2023 NCAA odds: San Diego State buzzer-beater costly for FAU title, moneyline bettors
The San Diego State Aztecs celebrated after a thrilling 72-71 comeback victory over Florida Atlantic in the Final Four of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament on Saturday night in Houston.
Also rejoicing were Aztecs moneyline bettors (-154 at FOX Bet, bet $10 to win $16.49 total) after another razor-thin victory and Owls backers who took the 2.5 points.
Not celebrating: FAU moneyline bettors (+115, bet $10 to win $21.50 total).
Here's what happened down the stretch from a betting perspective.
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FAU led by as many as 14 points with 13:53 to go in the second half, but SDSU started pounding the offensive glass to make a comeback.
The Owls clung to a 71-70 lead when Johnell Davis missed a short shot that was partially blocked with 10 seconds to go. SDSU grabbed the rebound and, despite having one timeout left, took off downcourt.
The ball got to Lamont Butler, and after stepping dangerously close to the end line while on the dribble, he launched a jumper from the wing.
As the ball was in the air, the buzzer sounded.
Swish.
The Aztecs are now one win from the national title.
Some bettors cashed in as some sportsbooks offered odds on whether there would be a buzzer-beater in the tournament. The odds were +1800, which paid off with a $954 profit for one bettor who plunked down $53.
Of course, if some bettors are celebrating, others are ripping up their tickets.
One bettor put down $200 to win $100,000 at +50000 on the Owls winning the national championship.
Turns out the bettor was also on Miami against UConn.
Ouch.
The Owls hurt themselves by allowing the Aztecs to get second chances offensively. SDSU finished with 12 offensive rebounds, several coming after the Aztecs were 13-for-22 shooting (59.1%) on free throws.
Hall of Famer and TV commentator Charles Barkley said on the CBS broadcast that that was lethal for the Owls.
"You should never give up an offensive rebound on a free throw. You've got inside position," said Barkley, who ranks in the top 20 in NBA career rebounding. "They've gotta be kicking themselves, FAU."
Rough night for FAU bettors, but the madness continues.
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