THE BEST, THE WORST AND BLESSED BETS OF THE WEEK: SQUEAKING BY AND SELLING LATE

Welcome back to the weekly feature highlighting great triumphs and terrible losses from the sports betting world. This week, we introduce a new category called “squeak of the week”. The game and spread that should’ve had no pulse but was blessed by the gambling gods themselves. Of course, we also feature one of the worst beats (actually, collapse) in college basketball from last Saturday. 

We start in Tempe, Arizona for the squeak of the week. This game featured a struggling Arizona State basketball team facing off against the number one team in the country and cross state rivals, the Arizona Wildcats. With a 14.5 point spread, the line seemed about right even for an ASU home game given Sun Devil morale. ASU coach Bobby Hurley lamented his team’s performance from a few games before and seemed to wave the white flag for the season, and even his tenure, at the university. 

Still, ASU came out swinging early and kept the game competitive with both teams tied at halftime. Soon after, however, the Wildcats began to pull away, increasing their lead to 20 with about a minute remaining. At this point, one might expect a wild shot or two from ASU and for U of A to dribble out the clock. But Sun Devil guard Noah Meeusen, on a fastbreak, hits a quick three and draws a foul to cut the lead to sixteen. After a U of A turnover, Meeusen, the Sun Devil hero, hits ANOTHER three to cut the lead to thirteen. Wildcat backers had one more shot at the cover on their last possession, but it bounced harmlessly off the rim for ASU bettors instead. Final score ASU – 74, U of A - 87. This is the stuff miracle covers are made of and the inaugural squeak of the week. They were never not covering with Dilly, Harden, Tyson and Skat in the building.

Now, the bad beat. We travel to Blacksburg for the clash between Duke and Virginia Tech. The line was between 11.5 and 12.5 with Duke favored. The extra point would not matter. While VT did not lead in this game, the Hokies were within the number throughout most of the contest. They even went on a 14-4 run from the end of the first half and into the second half. With roughly four minutes remaining, even an outright VT win could not be dismissed with a score of 62-56 in favor of Duke. Unfortunately for Hokie backers, these last few minutes would prove fatal. Channeling their inner Wemby, the Duke side of the court became a no-fly zone.

VT scored only once more late while the Blue Devil juggernaut mounted a 10-2 run. The backdoor cover was not even attempted with a VT turnover to end the game. Final score Duke 72,  VT -58. Hooks for the Hokies.

This play is, admittedly, niche. It comes from Unrivaled and the Prizepicks rebounds and assist square from Paige Bueckers. In Unrivaled, the game ends when a team reaches a certain score in the 4^th quarter (based on who is leading). In this case, the score to reach was eighty. With her team at 79 points and her stat line at 2 boards and 10 assists, Paige throws a half court dime that would impress Troy Aikman himself. She records her final assist to cash the square in electric fashion on the final play of the game.

Until next time, and best of luck on your Super Bowl wagers.

-Richay