Not only did Syracuse not cover. That is, there was never a danger of not covering up, to overtime.
Syracuse was an outsider with 8 or 8.5 points at BetMGM against North Carolina on Monday night and almost won straight. Somehow, Orange didn’t cover the spread.
There are bad beats from garden varieties like the pointless 3-pointer that goes into the buzzer, but the worst type of beat can be having a healthy outsider play well for two halves and then somehow not covering overtime. Syracuse bettors know.
The Oranges took a 9-0 lead to start the match and while UNC made a few series after that, the Syracuse bettors had to feel good until the end of the second half. North Carolina hit with 3 points, remaining 11 seconds to take the lead with 2 points. If he had missed, Orange would probably be covering (and UNC would probably be on the wrong side of the NCAA tournament bubble, but that’s a different conversation). Syracuse then rushed down and struck a nice blow to level it. The Orange bettors at this point found themselves in a strange place in the hope that Syracuse missed this shot and lost by 2, covering the spread. However, having 8 or 8.5 points in your pocket is usually good for overtime and especially after how well Syracuse plays.
On the other hand, experienced bettors probably knew exactly what was coming.
The sequels began and everything went to hell. UNC hit the first four shots at OT to take a 9-point lead. Cole Swider from Syracuse, who was great with 36 points, fouled. The Oranges did not commit a foul in the last minute to prolong the game. A late turnaround from North Carolina, when it increased by 88-79, gave life to bettors in Syracuse. It’s not like North Carolina trying so hard to defend.
Then, with 10.4 seconds left, a long orange pass was a long way off. Brutal. UNC dribbled the time and won by 9, somehow covering the spread.
The good news is that Syracuse bettors are unlikely to have as bad a hit in March. Hopefully though.
