An uncontested dunk with four seconds remaining burned those who bet on Duke to cover an 18.5-point spread in its first-round win over Cal State Fullerton.
Coach K’s final tournament started with perhaps the bad beat of the tournament.
No. 2 Duke, favored by 18.5, allowed an uncontested dunk with roughly four seconds left in its 78–61 win over No. 15 Cal State Fullerton to blow a potential cover.
That’s one bad beat.
Making it worse for Duke backers, it seemed like they had fortune on their side when Duke grabbed a 19-point lead with just 10 seconds remaining in the game.
Cal State Fullerton had scored on its previous possession following a questionable foul to cut the deficit to 17, but Duke scored on an offensive rebound to push ahead by 19.
All the Blue Devils needed was a stop.
Check the Latest NCAA Tournament Lines and Odds at SI Sportsbook
Brynn Anderson/AP
Instead, Dante Maddox Jr. cruised to the hoop for an easy dunk that provided the final points in the 78–61 Duke win. The ultimate backdoor cover.
This one will sting Duke bettors for a long time.
No. 2 Duke will meet the winner of No. 7 Michigan State-No. 10 Davidson on Sunday.
Check the Latest Odds at SI Sportsbook
Get fantasy and betting analysis in your inbox by signing up for the Winners Club newsletter
More Betting, Fantasy and College Basketball:
• Final Four, Championship Game and Champion Bets
• Advice: Double-Digit Seeds to Make the Sweet 16
• Against the Spread Bets: Round of 32
• Saturday’s Opening Lines, Odds
• How to Bet March Madness
• Top-Four Seeds Against the Spread
• Fantasy Impact: Davante Adams to the Raiders
• UFC Fight Night Betting Advice: Volkov-Aspinall
• SI Experts Bracket
• Duke Must Find Answers