Reuters
[ Source: Reuters ]
March Madness, the United States’ beloved betting holiday, reaches a crescendo on Monday when Houston face Florida after a thrilling men’s final four that injected life into a tournament which largely stuck to the script in the early rounds.
Duke’s title run imploded in the final moments of Saturday’s Final Four game against Houston, who overcame a nine-point deficit with little more than two minutes left on the clock to book their first trip to the final in 41 years with a 70-67 win.
Florida, meanwhile, overcame tough odds as they closed an eight-point divide at halftime to beat Auburn 79-73, reaching the championship for the first time since they won it in 2007.
The games brought back excitement to a tournament that had been largely bereft of the madness its name claims, after all four number one seeds made it to the penultimate stage for the first time since 2008.
Millions are expected to pour into sportsbooks before tipoff on Monday at 8:50 p.m. ET (+1day 0050 GMT) after the American Gaming Association estimated around $3.1 billion in betting activity for the men’s and women’s tournaments.
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