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First Day of NCAA Tournament Was Quite a Roller Coaster for Bettors

Also in Traina Thoughts: Vegas is back, baby!; Mississippi State women’s team knows how to celebrate; Mike Greenberg makes bold statement and more.
Jimmy Traina|
First Day of NCAA Tournament Was Quite a Roller Coaster for Bettors
First Day of NCAA Tournament Was Quite a Roller Coaster for Bettors

1. According to the American Gaming Association, 68 million people in the United States plan to wager $15.5 billion on this year’s NCAA tournament.

Those folks were treated to quite an opening day of the tourney with a pair of finishes that perfectly sum up why betting is great and awful at the same time.

No. 1 seed Alabama was a 23.5-point favorite over Texas A&M Corpus Christi, With the Crimson Tide up by 24 and a Texas A&M CC player dribbling out the lock, it appeared Alabama backers were about to cash in their tickets.

In the words of the great Lee Corso, not so fast.

Texas A&M CC’s Ross Williams came over and asked for the ball. He then proceeded to dribble around and then heave a three at the buzzer. As he put up the shot, Jim Nantz said, “For the heck of it.” Oh, it was way more than “for the heck of it.” It was for a cover. Williams drained the shot, and the final score ended up 96–75. An all-time dagger for Crimson Tide bettors.

Here was the scene from a Las Vegas sportsbook.

Later in the day, the College of Charleston was getting 5.5 points against San Diego State.

The Aztecs were up by 5, and it looked like the clock had run out to give Charleston the cover. However, the refs called a VERY late foul and after looking at the replay, put 0.7 seconds back on the clock.

San Diego State’s Micah Parrish then drained both free throws to give the Aztecs a 63–57 win and a cover.

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Again, this set up another great scene in a Vegas sportsbook.

2. For those of you who don’t wager, Furman’s 68–67 upset of Virginia featured the most shocking finish on the opening day of the NCAA tournament.

With COVID-19 being around the last few years, we weren’t treated to as many great reaction videos from Vegas sportsbooks, but this year is different. What a scene from Sin City after Furman pulled off the upset.

3. If you’re looking for a team to root for in the women’s NCAA tournament, may I suggest Mississippi State solely based on its locker room celebration? If you grew up in the 1980s like me, you have to have a soft spot for anyone who busts out a boom box.

4. Jets fans should be VERY excited about getting Aaron Rodgers. But maybe a little perspective is needed for some Jets fans. ESPN’s Mike Greenberg mentioned Pat McAfee’s interview with Aaron Rodgers earlier this week in the same sentence as the birth of his children.

“What your wife and I have in common is that we are both glowing because we are both expecting,” Greenberg said told McAfee on Thursday. “A blessed event is going to come into my life much as it has in yours. I would describe that interview you guys did with Aaron Rodgers yesterday, in the annals of my life, I would put it directly behind the birth of one of my children and directly ahead of the other one. It was right in there. It was that kind of day for me.”

5. I don’t even know what any of this means, but I still found it enjoyable, which is a testament to how good Jason and Travis Kelce are at podcasting.

6. This week’s SI Media With Jimmy Traina features an interview with ESPN NBA analyst Richard Jefferson.

Jefferson, who also hosts a podcast and calls Nets games for the YES Network, discusses his rise in sports media, what his ultimate goal is in broadcasting and how important social media is for his career. Jefferson also talks about how he approaches TikTok and accumulated 1.4 million followers, why he hates Twitter, the load management controversy, Ja Morant, his ongoing feud with Knicks fans and much more.

Following Jefferson, Sal Licata from WFAN radio and SNY TV in New York joins me for our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week we discuss filling out NCAA tournament brackets, the World Baseball Classic, two highlights from the Oscars and the overall movie-going experience in 2023.

You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Google.

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on YouTube.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Happy St. Patrick’s Day.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.

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Jimmy Traina
JIMMY TRAINA

Jimmy Traina is a staff writer and podcast host for Sports Illustrated. A 20-year veteran in the industry, he’s been covering the sports media landscape for seven years and writes a daily column, Traina Thoughts. Traina has hosted the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast since 2018, a show known for interviews with some of the most important and powerful people in sports media. He also was the creator and writer of SI’s Hot Clicks feature from 2007 to '13.

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