Even the defending National Champions two of the last three years get knocked down every once in a while.
I’ve watched the replay of B.J. Taylor’s jumper and Aubrey Dawkins’ ensuing put-back that each somehow failed to fall at least a dozen times now. I still can’t believe that both of these shots spun off the rim:
Brutal…#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/ILdnsS8vIc
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 24, 2019
We were that close to half of America’s brackets blowing up and CBS Sports producers scrambling to find something to talk about for the next two weeks other than Zion Williamson. It would’ve been chaos, but instead it was just a crushing loss for UCF and an agonizing beat for bettors who had the courage to go against a Blue Devils squad that was more than -900 on the moneyline and remains the odds-on favorite to win it all.
Enter PointsBet Sportsbook to save the day. While they can’t soften the blow for UCF or fans of the team, they decided to do something for moneyline bettors who just barely missed out on a strong payout:
⚠️The Karma Kommittee Ruling Is In⚠️
-Missed Dunk
-Tacko 5th Foul
-TWO RIM-OUTS AT THE ENDThe fact that even Coach K felt terrible was enough.
WE ARE REFUNDING ALL UCF MONEYLINE BETS IN FULL!
No $25 limit here, you #ChargeOn fans deserve it all back!
THIS IS #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/0pEoOJPWqC
— PointsBet Sportsbook (@PointsBetUSA) March 24, 2019
I don’t remember the bookie from down the street ever showing such mercy.
Other NJ online legal sportsbooks have also run bad beat promos. In January, FanDuel offered its users a $100 refund on the Bears’ “double doink” playoff loss to the Eagles. New Jersey law allows companies to run deals such as these, but they are usually capped around $25. PointsBet refunding full bet amounts is obviously great for promotional purposes, but it’s also undoubtedly a merciful reprieve for UCF moneyline bettors, making them almost as lucky as Duke.
SPORTSBOOK | SIGNUP BONUS | NEW JERSEY |
|---|---|---|
 | FIRST BET MATCHED UP TO $500 | CLAIM OFFER |
 | $1,000 IN RISK FREE BETS | CLAIM OFFER |
 | $500 RISK FREE BET | CLAIM OFFER |
 | BET $50 GET $50 | CLAIM OFFER |
 | $250 DEPOSIT BONUS | CLAIM OFFER |
 | $500 IN FREE BETS | CLAIM OFFER |
 | $10 FREE BET WITH NO DEPOSIT | CLAIM OFFER |
Sports Betting Updates
Underdogs were active during Thursday’s Round of 64 games with 10 such teams covering the spread. In fact, at one point late Thursday afternoon, underdogs had either already covered or were covering in every game. Still, despite so many favorites struggling against the number, 12 of 16 higher seeds managed to survive and advance, setting up an intriguing Saturday set of games. If you’re anything like me, filling out a bracket and joining a pool is fun, but loading up on individual games is my favorite way to do March Madness betting. So, let’s look at second round odds at New Jersey sportsbooks and run through some need-to-know information before locking in your picks.
Three months ago my boss came to me and told me I would be covering a conference beginning on March 21. I’m sure I blankly looked at up her with my dead, beady eyes and agreed to it. It was three months away. Who cares about something that’s going to happen in three months.
Two weeks ago my wife asked me if I had put any thought into a March Madness bracket.
Oh shit. Does that start on the third week of March or the fourth? THE THIRD WEEK OR THE FOURTH?!
Of fucking course. March 21. First day of the tournament. Basketball, alcohol, legalized gambling….. CONFERENCE?!
That dog won’t hunt.
So here I am, in some God forsaken state, in a God forsaken convention hall, listening to much more successful men and women talk about their accomplishments that I couldn’t begin to understand. But am I a quitter? Am I just going to sit here and let the greatest four days of the year slip through my fingers?
Am I not going to watch any of the first two rounds of the March Madness tournament? Of course not. I’m no communist.
I decided to keep a running diary of my trials and travails of the first day of the tournament and my desperate attempts to stay connected on one of the greatest sports days of the year.
And yes, I’m well aware this is a complete ripoff of a Bill Simmons creation, but I’m sure he never did one for the first day of the tournament (don’t Google that please).
