March 23: UConn’s Cover Streak and Betting Drama in March Madness
Doug Greenberg: March Madness is always a thrilling time for basketball fans and bettors alike, and this year’s tournament has been no exception. Sunday’s matchup between the Florida Gators and the UConn Huskies was a nail-biter that had fans on the edge of their seats. Florida managed to outlast UConn with a final score of 77-75, putting an end to the Huskies’ hopes of achieving the first national championship three-peat in the 64-team era. This round of 32 game was not just a spectacle on the court but also a fascinating event for those invested in the betting world.
UConn entered the game as 9.5-point underdogs against Florida, according to ESPN BET odds. This matched their largest underdog role in any NCAA tournament game since the tournament expanded in 1985. Previously, the Huskies were +9.5 in the 1998 Elite 8, where they lost 75-64 to North Carolina, and in the 1999 National Championship game, where they triumphed 77-74 against Duke.
Despite the loss, UConn’s cover on Sunday marked their 14th consecutive cover in an NCAA tournament game, extending their record for the longest cover streak since the 1985 expansion. The previous record was held by Villanova, with 11 covers from 1985-88. As of Sunday morning, ESPN BET reported that 71.6% of the bets and 57.6% of the handle were backing Florida -9.5.
In a dramatic twist, UConn’s Liam McNeeley hit a three-pointer as time expired, bringing the game’s total points to 152 and cashing the over at 150.5, according to ESPN BET odds. This last-second shot was a game-changer for those who had wagered on the total.
Florida’s comeback victory was a sigh of relief for future bettors who had placed their faith in the Gators. Entering March Madness, Florida was at +350 to win the national championship, trailing only Duke at +280. The Gators attracted a leading 22% of futures tickets at ESPN BET following the bracket reveal, with 15% of the overall handle in the market, second only to Duke’s 24%. BetMGM had previously reported a $100,000 wager on Florida at +900, one of its largest national championship bets.
March 20: Women’s College Basketball Betting on the Rise
Greenberg: The impact of Caitlin Clark on women’s college basketball cannot be overstated. Her presence not only increased TV viewership and cultural relevance but also led to a significant rise in sports betting handle in 2024. With Clark now in the WNBA, one might have expected a dip in betting interest, but the opposite has occurred. Thanks to reinvestment from sportsbooks and the continued star power in the sport, women’s college basketball betting is thriving as we head into the 2025 NCAA tournament, with the round of 64 tipping off on Friday.
During this year’s regular season, women’s college basketball saw modest growth at multiple sportsbooks. BetMGM reported a 35% increase in total money, a 33% increase in total wagers, and a 32% increase in total players from 2023-24 to 2024-25. The sportsbook capitalized on the spark Clark provided, reporting a 754% increase in bets on women’s college basketball over the last two seasons.
“We definitely didn’t want to see it dip after Caitlin Clark left,” BetMGM sports trader Hannah Luther told ESPN. “Some of the growth I think is coming from us putting up more markets. We have had more games up this season than last. We’ve made a big effort to do that.”
DraftKings sportsbook director Johnny Avello echoed this sentiment, noting that action on the women’s game “hasn’t slowed down from last year.” Luther also attributes some of the increased handle to more media attention, with additional games on television and more female college players appearing in ads.
Clark’s influence on the sport is undeniable, and the betting growth may continue if the sport relies on the star power it still possesses. Optimove, a marketing technology platform that partners with several top North American sportsbooks, reports that starting from the round of 64 during the 2024 NCAA women’s tournament, the average number of bets per game increased significantly each round, culminating in an astounding 22 times the number of bets per game from the beginning of the tournament. For comparison, the men’s national championship increased its average number of bets per game by 1.67 times from the first round.
This year, players like UConn’s Paige Bueckers, USC’s JuJu Watkins, and Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo could continue the trend if their teams make deep runs.
“For this year’s Tournament, we have an expanded catalog of wagering options, as well as a variety of special markets that will tie into the biggest storylines of each round,” ESPN BET director of North American sports trading Adrian Horton said via email, calling it a “robust menu.”
Luther and Avello both noted that WNBA handle was significantly up in 2024, partially due to Clark’s presence but also due to the ripple effect she’s had on the sport as a whole.
“She has gotten younger girls interested in playing basketball, and some of those younger girls are now entering a stage where they’re going from high school to college,” said Avello. “The work she’s done to elevate the viewing of this game is amazing, and I think that will continue for years to come.”
March 14: Injuries Impact Duke’s Betting Odds
Greenberg: The injury bug has bitten Duke at a crucial time, with superstar Cooper Flagg suffering a left ankle injury during Duke’s 78-70 victory over Georgia Tech. This setback has temporarily derailed the Blue Devils’ NCAA tournament ambitions.
Flagg was seen in a wheelchair following the injury, leading some sportsbooks to drop the Blue Devils from their consensus national championship favorite spot in the +300 range to +700. However, Flagg eventually walked back to the bench under his own power, and Duke returned to the top of the odds board, now showing a leading +320 at ESPN BET. Despite this, it seems unlikely that Flagg will play the rest of the ACC Tournament, and with fellow key player Maliq Brown also injured, Duke’s short-term odds have taken a hit.
Duke faces archrival North Carolina on Friday night, with the Blue Devils giving 6.5 points (juiced to -120, per ESPN BET odds) to the Tar Heels, down from the opener of -7.5. According to DraftKings’ trading team, Duke would be -13.5 for this game if Flagg were healthy.
Duke covered as 9.5-point and 12.5-point favorites in the previous two matchups this season, but the injuries are clearly forefront in bettors’ mindsets: UNC is attracting upwards of 73% of the tickets across the sportsbook marketplace, with a healthy split of handle helping to push the spread down.
