Degen Madness 2020: Opening Day (3/26)
The first two days of the Degen Madness Tournament 2020 are in the books, and it’s been exciting to say the least. Something about sweating a total or a line in a simulated game seems to fill the betting void we’ve all been missing. The action will continue all the way up until April 19th, so be sure to follow along and keep up with the Madness!
Where can you catch the action, you say? All games will be simulated and streamed live on YouTube, Twitter, Twitch, Facebook and Periscope. Go to MyBookie to place your bets. They’re offering spreads, totals, live betting, and you can even bet on the total to be odd or even.
*For a full look into first round data and rosters visit HERE or to check the leaderboard visit HERE*
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Michigan 49 @ Butler 40 (OT)
Spread: Butler -1.5
Total: 84.5
What an incredible start to Degen Madness! This opening contest took overtime to decide, and the total was also in play. The first half was slow moving with defense paving the way. Neither team could reach much of an advantage throughout the first two quarters. Michigan and Butler entered the halftime break tied at 19 a piece.
There wasn’t much of a change in terms of tempo in the third quarter, although Michigan started to edge out a lead. The Wolverines carried a 31-29 lead into the last quarter break.
The fourth quarter didn’t disappoint, with Michigan leading by five with just under a minute left before Butler edged back into the contest. The Wolverines missed a pair of free throws that could’ve iced the game away with 8.4 seconds on the clock, and this left the door wide open.
Butler knocked down a clutch three with 0.8 seconds left to send the game to overtime at 40 a piece! Overtime was all Michigan, however, as they held the Bulldogs scoreless in the extra period with a 9-0 run. The Wolverines claim an upset in the opening game of the tournament!
These Guys Get It
North Carolina 44 @ Gonzaga 47
Spread: Gonzaga -10.5
Total: 85.5
The second game of the opening day lived up to the expectations set out by the first contest. The Tar Heels came out of the gate hot and shocked everyone, including oddsmakers. North Carolina’s defense and aggressiveness gave them the lead early in this one. They led by as many as 13 points and carried a 25-15 lead into halftime.
Gonzaga got chewed out during the break and came out with a fire under their asses. They climbed back into the contest, even taking a brief lead towards the end of the third quarter.
The Tar Heels came into the fourth swinging, taking a lead as big as six points in the quarter. The Bulldogs showed resilience though, finally taking the lead back over at 42-41 on a lay-up with 1:58 remaining.
North Carolina tied up the game at 44 with a three-pointer with 1:18 on the clock, but unfortunately it was all for nothing. Gonzaga answered with a huge three of their own with 53.8 seconds left. The Tar Heels had a chance to tie on a deep three with just over 30 seconds left, but it didn’t fall. Poor coaching cost North Carolina as they elected to not foul or use their last timeout. They missed another deep three with a second remaining, sealing their fate.
Degen Madness Day Two (3/27)
Ohio State 46 @ Auburn 41
Spread: Auburn -1.5
Total: 83.5
The second day of action got underway with a fun back-and-forth battle. This contest started off much the same as the two battles from the previous day. Neither of these teams could really find a groove and pull away at any point throughout the first half, although Auburn seemed to be in control of the game up until halftime as they led for almost the entire half. The Tigers were looking at a 25-20 lead heading into the break and they led by as many as six points during the entire first two quarters of play.
Auburn jumped out to a seven point lead early in the third quarter before the wheels started falling off. The allowed Ohio State to climb back into the game slowly. By the end of the third quarter, the Buckeyes had taken over the lead 33-31 and were carrying all of the momentum into the fourth.
The second half adjustments showed late as Ohio State took off, leading by as many as seven in the fourth quarter. The Tigers weren’t ever able to recover although they did cut the lead to two on a three-pointer with 25.3 seconds left. Free throw shooting put the game away for the Buckeyes though as they nailed a pair of them in the closing seconds to ice the game away.
Washington 55 @ Baylor 54 (OT)
Total: 83
I didn’t think it was possible, but the last contest may have been the most exciting one yet.
Baylor came out of the gate scorching. They held a ten point lead at the end of the first quarter and they were dominating all aspects of the game. The Bears continued to take care of Washington in the second period for the most part of the quarter. They led by as many as 12 points although the Huskies were able to slice the lead down to as low as five points and they trailed 22-16 at the break.
Washington made some key adjustments during halftime and they continued to climb back into this one. A questionable no-call on a missed Washington lay-up with about seven seconds left sent the game to overtime at 47 a piece.
These teams exchanged buckets late and a three from the Bears with 7.4 seconds on the clock seemed to seal the deal for the Huskies. They were able to answer with a dagger three of their own with only 2.3 seconds left, however, icing away the big upset and advancing in the tournament as a 15 seed.
Conclusions
All in all, the first two days of Degen Madness were a huge success! For those of you keeping track at home, underdogs were 4-0 against the spread and 3-1 straight up. The overs cashed in all four games and all four of the games’ totals cashed as odd.
We’ve seen enough games come down to the wire to warrant a blood pressure pill. Only two days in and only one thing is for certain, no team is safe from elimination.
Be sure to head on over to MyBookie and get in on the sweet college hoops action while it’s available.
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