[h=1]Worst bad beats of tourney's first weekend[/h]
Rob NelsonESPN Staff Writer
Rob Nelson of ESPN Stats & Information revisits the worst bad beats from the first weekend of the NCAA tournament.
Note: Closing lines are courtesy of Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook and pick percentages are via Wunderdog sports.
[h=2]Friday[/h]
Temple Owls vs. Iowa Hawkeyes
Closing line: Over/under 139.5
This game marked the first of three that ended in a buzzer-beater during the NCAA tournament's opening weekend. While Iowa rejoiced after Adam Woodbury's put-back in overtime kept them dancing, the 48 percent of bettors who took the under wished the Hawkeyes had just taken care of business in regulation.<inline1 style="box-sizing: border-box;"></inline1>
Iowa led by double-digits in the second half, and by a score of 61-56 with less than two minutes left. The 117 combined points were 22.5 shy of the closing total. Up by two with eight seconds left, Peter Jok could have sealed a win for both the Hawkeyes and folks on the under by making both his free throws. Jok would make just one of two, and with two seconds left, Anthony Clemmonsfouled Quenton DeCosey on a 3-point attempt. DeCousey proceeded to make all three free throws and send the game to overtime at 63 apiece. Josh Brown's jumper with less than a minute left in overtime sent the total over, officially sealing the fate of bettors on the under.
Final score: Iowa 72, Temple 70 (game goes over)
Michigan Wolverines vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Closing line: Notre Dame -3
Only 26 percent of the action was on Michigan to cover, but those folks looked like they were on the right side at halftime. The Wolverines made seven 3-pointers and led the Fighting Irish by 12 after 20 minutes.
Notre Dame flipped the script in the second half and took its first lead of the game with just over nine minutes left. After the teams went back and forth down the stretch, Michigan had the ball down three with less than 15 seconds left, but missed its final three shots of the game and ultimately lost by seven. Bettors who lost by taking the Wolverines were ultimately done in by their cold shooting in second half. Michigan shot 9-32 (28.1 percent) and was outscored by 19 after halftime.
Final score: Notre Dame 70, Michigan 63 (Notre Dame covers)
[h=2]Saturday[/h]
Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. Utah Utes
Closing line: Over/under 138.5
Sometimes an over/under comes down to bench players making or missing shots in garbage time. And in this case, those who took the under saw a couple of players they had probably never heard of cost them their bet.
Gonzaga -- who was actually a slight favorite in this game despite being an 11 seed -- led 80-54 with less than a minute left. This was only the fourth game in the last two seasons that Utah allowed at least 80 points. The total stood at 134, 4.5 shy of the closing total. Utah's Gabe Bealer started the scoring in the final minute with a layup that gave him his first points since February. Gonzaga'sJack Beach responded with a bucket of his own, which marked the first points of his career. And with the clock ticking down, bettors on the under were hanging on by a half-point until Bealer struck again, nailing a 3-pointer with 10 seconds left.
Final score: Gonzaga 82, Utah 59 (game goes over)
[h=2]Sunday[/h]
Northern Iowa Panthers vs. Texas A&M Aggies
Closing money line: Northern Iowa +290, Texas A&M -350
Those who took Northern Iowa +7 would ultimately hang on and win their bet (if they didn't, it would have gone down as one of the worst beats of all-time). But 48 percent of the moneyline bets were on the Panthers in this game, and those folks suffered the worst beat of the weekend.
Texas A&M trailed by 12 with less than 40 seconds left, before orchestrating one of the great comebacks in college basketball history; others might call it an all-time collapse by Northern Iowa. Either way, it marked the largest last-minute deficit overcome to win in Division I history. The Aggies scored 14 of the last 16 points in regulation, forcing four turnovers in the final 40 seconds. Those who took Northern Iowa money line would have cashed in on the third-biggest upset of the weekend (behind Middle Tennessee and Arkansas-Little Rock), but instead fell victim to an historic comeback/collapse.
