Zags Bettors Crushed by Half Court Heave

Written by :

Don Shapiro

Published on :

20 March, 2023

Zags Bettors Crushed by Half Court Heave

Bettors were backing Gonzaga on the -4.5 spread and they made it known Sunday night in a game against TCU.

Our own Thomas Somach tells us how it all went down.

"They (the Bulldogs) were up by four with the ball with 0.7 seconds left when TCU fouled them," Somach noted. Gonzaga made both free throws to go up by six, now covering the spread."

What happened next sent shivers up Somach's spine.

"There was a huge cheer from the crowd, much louder than from any other prior basket."

Somach's conclusion: "Obviously a lot of bettors in the crowd had Gonzaga."

But it was far from over.

"TCU then in bounded the ball and made a three point buzzer beater from half court so Gonzaga ended up winning by three and not covering.

"Avery (Johnson), the color commentator on the TV broadcast then says something to the effect that 'a lot of people are disappointed with how that ended but I’m not gonna touch that'."

The final score was 84-81.

Gonzaga has advanced to the Sweet 16 for the eighth consecutive time.

Drew Timme recorded 28 points and eight rebounds and No. 3 Gonzaga.

It was Timme who got his team up and pretty much out of reach of TCU in those final seconds with his first 3 since December — and only his third of the season.

“It was huge — the clock, the two-point lead,” Timme said of the margin before he made his shot. “I just launched one up there. All you can do is smile and laugh.”

Rasir Bolton added 17 points.

The Horned Frogs shot 44.8 percent from the field, including 9 of 25 from behind the arc. Mike Miles Jr. scored the most points for TUC, 24.

Gonzaga will next play UCLA in the Sweet 16 where they are listed as a rare underdog of +1.5. Since 2016, the Zags have only been an underdog on nine occasions. As an underdog since that time, Gonzaga is 3-6 Against The Spread.