Underdogs carry books to another big day in NCAA tourney
Bettors that slept in on the second day of the NCAA Tournament missed out on another fast start by favorites, who started 5-0 ATS for the second straight day.
The underdogs woke up late again Friday, covering nine of the final 11 first-round matchups with six outright wins to deliver another big winning day for the sportsbooks.
“It was another dog day afternoon,” MGM Resorts director of trading Jeff Stoneback said. “It was another rough day for the bettors.”
On the day after St. Patrick’s Day, as many visitors to Las Vegas books nursed hangovers, the Fighting Irish made them feel worse. No. 11 seed Notre Dame whipped No. 6 Alabama 78-64 to deal bettors their biggest loss.
Two days after outlasting Rutgers in double overtime in the First Four, the Irish rolled as 4-point underdogs and +160 on the money line.
“Our biggest win was Notre Dame outright versus Alabama,” Westgate SuperBook vice president Jay Kornegay said. “It was a horrible spot for the Irish and I don’t really blame people for supporting Alabama.
“It’s always a tough spot when you have to play a couple days before while the other team rests and then you have to travel across the country.”
Backdoor covers
Auburn, Texas Tech, Purdue and Villanova all covered as double-digit favorites. But Duke and Arizona bettors were burned by backdoor covers.
The Blue Devils beat Cal State Fullerton 78-61 but didn’t cover as 18½-point favorites. Duke’s win was never in doubt but the cover was undecided in the final 61 seconds as the teams traded hoops and crowds at the books roared with each basket.
Duke went ahead 76-57 on a 3-pointer by Joey Baker with 1:01 left. The Titans cut it to 17 with 36 seconds left on two free throws by Lado Laku.
Theo John scored on a putback dunk to give Duke a 19-point lead and apparent cover with 10 seconds remaining. But Dante Maddox Jr. threw down an uncontested dunk with four seconds to go to give the Titans a cover.
Arizona (-21½) also won but didn’t cover, beating Wright State 87-70 after leading by 20 with 1:10 left. Over bettors also were left frustrated when, needing one point to push the game over the total of 157½ (at the Westgate), the Wildcats dribbled out the final 30 seconds.
“Getting the late backdoor covers by Wright State and Fullerton really changed the complexion of the day dramatically,” Red Rock Resort sportsbook director Chuck Esposito said. “Those were two huge games.”
No. 13 Chattanooga, an 8-point underdog, led the entire game against No. 4 Illinois until the final minute, when the Fighting Illini took their first lead and hung on for a 54-53 win.
Miami sweat machine
Miami bettors had to sweat out its 68-66 win over Southern California. Profusely.
The Hurricanes, 2-point underdogs, led by seven with 44 seconds left before the Trojans improbably rallied to tie the game. Drew Peterson hit a 3-pointer to cut it to four and, after a Miami turnover, Peterson nailed another 3 to make it a 1-point game with 26 seconds left. Sam Waardenburg then made one of two free throws for the Canes to push the lead back to two before Peterson tied it with a layup with 14 seconds to go.
With overtime looming, Charlie Moore was fouled on a drive to the hoop with three seconds left and converted both free throws to make it 68-66. It wasn’t over until Peterson’s half-court heave at the buzzer bounced off the backboard and rim.
Bad beat
Bettors who backed Virginia Tech +½ over Texas in the first half suffered a brutal beat. Storm Murphy made two free throws with three seconds left to give the Hokies a 32-31 lead as Virginia Tech backers rejoiced. But it wasn’t over. Marcus Carr made a buzzer-beating bomb from beyond half court to give the Longhorns a 34-32 halftime lead and leave Hokies bettors in disbelief.
Lady Rebels
UNLV women’s basketball team is a 12½-point underdog to Arizona in Saturday night’s NCAA Tournament first-round game in Tucson. The Lady Rebels are 8-1 at Caesars Sportsbook on the money line (to win the game).
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.