Best Players To Watch Out For At March Madness

Caitlin Clark

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that Toronto’s own Zach Edey is the best player in college basketball – at least on the men’s side (Caitlin Clark might have something to say about that!). Edey is the reigning Wooden Award winner, and he’s all but sewn up his second Wooden after leading the Purdue Boilermakers back to the Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Edey was the obvious choice here at Bodog Sportsbook for our No. 1 Canadian player to keep an eye on at the Big Dance. So to avoid repeating ourselves in this space, we’re taking a slightly different approach for our overall best players to watch out for at March Madness.

MARCH MADNESS ODDS

As dominant as Edey has been at this level, his chances of making it as a professional are somewhat sketchy. For a quick comparison, think of the previous two Wooden winners, Luka Garza and Oscar Tshiebwe, quality Big Men on Campus who are struggling to carve out careers in the NBA.

With that in mind, we’re going to shine the spotlight on the five players who can have the most impact on the NCAA odds board at March Madness, while also having the best shot at continued success as a pro in 2024. This by no means spells doom for Edey, or for outstanding college players like fellow Wooden finalist Dalton Knecht (Tennessee), but if you love betting on basketball, these are the five players who we think deserve the most attention at the Big Dance and beyond.

1. Reed Sheppard, Guard, Kentucky Wildcats

He’s not the most famous name on this list, and he wasn’t tabbed as a Wooden Award finalist, but Sheppard has enjoyed the best season of anyone in our men’s bracket – even better than teammate Rob Dillingham, and the other higher-rated prospects from Kentucky’s outstanding freshman class.

It’s a toss-up whether Sheppard will be selected ahead of Dillingham at the NBA Draft on June 26. They’re projected to land somewhere around No. 10, behind a parade of mostly international players.  We could put both on our list here, but we’re going with Sheppard because the 6-foot-3 freshman guard is uncommonly good at defence.

Sheppard’s no slouch at the other end of the court. The local hero from nearby London, Kentucky was third in team scoring during the regular season at 12.8 points per game, while leading the Wildcats with 4.5 assists and a remarkable 52.5% success rate from downtown.

But it’s those 2.5 steals per game that sets Sheppard apart from his Kentucky teammates – including leading scorer and Wooden finalist Antonio Reeves, who may go undrafted this year as a senior. Sheppard is a bit small for a shooting guard at 6-foot-3, but he shows excellent footwork on defence, and uses his frame intelligently to disrupt larger opponents on the wing.

Put all of these top-shelf players together, and you’ve got the No. 3 seed in the South Region. Kentucky, who check in at +2200 to win March Madness, will face No. 14 Oakland (+3500) this Thursday at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh as 13-point favourites over the Golden Grizzlies.

2. Kyle Filipowski, Centre, Duke Blue Devils

Filipowski is the most recognizable player on this list, which comes with the territory when you’re the top player at Duke. And unlike some other 7-foot centres out there, Filipowski – also a Wooden Award finalist – is a strong two-way player with all the tools, one who could have been a lottery pick in last year’s NBA Draft.

Instead of turning pro, the pride of Westtown, New York returned to Durham for his sophomore campaign, after having offseason surgery on both his hips. Any concerns over his lateral movement have been assuaged; Filipowski led the Blue Devils this year with 17.1 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game while dishing out 2.8 assists and canning 35.0% of his trey attempts.

If Filipowski can take the Devils on another deep Tournament run, he might even hear his name called ahead of Sheppard’s at the NBA Draft. However, like most other Duke bigs of European ancestry, Filipowski has his skeptics when it comes to raw athletic ability. His 6-foot-10 wingspan is also worryingly small for his size.

Duke’s latest quest for the national championship begins as the No. 4 seed in the South Region, where they’re matched up against No. 13 Vermont on Friday at Barclays Center. The Blue Devils opened as +3000 outsiders to win the title; the Catamounts, champions of the American East, are +40000 to enjoy their one shining moment, and +11.5 to beat Duke in the first round.

3. Stephon Castle, Connecticut Huskies

The defending national champions have another hidden gem on their hands. Much like Sheppard at Kentucky, Castle is playing in the tall shadow of Donovan Clingan, the 7-foot-2 centre who leads the Huskies in just about every per-minute category – but only plays 22 minutes per game, which is part of the reason why Castle will probably be drafted ahead of Clingan.

