​College basketball season doesn’t start for another few months, but some oddsmakers out in Las Vegas are already getting busy.Several sportsbooks have already come out with their odds on which player is most likely to win the John Wooden Award, which is given each year to the top player in college basketball.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementTowards the top of that list is none other than Illinois forward David Mirkovic, who currently has the third-best odds to bring home the award at roughly +1400.Mirkovic is coming off of an impressive freshman season, where he averaged 13.3 points, eight rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.The 20-year-old made the jump to college basketball after playing professionally in Montenegro, and he didn’t miss a beat, becoming an integral piece of the Illini’s Final Four team last season.With the departure of All-American guard Keaton Wagler, the door is open for Mirkovic to make a big-time jump in year two and potentially be the focal point of head coach Brad Underwood’s offense, making him an easy candidate to be at the top of the NCAA.Currently, the odds-on favorite to win the John Wooden Award is Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears, someone Mirkovic will get the chance to take on head-to-head in 2026-27.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFears’ odds are +850, while Florida’s Thomas Haugh sits at +1000.Illini newcomer Stefan Vaaks just narrowly missed the top ten, as he has the 11th-best odds and is +3500.