UNC basketball star Armando Bacot says bettors have been making threats on social media
Armando Bacot, one of the most recognizable faces in college basketball, said he has faced threats via social media this year.
According to Bacot, the abuse also extended to this year's NCAA March Madness Tournament. Bacot's UNC Tar Heels, the No. 1 seed in the West Region, lost by two points to No. 4 Alabama last week.
Bacot, 24, had more than 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in his five-year career at UNC.
In his final collegiate game in the Sweet 16, the 6-foot-1 forward scored 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. He also had 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 blocks.
For some sports bettors that's not enough.
Social Media Threat
Bacot said he received a lot of letters from angry sports bettors after UNC's surprise loss to Alabama, where they apparently let him grab more rebounds than the 10 he had. And UNC won the Sweet 16 game.
I thought I had a pretty good game," Bacot said after the loss. "But I looked at my DMs and got over 100 messages telling me I was terrible and stuff like that because I didn't get Enough rebounding. "
UNC's loss was due to R.J. Attribution. Davis is the shoulder of college basketball analysts. Davis, who passed Michael Jordan on UNC's all-time scoring list in February to become the Tar Heels' leading scorer this season, shot 4-for-20 from beyond the arc, including 0-for-9.
Bacot said he remains a scapegoat for many disgruntled sports bettors.
"I understand the fans are angry, but it's annoying sometimes," Bacot said. "I think [sports betting] has gotten a little out of hand. I understand what it's about. You bet a lot of money on something and you only have one option and someone screws up."
NCAA Action
The NCAA and its president, former Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, who signed the state's sports betting law, are trying to curb the threat from gamblers like Bacot. Baker is focused on persuading state gambling regulators to allow sports betting to ban player promotions targeting student-athletes.
"We know some bettors are harassing student-athletes, which is why we are advocating for policy changes at the state level and implementing monitoring tools around tournaments to report serious threats to law enforcement," Baker said last month when announcing the NCAA's latest campaign. ." "Draw a clear line" for responsible gambling.
Only four states continue to allow sportsbooks to accept bets on the individual performance of college athletes — Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan and Wyoming. It's also the oddsmakers in Washington, D.C. who accept such bets. North Carolina launches online sports betting on March 1, 2024, but will not allow betting on college players.
The NCAA men's March Madness tournament is headed to the Final Four. Defending champion UConn has the lowest odds of winning the national championship at -195. At these odds, a $100 bet on the win would result in $51 plus change.
Purdue is at +205, while Alabama and North Carolina are at +1,600.
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Source: www.casino.org