It’s not just Clingan that’s drawing attention away from Castle. Senior guards Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer are UConn’s top scorers, and Newton is yet another Wooden finalist; however, neither is considered an NBA prospect, while No. 3 scorer Alex Karaban will be lucky to sneak into the second round.

Then you have Castle. Once again, it’s that defence that separates him from the pack and makes up for some of his athletic deficiencies. The 6-foot-6 lead guard from Covington, Georgia has the size to put pressure on all positions from 1 through 3, and he’s very strong off the ball as well, getting into space and cutting off passing lanes.

All told, Castle (10.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists per game) resembles a slightly smaller version of Toronto Raptors All-Star forward Scottie Barnes. That includes his jump shot, which was an issue for Barnes earlier in his career; Castle shot just 28.1% from downtown this year as a freshman.

With so many talented players around him, Castle will have every chance to shine at the Big Dance. His Huskies will be the No. 1 seed in the East Region, facing No. 16 Stetson on Friday in the first round at Barclays Center. As soon as the men’s March Madness bracket was announced, Bodog had UConn as the +400 title favourites on the NCAA odds board, with the Hatters tied for the bottom spot at +90000 and getting 26.5 points for their tilt with Connecticut.

4. Ja’Kobe Walter, Guard, Baylor Bears

If we were putting together this list in order of leading NBA prospects, Walter would be at the top. The 6-foot-5 freshman shooting guard (with a 6-foot-10 wingspan) is projected to go around No. 6 after leading Baylor with 14.2 points per game; Walter dropped 28 points on Auburn in his D-I debut, and finished the year on the All-Big 12 First Team.

There isn’t much that Walter can’t do on the court. Hailing from McKinney, Texas, Walter already has all the earmarks of a strong 3-and-D player, but his uncanny ability to get open shows plenty of upside. He’s exactly the kind of prospect NBA players will be looking for in what’s otherwise a weak draft on paper.

You certainly won’t find anything wrong with Walter’s shooting form. He’s done well for a first-year player at 34.0% from behind the arc, but it’s that 81.5% rate from the free-throw line that has scouts drooling.

Walter and the Bears (+3500 to win March Madness) have earned the No. 3 seed in the West Region, and a matchup with No. 14 Colgate Raiders on Friday at FedExForum in Memphis. After claiming the Patriot League title, the Raiders have a tough road ahead of them at +90000, let alone as 13-point underdogs to the Bears.

5. Caitlin Clark, Guard, Iowa Hawkeyes

We had to leave this spot open for the hottest player in all of Division I. Thanks in large part to Clark’s ascendance, women’s basketball has never been bigger; the women’s March Madness tournament made an early appearance on the odds board at Bodog Sportsbook last week, and we’ve got a series of Caitlin Clark specials available for her impending WNBA debut. You’ll also find a full Caitlin Clark biography as she prepares to lead Iowa into the Big Dance.

As far as Clark’s pro career is concerned, it’s a virtual lock that she’ll be selected No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever on April 15. Clark has already declared for the WNBA Draft, and Indianapolis artist Kwazar Martin has been busy painting a giant mural of her likeness, right next to current Indiana Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton.

In case it wasn’t obvious enough that Clark will be joining the Indiana Fever, she signed an NIL deal earlier this month with Gainbridge, the financial platform based in Indianapolis that is also the sponsor of Gainbridge Fieldhouse – home to both the Fever and the Pacers.

Which brings us to those WNBA specials. Clark is available at –320 to lead the Fever in scoring next year, and –120 to record at least 130 made 3-pointers. She’s also priced at –150 to score at least 22 points per game. This year’s leading scorer for Indiana was Kelsey Mitchell at 18.2 points per game with 102 made threes.

Before any of that can happen, Clark has some business to take care of. Iowa is the No.1 seed in the Albany Region for NCAAW March Madness, with a first-round tilt coming up either Friday or Saturday against either No. 16 Holy Cross or No. 16 UT-Martin. It won’t be easy for anyone to get past undefeated South Carolina (–130) this year, but if anyone can do it, it’s Clark and the second favourites from Iowa at +600.