After Zion Williamson’s impressive return to Duke’s lineup last weekend, the Blue Devils blazed their way through the ACC Tournament and earned the NCAA Tournament’s No. 1 overall seed in the process. Williamson, for his part, erased any doubts about his post-injury effectiveness by averaging 27 points and 10 rebounds per game over the three-game stretch. In the process, he became the first player in ACC history to win the conference’s Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Tournament MVP honors. He’s…pretty good:
watching this Zion Williamson steal and dunk on repeat forever
🎥 @CBSSports pic.twitter.com/w7qsk99BPJ
— SB Nation (@SBNation) March 16, 2019
Stacked with three potential lottery picks in Williamson, R.J. Barrett, and Cam Reddish, Duke looks poised to make a championship run. Consider the following:
- Duke is 26-2 when Williamson averages normal minutes.
- The Blue Devils were 5-1 against teams that reached its conference tournament this season.
- Tre Jones is on fire. He scored 44 points, had 18 assists, and was on the floor for all but 16 seconds of the ACC Tournament. He’s not as heralded as some of his fellow teammates, but he’s playing at a high level at the right time.
- Plus, killers kill.
"Killer's kill, Killer's Kill" -Zion Williamson 😱😱😱😱 pic.twitter.com/oY96e7yKBe
— SportsTalkOnly (@SportsTaIkOnly) March 17, 2019
Might as well cancel the tournament. We have a winner, right?
Not so fast. Consider the following before backing Duke in your March Madness betting.
Despite Duke’s pedigree and strong finish in the wake of Williamson’s return, there’s plenty of reasons Duke could fall flat on its face in this tournament. How? Here three reasons and change why Duke will not win the NCAA Tournament.
Also, for those of you in New Jersey looking to bet against the Blue Devils, here’s our list of the best NJ sportsbooks for March Madness:
UMBC made history last season when it knocked off Virginia to become the NCAA Tournament’s first No. 16 seed to win a game. The Retrievers didn’t just survive the Cavaliers, they obliterated them on the way to a 74-54 blowout victory. Moving forward, UMBC’s upset win raises some interesting questions. Is the chasm between the game’s elite and its lower-tier programs shrinking? Was that night of never-before-seen chaos in Charlotte a sign of things to come? More specifically, could we see a No. 16 seed pull another unthinkable upset this year?
The answer, in a word, is no. Here’s three things to know before locking in your pools or doing any March Madness betting. For those of you in New Jersey, here’s our list of the best NJ sportsbooks for March Madness.
In case you haven’t noticed, we’ve spent the last week putting together everything you need to know for the tournament and March Madness betting. Here’s a full list of the coverage:
The best March Madness sportsbooks in NJ: this is a list of the best apps to wager on the big dance for those of you in New Jersey.
The top 5 buzzer beaters in NCAA history: I bet you can’t guess which was number 1.
Printable bracket: beautiful in its simplicity.
NCAA TV schedule: the full TV schedule complete with channels and announcer pairings.
DraftKings bracket challenge: how to enter DraftKings’ free bracket contest.
FanDuel Bracket Madness: ditto for Fanduel.
Why PointsBet NJ is a must check out for March Madness: PointsBet is the new app on the scene and its “points betting” format is worth checking out alone– we also have the best promo for any NJ sportsbook exclusive to CB.
March Madness Predictions: the absolute best post for all your first round picks.
Why your Villanova Philly school argument is stupid: Kevin put it best.
Potential upset picks: 5 underdogs to consider… and then wager on.
You always hear a lot of cliches during the week leading up to the NCAA Tournament, you know, lines like “Expect the unexpected” or “The only thing predictable about the tournament is that it’s unpredictable.” While such sayings are trite, they’re also true. There are going to be first round upsets because there are always first round upsets. One or two of these results will be stunning, although maybe not to the level of No. 16 seed UMBC’s 20-point thrashing of top seed Virginia last year, while others may be more mild. The point is that we know upsets are lurking out there, patiently waiting to blow up your bracket and prove false everything you currently think you know about college basketball, but where are they and how do we identify them when doing our March Madness betting? Let’s run through five games that jump off the page as potential first round upsets.
For those of you in New Jersey, here’s our list of the best NJ sportsbooks for March Madness.