The Blue Devils’ odds to win the ACC Tournament also took a serious nosedive with the injuries, even as they continue to sport odds-on pricing. Duke entered the event with -350 odds — the largest favorite price to win any conference tournament since Kentucky in 2015 (-500), per ESPN Research — and has since dropped to -130 at ESPN BET. The sportsbook reports that Duke garnered an overwhelming 60% of bets and 47% of handle in the market before the tournament tipped off.
March 13: Steelers Draw Betting Interest in Super Bowl Futures
David Purdum: The Pittsburgh Steelers have been a hot topic in the betting world during free agency, attracting significant interest in the Super Bowl futures market. Oddsmakers believe the Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Bears have had the best offseasons so far, but it’s the Steelers who have caught the attention of bettors.
The Steelers made a splash by acquiring receiver DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks, a move that sparked a flurry of betting interest. Pittsburgh’s Super Bowl odds moved from 60-1 to 50-1 this week at ESPN BET. Since Sunday, only the Philadelphia Eagles have attracted more money from bettors than the Steelers in ESPN BET’s Super Bowl futures market.
John Murray, vice president of the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas, said his book moved the Steelers from 50-1 to 40-1 because “we were writing so many bets on them.”
- “Metcalf is a decent player, but there’s still nobody to throw him the ball, and that division is super tough,” Murray told ESPN.
The Rams saw their Super Bowl odds improve slightly, moving from 25-1 to 20-1 at ESPN BET, with the re-signing of veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford and the addition of receiver Davonta Adams, among other moves.
“The Rams gave the Eagles the best game of anyone they played in the postseason,” Murray said. “They aren’t that far off from potentially being a Super Bowl contender, especially with the 49ers losing so many players, and we think Seattle will take a step back.”
Overall, NFL free agency had minimal impact on the odds to win the Super Bowl; the Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs remain the consensus favorites, with the Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, and Detroit Lions rounding out the top tier of contenders, according to sportsbooks, and most teams’ odds did not move.
“There isn’t any one player that has really shifted the market,” Murray said.
The Bears’ Super Bowl odds moved from 40-1 to 35-1 at ESPN BET, after trading for offensive linemen Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, with the sportsbook taking in the third-most money from bettors to win the Super Bowl this week, behind the Eagles and Steelers.
The shuffling of journeymen quarterbacks — Sam Darnold to Seattle, Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders, and Justin Fields to the New York Jets — did not cause any notable odds movement for those franchises.
The Washington Commanders, who added receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. and offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil, remained at 16-1 to win the Super Bowl at ESPN BET.
March 4: Mavericks’ Championship Hopes Dwindle After Irving Injury
Doug Greenberg: The Dallas Mavericks’ 2024-25 season has been a rollercoaster, and the latest blow came with a season-ending ACL tear to star guard Kyrie Irving. The betting odds have mirrored the team’s struggles throughout the season.
The Mavericks opened at +1000 to win this season’s NBA title at ESPN BET, the sixth-best odds in the league. Those odds lengthened to +2500 by the beginning of February, when the trade that shook the NBA to its core went down.
Following the deal in which Dallas traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, the Mavs’ odds lengthened again to +3300 and further to +4400. The team’s hopes perked up slightly when Davis went off for 26 points and 16 rebounds in just over a half during his Mavericks debut, but he left that contest with an injury and has not played since.
Dallas went to +7000 following the Davis injury, but gained some steam up to +6600 upon some encouraging play and the hopes that the star center could return for a playoff run. Then, Irving tore his left ACL on Monday night, and by late Tuesday morning, when ESPN’s Shams Charania confirmed the season-ending diagnosis, the Mavs fell all the way to 200-1, tied with the Detroit Pistons and Phoenix Suns for 14th on the odds board. Other sportsbooks show even longer odds, with FanDuel posting 550-1.
The Mavericks’ championship line saw moderate action, at best, throughout the campaign, attracting just 5.6% of the wagers and 4.8% of the handle at ESPN BET.
Meanwhile, the Lakers have enjoyed the spoils of the trade, going 10-2 since acquiring Doncic and 6-2 with him in the lineup. L.A.’s title odds immediately shortened from +4000 to +1600 following the deal, and they’ve since made it to +1400, currently fifth on ESPN BET’s odds board.
Contrasting the Mavs, the Lakers have the most bets (15.1%) and money (16.7%) wagered to win this season’s NBA championship, including a league-leading 27.9% of tickets and 31.7% of handle since the fateful trade.
March 3: Table Tennis Betting Continues to Break Records
David Purdum: Table tennis betting has been on a remarkable rise, with a record $31.7 million wagered in January with Colorado sportsbooks. This marks the second consecutive month of record-breaking betting interest in table tennis in Colorado, a trend that began five years ago during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
Table tennis tournaments in Eastern Europe were among the few sporting events that took place during the pandemic in the spring of 2020. These tournaments became popular with sports bettors in the U.S. and have maintained interest over the last five years. Matches are played throughout the day and night, with some streamed on sportsbook apps.
Colorado is the only state that reports betting figures on table tennis, but sportsbooks say the interest is similar in other states. A spokesperson for BetMGM told ESPN that table tennis comes in behind major sports, “but given the number of matches available daily, tickets and handle can match or exceed betting on MMA and golf.”
In January, the $31.7 million bet on table tennis with Colorado sportsbooks was more than tennis, soccer, and hockey, as well as nearly triple the amount bet on the sport in January 2024.
Approximately 99.9% of the money bet on table tennis with Colorado sportsbooks in January was placed online. The sportsbooks won a net $1.7 million on table tennis bets during the month, according to figures released by the Colorado Department of Revenue.
More table tennis links:
- New Jersey suspends betting on Ukrainian table tennis after match-fixing alert
Originally Written by: ESPN
