. The 18-year-old has more tools than what's affixed to Batman's belt. He owns outstanding ball skills, finishes at the rim, dishes precise passes, splashes threes and plays plus defense. Given the Blue Devils' high expectations and fairly unobstructed path to San Antonio, he's understandably the odds-on favorite to win the award. Honestly, the 3:1 price feels like stealing. The Blue Devils are currently listed at +225 to win it all at BetMGM, so betting on Flagg here might be a little more bang for your buck, especially if you like Duke to win it all.
A human monsoon, Clayton is capable of torrential downpours. Pack a raincoat, opponents. Unsurprisingly, he's No. 3 in KenPom's Player of the Year ratings. In the early round of appetizers, he satisfied every stomach. The point-man averaged 23 points per game, burying the competition from the arc (52.9 3PT%). His late three in a hard-fought battle versus UConn propelled the Gators to victory and Dan Hurley to end-game expletives. With Florida arguably still the team to beat in this year's Dance, he's worth an investment. After all, the 'all about guard play' narrative often proves true. Nine of the last 10 MOPs have been true ones or twos. On a title frontrunner, betting on a tour de force at the position isn't just the tequila talking, especially at +600.
The premier paint patroller in the college game, Broome is a walking, talking double-double. This season, he's reached the achievement in a whopping 19 games. Broome is an old-school banger. His back-down game, quick pivots, around-the-rim jumpers and occasional arc conversions are why he's enormously challenging to contain. With opponents keying on him, the big man's interior presence greatly assists the Tigers' exterior production. On the season, Bruce Pearl's bunch has shot 36.6 percent from three. If Auburn's suddenly forgiving defense can tighten — they rank No. 153 in eFG% D over the last month — and make a run to San Antonio, Broome's MOP odds will inevitably shrink toward minus territory. If you're buying the Tigers, this is the more valuable national title ticket to own.
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The price attached to Lanier is downright lovely. Tennessee's leading scorer is well-equipped to hit shots from virtually every spot on the floor. Particularly dangerous from outside, he's drilled 41 percent this season along the arc. Lanier is also blessed with mid-range accuracy and strong to-the-bucket skills; he's built to score. Look at what he achieved against Wofford and UCLA. He tallied 49 total points in those matchups, nailing 10 combined threes. Many will claim that backing a Rick Barnes-coached player is an exercise in futility. The man's coaching record in NCAA Tournament games is less than spectacular. Underreported, though, he previously reached three Elite Eights and a Final Four. This year's Vols own the goods to punch their ticket to Alamo City. Their deliberate pace, excellent defense and bevy of scorers shouldn't be immediately written off. And Lanier is what makes Tennessee tick.
Unlike the Dairy version, Maryland's Queen is far from soft serve. See his buzzer-beating 'with a kiss' against Colorado State in the Round of 32 — liberal steps and all. Onions! Since the calendar flipped to 2025, his NBA Draft stock has skyrocketed. An enforcer near the tin, whether functioning as a staunch defender or efficient scorer, he's notched multiple-game MVP-level performances. Since February 1, he's impressively logged a double-double in nine of 12 games. He and Julian Reese are the claws of the Crab Five and the biggest reason why many describe the Terps as a 'Final Four sleeper.' Yes, question Kevin Willard's March coaching record all you want, but the Big Ten reps have enough turtle power to reach the deep heart of Texas. Master Splinter would agree. At 50-1, Queen is definitely worth a little sprinkle.
DERIK QUEEN AT THE BUZZER 🚨
Maryland is headed to the Sweet 16 🔥
📷 @CBSSports | @TerrapinHoops pic.twitter.com/7vOX9QWLun
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) March 24, 2025
(Photo of Walter Clayton Jr.: Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images)
Brad Evans is a Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Famer and a leading NCAA basketball bracket predictor with a focus on betting transparency. Formerly of Yahoo Sports, Bally Sports and SiriusXM, he is now the owner and operator of Team Huevos and an author at The Gaming Juice. You can hear him daily nationwide on BetMGM Tonight across Audacy stations and on the Audacy app.