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A buzzer-beating shot is one of the great parts about March Madness. Over the weekend, though, one buzzer beater was a nightmare for some sports bettors.
What was sure to be a win for bettors who wagered on the under for the Alabama-UCLA Sweet Sixteen game quickly turned into a loser. A buzzer-beating three-pointer nailed by Alabama at the end of regulation sent the game into overtime, where enough points were scored to sail over the total.
Bad beats happen often in sports, but this one was quite tough to take.
Buzzer Beating Bad Beat
On Sunday, the over/under for the Alabama-UCLA game was set at 144.5 at most sportsbooks. For people who wagered on the under, they just needed 144 or fewer total points to be scored in the game for their wager to win.
With only a few seconds left in regulation, this seemed like an easy win. UCLA was ahead 65-62, meaning there were 127 total points scored.
But then, that March Madness moment happened. Alabama hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to tie the game at 65 and send it into overtime.
Not only did that happen, though, UCLA did it all by themselves. In overtime alone, UCLA scored 23 points.
When OT ended, with UCLA pulling another upset, the under lost by a large 21.5 points. Only five minutes before that, the under was ahead by 17.5 points. That’s quite the turnaround.
For anyone who wagered on the under, that buzzer-beating three-pointer was truly a nightmare on Sunday.
LSU Blows a Big Lead
In early February, LSU was a 3.5-point underdog to Texas Tech. With 1:10 left in the game, the Tigers were ahead of the Red Raiders 71-64.
Then, it all came crashing down in the final few moments.
Texas Tech hit two big three-pointers to get the game within one point. Then, a steal led to a layup by Texas Tech, which put them ahead in the game by a score of 72-71.
Even then, though, LSU was still covering the spread. The Tigers attempted a three-pointer to tie the game but missed. When Texas Tech grabbed the rebound, they were fouled with only 1.5 seconds left in the game. They made their ensuring free throws, and ended up winning the game by 5 points.
That’s quite the turnaround in only 1:10.
Another Buzzer-Beater Kills an Under
In the first round of the March Madness tournament, a similar bad beat to UCLA-Alabama happened.
With just seven seconds remaining in the game between Florida and Virginia Tech, Florida was winning 64-61. That meant bettors who wagered on under 134.5 total points were sitting pretty.
All Florida needed to do was hit one of two free throw attempts they had, and the game would essentially be over. That didn’t happen, though.
Virginia Tech marched down the court, and nailed a three-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.
In that overtime, the two teams combined to score 17 points in overtime. Florida still won the game, 75-70, but the over got crushed. There were 145 total points scored, which flew over the total of 134.5 that looked like a dead under only a few minutes before.