Eventful day sees a Goliath fall, half of 16 ‘dogs deliver
TULSA, Okla. — Early in the morning, the first eye-opening upset of the NCAA Tournament unfolded. It was fitting that Matt Howard finished it off for Butler, the lovable underdog of last year’s dance.
It was a small upset, and the victim was Old Dominion, so it was not exactly a big deal.
But when an uppercut to the chin floored Rick Pitino, a Goliath fell. At least one heavy favorite was bound to go down Thursday.
That’s basically all we got, but it was enough.
Plenty of games went to the wire and, of course, there was the seemingly meaningless 3-pointer to beat the spread and trigger an uproar throughout the jam-packed Las Vegas sports books.
"This is my favorite event of the year. In fact, it’s not even close," said Mike Colbert, M Resort sports book director for Cantor Gaming. "No complaints. Tremendous games."
The most tremendous finish came at Pitino’s expense, in what he called one of the toughest losses of his long coaching career. It was fun to watch.
Demonte Harper’s 3-pointer from the top with 4.2 seconds left hit the bottom of the net and Morehead State, a 10-point underdog, stunned fourth-seeded Louisville, 62-61.
A while later, Dick Vitale, who picked the Cardinals to reach the Final Four, was on Twitter making a new pick to win the Southwest Region. Sorry, Dick, but no revisions allowed, baby.
The 16 games ended in an 8-8 split between ‘dogs and favorites. Butler, Gonzaga, Richmond and UCLA did not shock the betting world with their upsets.
The Bulldogs, seeded No. 8 but 1½-point underdogs, edged Old Dominion 60-58 on Howard’s buzzer-beating layup on a broken play. (Every time I see the replay, I still hope for Gordon Hayward’s half-court shot to drop against Duke in last year’s championship.)
Morehead State advanced to face 12th-seeded Richmond, which knocked off Vanderbilt 69-66 as Kevin Anderson scored 25 points, including a tough fadeaway jumper with 18 seconds remaining.
That development did not screw up my bracket. I’ve got the Spiders in the Sweet 16, so I won’t be on Twitter making a new pick.
Gonzaga, which attracted a lot of late action but still closed as a 1-point ‘dog at several books, took apart St. John’s, 86-71. The Zags, seeded 11th in the Southeast, advanced to a showdown with Jimmer Fredette and Brigham Young.
Fredette scored 32 points — topping his prop total at Lucky’s sports books of 29½ — to lift the Cougars to a 74-66 victory over Wofford. An eight-point game can feature a scintillating finish, and this was proof.
After Fredette launched a late air ball, a Wofford player whose name I don’t know drilled a 3 to beat the spread before the clock expired. The Terriers were 8½-point underdogs. After the unknown player hit the shot, we roared in the media room here in Tulsa, and I was told the same happened in the Las Vegas books.
Michigan State, seeded 10th but favored by 1½ points, trailed by 23 in the second half. Tom Izzo coached the Spartans to a late charge before they were eliminated 78-76 by UCLA.
Princeton nearly pulled off the day’s biggest stunner. But star freshman Brandon Knight scored his only points of the game on a layup with two seconds left to lift Kentucky to a 59-57 victory over the Tigers, 13-point ‘dogs as a No. 13 seed. My bracket had Princeton in the Sweet 16, so that was disappointing.
Temple, a 2½-point favorite, failed to cover by the hook when Juan Fernandez made a difficult jumper with less than a second to go in a 66-64 victory over Penn State.
Popular underdogs Belmont, Bucknell, UC Santa Barbara and Utah State were flops, and Bucknell and UCSB were completely outclassed. Connecticut, Florida, San Diego State and Wisconsin were the most impressive winners as favorites.
It was only one day of action. We’ve got nine days remaining in a wild tournament. There are first-half and halftime lines and in-running wagering, if just betting the sides is not entertainment enough.
"The books never run out of money. The bettors have to last four long, grueling days, and it’s hard to do," Colbert said. "I’d say this is probably the biggest square betting event of the year, but that’s fine."
Colbert said he likes Notre Dame, Memphis and Long Island today. I’m on Oakland and Indiana State for starters.
More upsets and fantastic finishes are on the way. The NCAA Tournament is anything but a predictable script.
Contact sports betting columnist Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. He co-hosts the "Las Vegas Sportsline" weeknights at midnight on KDWN-AM (720) and thelasvegassportsline.com.
