Again? This is starting to get ridiculous.
Two days after an Oklahoma buzzer beater that had no meaning on the game broke the hearts of Iowa State bettors, some Villanova bettors were burned by a meaningless Creighton shot to end overtime that came well after the buzzer, but made the final score 66-59. The ball was clearly in Kaleb Joseph's hands when the lights went off on the shotclock in the top right corner of the screen.
TWICE IN ONE WEEK?
Villanova -9 spoiled by a basket that shouldn’t have counted…pic.twitter.com/he4iHBnzdP
— The Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) February 7, 2019
Nova opened -9 at most sportsbooks and only got to -8.5 for a few hours at a handful of shops. The Wildcats closed at -11, so many full-game bettors weren't affected.
But it did swing the second-half line and total for everyone — Villanova was -7 and had outscored Creighton by eight total points in the second half and overtime before Joseph's runner rattled around the rim and fell. The second half total was 75.5, and those were the 75th and 76th points, as well.
Whether you want to call this a bad beat is up to interpretation — Villanova needed overtime just to have a prayer at cover the full game of second half. Maybe Wildcats bettors are better off in the long run for not using up too much gambling karma in one place, though at least one sportsbook is already refunding Villanova -9 ticket holders with a "good karma payout" in the form of a site bonus.
