All the Gambling History Made in UMBC’s Upset Over Virginia
Mar 16, 2018; Charlotte, NC, USA; UMBC Retrievers celebrates beating the Virginia Cavaliers in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
UMBC didn't just make NCAA Tournament history as the first 16-seed to beat a 1-seed (in 136 tries!). The Retrievers, who closed as 20-point underdogs, also landed in gambling lore, becoming the first tournament team in the past 20 years to win outright as +2750 or higher moneyline dogs.
Here are all the other notable gambling-related records broken with UMBC's stunning 74-54 upset over the Cavaliers:
- The Retrievers are the second school in the past 20 years to win an NCAA Tournament game as an underdog of 20 points or more (Norfolk State toppled Mizzou as 21-point dogs in 2012).
- Teams favored by 20 or more points in the tourney are now 91-2 straight-up in the past 20 years.
- UMBC covered the spread by a whopping 40.5 points. That's the second-largest spread margin in the last 20 years of the NCAA Tournament. In the 2016 Final Four, Villanova as a 2.5-point favorite, trounced Oklahoma 95-51, covering the spread by 41.5 points.
Top photo via Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
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