To quote an American hero:
“Is this real life?”
After being in denial, last night I finally got myself to the point where I accepted the possibility of the NCAA Tournament being canceled. I still thought it would go on without fans but around 9:30 this morning, I accepted there’s more than a 50% chance this thing ain’t happening.
As I scrolled through the day’s lines to feed my gambling addiction and get ready for a full slate of action, I came across a prop bet that listed the odds of whether the NCAA Tournament would be canceled.
Canceled. Not postponed.
“Canceled” was listed at -185 odds with “not canceled” coming at +130. If you’re not familiar with gambling lingo, -185 means you’d have to bet $185 to make $100, so the odds are heavily in favor of the NCAA Tournament being canceled this season.
BAD. BAD. BAD. Oddsmakers say there’s more than a 50% chance the NCAA Tournament doesn’t happen.
I’m all in on the underdogs here. pic.twitter.com/ebY7ixPlyr
— Erik Buchinger (@ImErikBuchinger) March 12, 2020
Since every conference tournament canceled (except the MEAC as of 2:00 CST), the odds were pulled from the site because everybody was going to flood in to bet the canceled option.
It’s just a matter of time, gang. We’ll get through this together.
Wash your hands and stay home if you’re sick.
Keep the conversation going by reaching out to Erik Buchinger on Twitter or email erik@deceptivespeed.com.