Late 3-pointer by Ole Miss leads to brutal March Madness bad beat for Michigan State bettors
One of the most alluring things about sports is that every single play matters — a more important lesson when it comes to sports betting, and one reinforced Friday night during the Michigan State vs. Ole Miss Sweet 16 game.
For those of you who missed the ending, with 4.2 seconds left in the game, Michigan State's Tre Holloman made his second free throw, essentially punching his team's ticket to the Elite Eight by putting the Spartans up 73-67. But the game is never over until the clock hits 0:00, especially for those who wager on sports.
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If you weren't watching the game, you can probably imagine what happened next. While MSU players and fans rejoiced in the team's hard-fought win, Ole Miss' Matthew Murrell nailed a 3 at the buzzer (off the back iron!) to make the final score Michigan State 73, Ole Miss 70. The iconic Al Michaels phrase 'that play might be significant to some' immediately came to mind as that shot sank through the net, as it helped Ole Miss bettors cover the spread (+3.5).
78% of bets were on Michigan State -3.5 at @BetMGM ❌
Meaningless 3-point buzzer beater gives Ole Miss bettors the cover. ✅
pic.twitter.com/4NsFn8cMd8
— John Ewing (@johnewing) March 29, 2025
Sportsbooks have been taking a hit this tournament due to its chalky nature and domination by the top seeds.
'All the favorites winning has been a bad outcome for the sportsbook,' said Seamus Magee, trading manager at BetMGM.
So some bookmakers probably breathed a sigh of relief after Friday night's outcome, considering the public was all over the Spartans to cover at several sportsbooks. Per John Ewing, BetMGM's head of public relations, 78 percent of the bets and 74 percent of the money was on Michigan State -3.5 going into the game.
This was the second brutal bad beat in this year's tournament. The first came last weekend for bettors who had wagered on the under 150.5 points for UConn-Florida. The game saw 16 points in the final 30 seconds, including a last-second 3-pointer by UConn's Liam McNeeley, which pushed the total over the number.
FLORIDA DEFEATS THE 2-TIME DEFENDING CHAMPS 🐊@GatorsMBK IS HEADED TO THE #SWEET16 🔥#MarhcMadness pic.twitter.com/eOhDk2wekN
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 23, 2025
(Photo by Nick Cammett / Getty Images)
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