College Basketball

Furious rally by Iowa leads to brutal bad beat for Michigan State bettors

Published Feb. 25, 2023 6:14 p.m. ET

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All eyes were on Michigan State and Iowa this weekend as the Spartans and the Hawkeyes squared off in a Big Ten college basketball battle. 

Both teams came into the matchup with 17 wins, and based on the odds, Iowa was expected to protect its home court. Luckily for the Hawkeyes, they did just that, besting Sparty, 112-106.

But bettors holding Michigan State +5.5 tickets were not so fortunate. They got hit with perhaps the baddest beat of the hoops season when the Spartans lost by six points. 

At FOX Bet, the Hawkeyes were 5.5-point favorites over their conference rivals. And up until the 1:34 mark of the game, it looked like bettors who wagered the Spartans to cover would cash in, since Michigan State was up 91-78. As a matter of fact, bettors who took Michigan State to win straight up were also probably counting their cash prematurely at that point.

However, Iowa had other plans. Coach Fran McCaffery's squad got hot from the perimeter late. And by hot, we mean that the Hawkeyes virtually could not miss.

And speaking of miss — 

It appeared that State had the game all wrapped up. Countless fans made a mad dash for the exits, missing the Black and Gold's late rally.

In the final minute and a half of regulation, Iowa went 6-for-9 from beyond the arc. The Hawkeyes' epic 3-point shooting performance helped them tie it up at 101-all and send the game into overtime.

The extra five-minute period was almost all Hawk.

Overtime opened with Iowa winning the tip, followed by two made free throws by Kris Murray that put his team up 103-101. After that, Iowa guard Tony Perkins led the winning charge, grabbing offensive and defensive boards, hitting FTs and even electrifying spectators with a dunk.

With 20 seconds left in OT, MSU's A.J. Hoggard made one free throw but missed the other. Even making one of those could have kept the score closer than 5.5 points.

With eight seconds left, Spartan Malik Hall gave a last effort but missed a 3-point jumper. 

What would have happened if Hall's three had actually gone in? Well, a make would have surely brought smiles to the faces of MSU +5.5 bettors as that would have brought State within three.

But no such luck.

The Hawkeyes protected their arena, and Spartan bettors were beaten badly.

There's always next week!

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CBK - Michigan State Spartans vs. Iowa Hawkeyes - 02/25/2023