The first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament are in the books and even the final game of the weekend went down to the wire for Illinois sports betting fans. Though, both the University of Illinois and Northwestern are now out of the tournament, there was plenty of excitement.
On Sunday night, Gonzaga and TCU closed out the four day stretch of March Madness. At tip off, the spread closed at TCU +4.5 (remember that number).
At the end of the game, Gonzaga had things wrapped up after hitting two free throws to put the Bulldogs on top 84-78 with .7 seconds remaining. Gonzaga backers were thrilled because the made free throws all but locked up a winning ticket.
But TCU’s Damion Baugh had other ideas. Despite having less than a second to work with, Baugh sunk this miraculous shot:
The Zags advance to the Sweet 16! @ZagMBB pic.twitter.com/TzwkHtR94O
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 20, 2023
Miracle shot riled sports bettors
Of course, the Horned Frogs still suffered defeat. But TCU bettors were sent into a frenzy thanks to a once in a lifetime backdoor cover. Check out the live reaction to the three-pointer from Circa Sportsbook in Las Vegas:
Did you have Gonzaga -4.5 or TCU +4.5?
A brutal #MarchMadness beat or amazing final-second win.
Here was the crowd's reaction at @CircaSports in Las Vegas pic.twitter.com/8fpVSHMDPh
— VSiN (@VSiNLive) March 20, 2023
It’s easy to tell who had their money on Gonzaga, and who had bet slips on TCU.
Damion Baugh receives unwarranted criticism for last-second bucket
The story should’ve ended on the court. Baugh’s unbelievable shot earned TCU bettors a lucky win, while Gonzaga backers were left disappointed.
Unfortunately, there’s more to be told with this story.
Some bettors that had cash on Gonzaga took to social media to voice their displeasure with Baugh’s meaningless buzzer beater. Just after midnight on Monday morning, Baugh tweeted this:
I Don’t Get How Y’all Mad Because I Played Until The Last Buzzer🤦🏾♂️Proud Of My Team And We Taught To Fight Until The End……Nobody Told Y’all To Bet🤷🏾♂️
— DAM10N BAUGH (@_swaggyd10_) March 20, 2023
If you scroll through the mentions on Baugh’s tweet, many people are showing support and encouraging him not to sweat it. But Baugh should’ve never been forced to deal with the negativity in the first place.
Harassing athletes is never the way to go
It’s unfortunate Baugh had to deal with hate just for finishing out the game. It should go without saying, but taking out frustration from a bad beat by tweeting at athletes is never the answer. Especially when it’s a college player like Baugh who is only 22 years old.
It’s understandable to get a bit upset after a heartbreaking betting loss like that. Especially when it comes on such an improbable play.
But if you took such a large financial hit that attacking a player on social media crosses your mind, that’s an issue. Sports betting is meant to be fun, but staking huge amounts of money on a game can quickly take the joy away if you lose.
That’s why it’s imperative to know your limits. You should never bet enough money that a loss would result in true anger.
That’s especially important during the opening weekend of March Madness when there are 48 games played over a four day stretch. It’s easy to get caught up in the mayhem, but there’s never an excuse for what Baugh had to deal with.