The first day of the NCAA Tournament reminded college basketball fans why it is called “March Madness.”
In the early slate of games, 13-seed Furman took down 4-seed Virginia on a late turnover by the Cavaliers, resulting in a game-winning three from JP Pegues, giving Furman its first NCAA Tournament win since 1974.
The Alabama Crimson Tides celebrate and moves their name to the second round after the win against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders during the first round of the 2023 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament held at Legacy Arena at the BJCC on March 16, 2023 in Birmingham, Alabama. (Andy Hancock/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
In the afternoon, 15-seed Princeton stunned 2-seed Arizona, going on a 9-0 run to close the game and win its first tournament game in 25 years.
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Day 2 of the tournament kicks off Friday, and there will undoubtedly be more “madness” to come.
However, among the great finishes on Thursday came a terrible gambling beat for bettors backing the Alabama Crimson Tide.
The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders pep band cheers during the game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders in the First Round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship South Regional on March 16, 2023 at Legacy Arena at BJCC in Birmingham, Alabama. (Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
With the game in hand – Alabama led Texas A&M Corpus Christi 96-72 – Corpus Christi looked to be running out the clock, resigned to the loss.
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Senior guard Ross William had other ideas, draining a three-pointer as time expired, ending the game with a score of 96-75.
The problem? The line was Alabama -23.5, meaning those who bet on Alabama lost their money.
It may have been a brutal game for those who took Bama to cover the spread, but fans of the Crimson Tide came away pleased.
Alabama had five players score in double-digits while getting zero points from star freshman Brandon Miller.
Alabama forward Brandon Miller drives into the lane during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Missouri in the semifinals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament, Saturday, March 11, 2023, in Nashville, Tennessee. (AP Photo/John Amis)
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The Crimson Tide nailed 10 first-half threes, jumping out to a 54-24 lead at halftime, and got 19 points and 15 rebounds from junior forward Nick Pringle.
March Madness is just getting underway and the craziness is guaranteed to continue.
Joe Morgan is a Sports Reporter for Fox News.
This post originally appeared on and written by:
Becki Schroeder
Fox News 2023-03-17 17:24:00
