NCAAW Wooden Award Winner Predictions, Odds & Favorites: Watkins a Heavy Favorite

• If you are looking to bet on the NCAAW Wooden Award winner, you’ll be down to three options at sportsbooks that still have odds posted: JuJu Watkins (USC), Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame), and Lauren Betts (UCLA).

• At this point, Watkins is a heavy favorite to win with -500 odds via BetMGM, giving her an 83.33% chance of winning.

• Hidalgo’s odds give her a 16.67% chance; Betts’ odds give her a 9.09% chance.

Several players have had exceptional seasons this year, but it appears as if the 2024-25 Women’s Wooden Award recognizing the best NCAAW player in the country will come down to three: USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins, Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo, and UCLA center Lauren Betts.

The competition was tight for much of the year between Watkins, Hidalgo, and the preseason favorite, UConn guard Paige Bueckers. But Bueckers play, while solid, did not measure up to Watkins or Hidalgo.

Betts, as the best player on the team ranked No. 1 for most of the season, finally started getting attention late in the year. Hidalgo and Watkins were finalists, along with Paige Bueckers, last year when Caitlin Clark won.

The winner is announced following the conclusion of March Madness.

NCAAW Wooden Awards Odds

Here are the odds for the top ten players listed at FanDuel Sportsbook. To place a bet, click on the words ‘Bet Here’ located below the player’s odds. New bettors new to FanDuel can claim the following bonus: Bet $5, Get $200 in Bonus Bets if Your Bet Wins.

List of the 20 Players on the Late Midseason Wooden Awards List

• Georgia Amoore, Kentucky

• Lauren Betts, UCLA

• Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt

• Madison Booker, Texas

• Paige Bueckers, UConn

• Talaysia Cooper, Tennessee

• Audi Crooks, Iowa State

• Yvonne Ejim, Gonzaga

• Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame

• Aziaha James, NC State

• Flau'Jae Johnson, LSU

• Ta'Niya Latson, Florida State

• Cotie McMahon, Ohio State

• Olivia Miles, Notre Dame

• Aneesah Morrow, LSU

• Te-Hina Paopao, South Carolina

• Sedona Prince, TCU

• Sarah Strong, UConn

• Hailey Van Lith, TCU

• JuJu Watkins, USC

NCAAW Wooden Award Trends

• In its 21-year history, the award has gone to 12 seniors, 7 juniors, 1 sophomore, and 1 freshman.

• The position breakdown is as follows: 9 guards, 5 centers, and 7 forwards.

• Five of the last six winners were guards.

• Eight winners were from the national championship winner; four of those winners were from UConn.

• Six winners have come from UConn; two from LSU, Tennessee, Baylor, Oregon, South Carolina, and Iowa; Stanford, Washington, and Duke have each had one.

• There have been seven 2X-winners; six were back-to-back winners.

• One winner’s team lost in the national title game, eight lost in the Final Four, one lost in the Elite Eight, and two lost in the Sweet 16

2025 NCAAW Wooden Award Odds: The Top Three

Several women have been playing incredible basketball this season, but the odds at online sportsbooks have the race down to three (five are listed, but two don’t even have a 1% chance). We’re talking, of course, about JuJu Watkins, Hannah Hidalgo, and Lauren Betts.

Let’s take a closer look at these three players:

JuJu Watkins, Guard, USC (-150 at FanDuel)

• Per Game Stats: 24.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists

• Team‘s AP Rank: No. 4

A signature moment can go a long way toward helping a player win an award like the Wooden. Recording a double-double (38 points and 11 rebounds) in a win over then-No. 1 UCLA certainly qualifies as just such a moment.

Just in case anyone still has doubts, she’ll get a chance to do it again in a couple of weeks. USC and UCLA will close out the regular season on the Bruins home court on Mar. 1.

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Hannah Hidalgo, Guard, Notre Dame (+220 at FanDuel)

• Per Game Stats: 24.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists

• Team’s AP Rank: No. 2

Hidalgo is having as good of a season as Watkins in most statistical categories, if not better. But she is missing something Watkins does have—a moment that screams to voters, “Vote for me!”  Watkins had hers in a big win over the No. 1 ranked team in the country.

As for Hidalgo, she scored 24 on USC back in November, had 30 points and eight rebounds vs. Texas in early December, and nearly posted a triple-double against then No. 2 UConn. All were good nights, but they can’t compare to a double-double in a win vs. the No. 1 team in the country.

Her best chance now may be if Watkins struggles in the rematch with UCLA while Lauren Betts goes off. 

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Lauren Betts, Center, UCLA (+400 at FanDuel)

• Per Game Stats: 19.5 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists

• Team’s AP Rank: No. 3

Betts had a solid night against USC on Feb. 13 with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Had UCLA gone on to win that game (60-71), we might be talking about her being the favorite right now instead of Watkins. She’ll have one last shot when UCLA and USC play again on Mar. 1.

Should she have a big night in a win over the Trojans, voters will have some serious thinking to do.

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2025 NCAAW Wooden Awards Odds: My Picks

Favorite:  JuJu Watkins (-150 at FanDuel)

As long as Watkins closes out the regular season without any stumbles, the Wooden Award is probably hers. The only game that could be problematic is the season finale vs. UCLA. If she flops and Betts shines, voters will not have an easy choice.

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Dark Horse/Long Shot: Hannah Hidalgo/Lauren Betts (+220/+400 at FanDuel)

The problem with betting on either is that they are dependent on her having a bad night in the rematch with UCLA. If she struggles and Betts shines, that could open the door for Hidalgo or Betts.

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Women’s Wooden Award History 

The NCAA has been naming a Women’s Wooden Award winner since the 2004 season, while the men’s version of the award originated in 1977. A 12-member National Advisory Board chooses a field of 15 players for the ballot, which is handed out to 250 sportswriters and sportscasters.

Below is a list of Women’s Wooden Award winners:

How to Read Women’s Wooden Award Odds 

Futures odds, like for the Women’s Wooden Award, consist of at least three numbers preceded by a plus (+) or minus (-). 

The odds for most players (if not all) will be listed with a plus sign. No player listed with a plus sign has a better than 50% chance of winning. But at any given point during the season, there could be a player that has outperformed the rest of the field so much that she has a better than 50% chance, and a minus (-) sign in front of her odds. Such players are considered the “odds on favorite) and will have at least a 50% chance of winning. This typically does not occur until late in the season and one player has dominated the competition for most of the season.

Oftentimes, every market will have plus money odds; the market with the shortest odds is considered the betting favorite. However, at most, they have a 50% chance of winning (+100). 

In a market with plus-money odds, the odds are how much bettors can win if they bet $100. For example, bet on Paige Bueckers to win the Women’s Wooden Award at +160, and a $100 wager will result in a $260 payout (your stake plus $160 in winnings).

With minus odds, the odds are what bettors will have to wager to win $100. For example, bet on Paige Bueckers to win the Women’s Wooden Award late in the year when she’s a heavy favorite at -700, and you'll need to risk $700 to win $100.

You do not have to bet $100 if you do not want to. If you want to see what you can win with the stake you are willing to bet, check out our odds calculator.

How to Choose the Best Sportsbook for Betting on the Women’s Wooden Award Odds

Now that you have some insights into the Women’s Wooden Award let’s examine a few of the sportsbooks where you can place a bet. You can check out our full sportsbook reviews on our sportsbooks page, but here is a quick look at three of the leading online sportsbooks to help you decide.

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