USC’s JuJu Watkins won the coveted women’s John Wooden Award at the end of the 2024-25 college basketball season.
However, the Trojans’ star guard is sidelined for this entire season after suffering an ACL tear in her right knee last March — which means a new outstanding athlete will take the crown in a few months.
Here are the latest odds at DraftKings Sportsbook as of Jan. 26.
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Women’s John R. Wooden Award Winner 2026 (without NJ Players)
Sarah Strong (UConn): -600 (bet $10 to win $11.67 total)
Mikayla Blakes (Vanderbilt): +500 (bet $10 to win $60 total)
Audi Crooks (Iowa State): +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)
Madison Booker (Texas): +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
Lauren Betts (UCLA): +5000 (bet $10 to win $510 total)
Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame): +5000 (bet $10 to win $510 total)
Olivia Miles (TCU): +6500 (bet $10 to win $660 total)
Azzi Fudd (UConn): +10000 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total)
Here is what to know about the women’s Wooden Award oddsboard:
Strong Favorite: Sarah Strong has surged up this board over the last week and a half, taking over the top spot and moving to -600 from -105. During that time frame, she tallied at least 17 points in four of UConn’s games, including scoring 25 points, grabbing eight rebounds, five assists, four steals and one block in the Huskies’ 83-42 win over Georgetown. Another player who’s moved up is Mikayla Blakes, shifting to +500 from +2000. She’s averaging 24.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game for the 20-1 Commodores.
One to Watch: While Audi Crooks’ odds have dropped to +2000 from the favorite at -105, the Iowa State Cyclone is still one to watch. She leads her team in points (26.3), rebounds (7.2) and blocks (0.9). Iowa State is 2-7 over its last nine contests, including a 68-62 loss to Colorado on Jan. 14 in which Crooks had 17 points and 14 boards.
