Yahoo Finance March Madness betting roundup: $330K on Alabama cashes, $360K Kansas bet crashes
The second round of the NCAA tournament concluded on Monday and BetMGM received significant action.
BetMGM reported five six-figure bets on the day, and three of them cashed. The two others, however, ended up as losers.
Let’s dive in on what went right and what went wrong.
$330K on Alabama -5
We’ll start on a positive note. In the East Region, one bettor at BetMGM was all over No. 2 Alabama as a five-point favorite against No. 10 Maryland.
The bettor put down a $330,000 bet on the Tide to cover the spread. Alabama covered easily, winning 96-77 to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2004. The Terps were within striking distance at halftime, trailing by just eight, but the Tide blew the doors open in the second half en route to a blowout win.
The bettor won $300,000 without breaking much of a sweat.
$360K on Kansas +2
The largest bet of the day was placed on the final game of the Round of 32: No. 3 Kansas vs. No. 6 USC in the West Region. Kansas was a 1.5-point underdog, but one bettor at BetMGM bought half a point to take the Jayhawks at +2 with -120 odds.
The bet was a whopping $360,000. And if Kansas covered, the bettor would have won $300,000. USC, though, ended up blowing the doors off the joint in an emphatic 85-51 blowout.
It was an incredible performance from the Trojans. USC shot 57.1% from the field and a ridiculous 61.1% from long distance. USC’s lead was 40-21 at halftime and that lead continued to grow in the second half.
At least this particular bettor knew their fate early on and didn’t have to sweat out a bad beat.
Meanwhile, USC coach Andy Enfield improved to a perfect 9-0 ATS in the NCAA tournament.
$165K on Oregon +5
The first game of the day came out of the West Region with No. 2 seed Iowa facing off with No. 7 Oregon. The Ducks moved into the Round of 32 without playing. Their first-round opponent, VCU, was unable to play due to COVID-19 cases. Iowa advanced thanks to an 86-74 victory over Grand Canyon.
Luka Garza posted 24 points in the win over Grand Canyon and was even better against Oregon, posting 36 points. But Garza needed a lot more help from his teammates — especially on the defensive end.
Iowa was a five-point favorite, but ended up getting blasted by the hot-shooting Ducks, 95-80. One BetMGM customer was all over the Ducks, putting down $165,000 on Oregon and the points. The bet won $150,000.
$224K on Abilene Christian +5
One bettor at BetMGM put down a $224,400 bet on Abilene Christian, fresh off its shocking upset over Texas in the first round.
The bet was for ACU to cover as five-point underdogs against UCLA, but the Wildcats, the No. 14 seed in the East, were unable to keep the positive vibes going against the Bruins. ACU struggled mightily from the field and fell behind by 10 points, 31-21, at halftime. UCLA then opened the second half on a 14-2 run and went on to win comfortably, 67-47.
The bet would have won $204,000. Instead, that money stayed with the sportsbook.
$168K on Florida State -1
Another big bet came in on Florida State as a one-point favorite over Colorado in the East Region.
This particular bettor wagered $168,300 on the Seminoles to cover the spread. It was another bet that won easily. FSU led by just four at halftime, but ended up cruising to a 71-53 victory to advance to the Sweet 16 for the third consecutive NCAA tournament.
In the win, FSU was led by 22 points from Anthony Polite while Colorado leading scorer McKinley Wright IV was held to just 10 points. CU shot only 6-of-25 from long distance.
Thanks to that performance from FSU, this bettor won $153,000.
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