Patrick Everson
FOX Sports Betting Analyst
Much like your typical NFL weekend, March Madness odds allow for some pretty unique bets. And some of them actually even win money, though not necessarily at a high percentage.
But there were a couple of very modest wagers over the weekend that, relatively speaking, paid out a lot.
The kind of ROI you could only dream of for your 401k.
More on those two winners and other notable wagers as we recap Sweet 16 and Elite Eight betting.
Name That Score
In the eight Sweet 16 games and the four Elite Eight games, the favorite won every single time.
A perfect 12-0 weekend straight up for the favorites.
So if you already had yourself locked in on who would win each game, why not take the next step and wager on the exact final score?
A FanDuel Sportsbook customer did that in Sunday’s Michigan State vs. Auburn game. The bettor wagered all of five bucks on a final score of Auburn 70, Michigan State 64.
Oh, at +35000 odds. That’s 350/1.
So when Michigan State’s Jaden Akins hit a 3-pointer with 13 seconds left to pull the Spartans within six — at 70-64 — that bettor was surely praying Tom Izzo wouldn’t have his players foul to extend the game.
The prayer was answered. So the customer snared a profit of $1,750 on that nominal wager.
Name That Score, Part II
Over at DraftKings Sportsbook, a customer made a similar final-score bet on Saturday’s Texas Tech vs. Florida matchup.
It took a lot more luck to get this wager over the finish line.
The bettor had $10 on a final score of Florida 84, Texas Tech 79.
But with 3:14 remaining, the Gators trailed by nine, 75-66. It looked quite unlikely that Florida would even win, let alone by that exact score.
But the Gators knocked down 3-pointers on four consecutive possessions, taking a 78-77 lead with 59 seconds remaining. Those triples were part of a game-ending 18-4 Florida run.
Which gives you a final score of Gators 84, Red Raiders 79.
At +18000 odds (180/1), the bettor turned an $1,800 profit.
Unbelievable.
Here’s Hoping You Had It
For the first time since 2008, and only the second time since March Madness went to 64 teams in 1985, all four No. 1 seeds are in the Final Four.
Overall No. 1 seed Auburn won the Southeast Region. Duke claimed the East crown, Florida won the West and Houston took the Midwest.
Pre-tournament, DraftKings offered a prop bet of all four No. 1 seeds reaching San Antonio, at +1000 odds (10/1).
If you’d been prescient enough to toss a hundred bucks on that, you’d now be sitting on $1,000 profit.
Rock On
A Hard Rock Bet customer with a slightly bigger bankroll bagged a mid-five-figure win, on a Sweet 16 parlay involving all four Thursday night games:
- Florida moneyline/Florida -6.5/Over 157 total points
- Alabama moneyline vs. BYU/Over 175.5
- Arizona +9.5 vs. Duke/Over 154
- Texas Tech moneyline/Arkansas +5.5/Over 148
The Gators topped Maryland 87-71 to win and cover, and the Over barely hit at 158.
Alabama made 25 3-pointers while hammering BYU 113-88.
An easy win and an easy Over.
Then Arizona rallied to cover vs. Duke in a 100-93 loss that soared beyond the 154 total. And Texas Tech edged Arkansas 85-83 in overtime. So the Red Raiders won on the moneyline, the Razorbacks covered as 5.5-point underdogs, and the game went way over the 148-point total.
The customer put $150 on the 10-leg parlay, at odds of +28321, or just beyond 283/1. That would’ve paid out plenty well, at $42,481.50.
But the bettor also utilized a 30% odds boost. So that took the win up to $55,225.95, for a total payout of $55,375.95.
That’s a mini-lottery-ticket type of win. Which makes this a good time to remind everyone that these types of tickets — along with those final-score winners — are the massive exception to the rule.
There’s a reason the odds are so long.
And as the saying goes: Parlays are a bookmaker’s best friend.
Enjoy those rare wins, and in between, keep your wagers reasonable. Don’t bet more than you can afford to lose.
Patrick Everson is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and senior reporter for VegasInsider.com. He is a distinguished journalist in the national sports betting space. He’s based in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golfing in 110-degree heat. Follow him on Twitter: @PatrickE_Vegas.
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