Final score: Texas A&M 92, Northern Iowa 88 (UNI money line loses)
Rob NelsonESPN Staff Writer
Rob Nelson of ESPN Stats & Information revisits the worst bad beats from the first weekend of the NCAA tournament.
Note: Closing lines are courtesy of Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook and pick percentages are via Wunderdog sports.
[h=2]Friday[/h]
Temple Owls vs. Iowa Hawkeyes
Closing line: Over/under 139.5
This game marked the first of three that ended in a buzzer-beater during the NCAA tournament's opening weekend. While Iowa rejoiced after Adam Woodbury's put-back in overtime kept them dancing, the 48 percent of bettors who took the under wished the Hawkeyes had just taken care of business in regulation.<inline1 style="box-sizing: border-box;"></inline1>
Iowa led by double-digits in the second half, and by a score of 61-56 with less than two minutes left. The 117 combined points were 22.5 shy of the closing total. Up by two with eight seconds left, Peter Jok could have sealed a win for both the Hawkeyes and folks on the under by making both his free throws. Jok would make just one of two, and with two seconds left, Anthony Clemmonsfouled Quenton DeCosey on a 3-point attempt. DeCousey proceeded to make all three free throws and send the game to overtime at 63 apiece. Josh Brown's jumper with less than a minute left in overtime sent the total over, officially sealing the fate of bettors on the under.
Final score: Iowa 72, Temple 70 (game goes over)
Michigan Wolverines vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Closing line: Notre Dame -3
Only 26 percent of the action was on Michigan to cover, but those folks looked like they were on the right side at halftime. The Wolverines made seven 3-pointers and led the Fighting Irish by 12 after 20 minutes.
Notre Dame flipped the script in the second half and took its first lead of the game with just over nine minutes left. After the teams went back and forth down the stretch, Michigan had the ball down three with less than 15 seconds left, but missed its final three shots of the game and ultimately lost by seven. Bettors who lost by taking the Wolverines were ultimately done in by their cold shooting in second half. Michigan shot 9-32 (28.1 percent) and was outscored by 19 after halftime.
Final score: Notre Dame 70, Michigan 63 (Notre Dame covers)
[h=2]Saturday[/h]
Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. Utah Utes
Closing line: Over/under 138.5
Sometimes an over/under comes down to bench players making or missing shots in garbage time. And in this case, those who took the under saw a couple of players they had probably never heard of cost them their bet.
Gonzaga -- who was actually a slight favorite in this game despite being an 11 seed -- led 80-54 with less than a minute left. This was only the fourth game in the last two seasons that Utah allowed at least 80 points. The total stood at 134, 4.5 shy of the closing total. Utah's Gabe Bealer started the scoring in the final minute with a layup that gave him his first points since February. Gonzaga'sJack Beach responded with a bucket of his own, which marked the first points of his career. And with the clock ticking down, bettors on the under were hanging on by a half-point until Bealer struck again, nailing a 3-pointer with 10 seconds left.
Final score: Gonzaga 82, Utah 59 (game goes over)
[h=2]Sunday[/h]
Northern Iowa Panthers vs. Texas A&M Aggies
Closing money line: Northern Iowa +290, Texas A&M -350
Those who took Northern Iowa +7 would ultimately hang on and win their bet (if they didn't, it would have gone down as one of the worst beats of all-time). But 48 percent of the moneyline bets were on the Panthers in this game, and those folks suffered the worst beat of the weekend.
Texas A&M trailed by 12 with less than 40 seconds left, before orchestrating one of the great comebacks in college basketball history; others might call it an all-time collapse by Northern Iowa. Either way, it marked the largest last-minute deficit overcome to win in Division I history. The Aggies scored 14 of the last 16 points in regulation, forcing four turnovers in the final 40 seconds. Those who took Northern Iowa money line would have cashed in on the third-biggest upset of the weekend (behind Middle Tennessee and Arkansas-Little Rock), but instead fell victim to an historic comeback/collapse.
Final score: Texas A&M 92, Northern Iowa 88 (UNI money line loses)
