March Madness Bad Beats
March Madness is living up to its name once again in 2021. Top teams are dropping like flies, and the perfect bracket yet again impossible to complete; there has been a ton of amazing action. March Madness is one of the best tournaments out there to wager on, and the nonstop basketball brings plenty of games to bet on. Every year there are bad beats in the tournament so let’s take a look at some of the worst beats and teams that are causing chaos.
Oral Roberts Destroying Brackets on their own
The Oral Roberts Golden Eagles men’s basketball team had a magical run in the NCAA tournament ended after making it to the Sweet 16 as a No. 15 seed. The Golden Eagles were eliminated after a 72-70 loss to No. 3 Arkansas. Oral Roberts served as one of the biggest bracket busters in this tournament, winning games against No. 2 Ohio State as +15 underdogs, defeating Florida at +9, and covering a +11.5 spread against Arkansas.
In each of their games in this tournament, they entered as major underdogs and were able to win or keep every game close going 3-0 against the spread. Not only did Oral Robers destroy brackets, but they also cashed massive Moneyline bets if you had the guts to take them. Hats off to Oral Roberts for a great run in the tournament against some really good teams.
Kansas vs Eastern Washington
Kansas battled Eastern Washington in a first-round matchup where the Jayhawks came out on top, winning 93-84. Kansas closed as a -10.5 favorite, and Eastern Washington had an unbelievable backdoor cover right as the game was ending. Other than big favorites that lost outright, this has to be one of the best backdoor covers of the entire tournament and, without a doubt, a major bad beat for people betting on Kansas against the spread.
Loyola Chicago Does it Again
Loyola Chicago men’s basketball made headlines a few years ago for making a run in the tournament with superfan Sister Jean in the stands. This year sister Jean was back in the stands supporting her school, and the team went on a run once again. Loyola Chicago knocked off No.1 seeded Illinois in dominant fashion. Illinois was one of the best teams in the NCAA all year and entered the game as -7 favorites. The Ramblers beat Illinois 71-58, eliminating one of the favorites to win the entire tournament.
Oregon Takes Down Iowa
The Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team took out the No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes, eliminating one of the main contenders in the tournament. Iowa had an outstanding season but was unable to keep things going in the tournament. The Ducks blew out the Hawkeyes 95-80 even though they entered the game as +4 underdogs.
West Virginia vs Syracuse
Syracuse had a little run of themselves in the tournament eliminating No. 3 West Virginia. West Virginia entered the game as -3.5 point favorites, and Syracuse kept things close for the entire game and ended up winning by three points. Syracuse covered and won the game.
Underdogs Dominate the Tournament
A major trend in this year’s March Madness tournament was underdogs not only covering spreads but knocking off teams entering as massive Moneyline underdogs. If you had the guts to bet on some of these underdogs by placing some underdogs bets on their big Moneylines, you had the ability to make some serious money.
Overall, there have been some bad beats and massive upsets, but this tournament has lived up to the excitement. As the tournament continues to move on, it will be interesting to see which teams can keep going and who will win it all, as right now, the tournament remains wide open.
