By Dan Behringer for LVSportsBiz.com
Oh, the madness.
Snaky, socially distanced lines to the betting counter. Buckets of Bud, complete with the “mesh,” not socially distanced. More lines at the kiosks. And people huddled over the counter with a look of concentration, a betting flier, a pencil stub and a half-empty Modelo in front of them.
Then the favorites, falling like trees in a forest:
— No. 4 seed Purdue, losing to No. 13 North Texas in overtime, 78-69. It was the Mean Green’s first NCAA Tournament win ever; they had not beaten a Big 10 team since 1967.
Boom.
— No. 5 seed Tennessee, losing to upstart No. 12 seed Oregon State, 70-56.
Thump.
The Beavers, picked to finish last in their conference, have been on a heater since they won three conference tournament games including the Pac-12 championship game. They followed the upset of Tennessee with a 78-70 win over Oklahoma State late Sunday to join the Sweet Sixteen.
No. 4 seed Virginia, losing to No. 13 Ohio University, 62-58.
Tim-ber.
No. 3 seeded Texas, losing to intrastate competitor Abilene Christian University, 63-62.
Thunk.
Wildcats coach Joe Golding, in a comment circulated on Twitter: “We were the worst DI team in the country and we just beat the University of Texas.”
— No. 2 seed Ohio State, losing to No. 15 seed Oral Roberts in overtime, 75-72.
Loud, reverberating crash, big branches snapping, small animals scrambling.
Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann after the upset: “Anytime you’re a 2-seed that speaks for itself. I thought our guys had a terrific season. This is a really really bitter end to a terrific season. We’ll own that and accept it and… (long pause) we’ll move forward.”
The Golden Eagles made it two in a row, beating Florida on Sunday, 81-78, and becoming only the second No. 15 seed to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. They were as high as +1200 on the money line vs. Ohio State and as high as +350 vs. Florida.
— No. 1 seed Illinois, losing to No. 8 seed Loyola Chicago, 71-58, the first No. 1 seed to tumble by the wayside this year.
Thunderous earth-shaking rumble, ripping sound of roots being torn up and dirt being spewed around.
When it comes to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, the games are tough to match in excitement, point-spread drama, overtime thrills and just plain fun.
Not to mention the beers.
Hence, madness.
With first round action complete on Saturday, second round action began in Indiana on Sunday and continues Monday. Expect more loud forestlike sounds in the days ahead. But if your Final Four bracket picks survive the second round, you’ve still got a shot in your office pool.
Elsewhere:
— The Vegas Golden Knights five-gaming winning streak ended abruptly on Sunday in a 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings. The VGK were missing Max Pacioretty, and they struggled (again) on the power play. It was Vegas’ first loss to the Kings in the current campaign. Bettors on the Kings collected +145 on their wagers. The total came in under 5.5.
The VGK face a short turnaround and host the St. Louis Blues on Monday. The Knights are -140 with a total of 5.5.
— Derek Brunson defeated Kevin Holland and ended Holland’s five-bout win streak by unanimous decision in their middleweight event at UFC Fight Night on Saturday. Brunson bettors cashed at about +170 for the event.
Next up is UFC 260, slated for Saturday at the UFC Apex facility in southwestern Las Vegas, with a heavyweight championship battle between current champion Stipe Miocic and contender Francis Ngannou. The defending champ is about +110 and Ngannou about -130.
— Long shot Matt Jones shot a 2-under 68 on Sunday to win the $7 million Honda Classic at the Champion course at Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Jones wasn’t on anyone’s short list to win, but his five-shot victory paid anywhere from +7000 to +8500.
There are three more PGA Tour events before golfers tee off April 8 in the Masters.