Fairleigh Stuns Purdue with Unforgettable March Madness Victory (FDU)
It's time to say goodbye to your March Madness bracket; it's about as useful as a paperweight now. On Friday, Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) astonished everyone by beating Purdue 63-58, making them the second 16-seed in NCAA Men's Basketball history to pull off an upset against a 1-seed.
The Knights' incredible victory in Columbus, Ohio, has earned them a spot in history books. Although UMBC beat Virginia five years ago for this title, FDU's win was even more shocking because they were 23.5-point underdogs against Purdue before the game even started. This makes them the most significant underdog triumph in NCAA basketball.
FDU's coach, Tobin Anderson, couldn't contain his excitement after the game, saying, "This is an incredible win for us. An incredible win for our program, our school. It's hard to put it into words right now. Honestly, it's really hard to even — it just happened, right?"
The outcome was not just triumphant for the underdog Knights but also a lucrative one for some lucky bettors. Among them was Dave Portnoy, who tweeted a photo of a bet slip showing a $4,000 wager on FDU to win straight up at +1400, resulting in a whopping $56,000 profit.
Portnoy jokingly wrote, "This was a gambling legacy game. I will forever be the person who picked a 16 seed to beat a 1 seed straight up."
Several other bettors also struck gold, including a DraftKings customer who placed a $250 bet on the Knights' moneyline at +2000, earning them $5,000. A Caesars Sportsbook punter staked a $500 cashout on FDU at those same odds, while a FanDuel user wagered $2,000 on the Knights' moneyline at +2000, netting them $40,000.
Although FDU was extraordinary, they were not the only Cinderella story to emerge from the first round. Just a day prior, Princeton knocked out Arizona, and while they weren't quite as long as underdogs, some sportsbooks still offered appealing odds. The SuperBook had a +800 price on the upset, while Barstool gave +730.
Surprisingly, not a single law-abiding New Jersey bettor could capitalize on FDU's triumph. Despite New Jersey being one of the states that sparked the sports betting boom five years ago, it prohibits placing wagers on state college teams when they're playing outside of their home state. (Cue to pity and sad trombone music.)
As the tournament moves forward, Alabama seems to be reaping the benefits of other teams' losses. After last Sunday's selection show, Purdue entered as the fourth favorite to win it all, with odds of +1200. Today, Alabama is the +500 front-runner at FanDuel, previously standing at +800. DraftKings has them even more confident, lowering their odds to +450 over the same period.
So, there you have it. FDU, the unlikeliest of Cinderella stories, helped reshape the tournament landscape and also provided some lucky bettors an unforgettable moment.
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