Davidson NCAA Final Four Win: The Ultimate Economic Stimulus Package

Alumni of Davidson College were likely to have placed bets on their team to go all the way and win the 2008 NCAA Basketball Final Four Tournament.  Even at a dollar, such a victory would pay out $200!  Yes, the dollar can still go far in today's struggling economy. 

At 200-1 odds early on, a $100 bet on Davidson to get to the Final Four and win the NCAA Championship in 2008 would potentially pay out $20,000.  The team gets one step closer Sunday night, though they will have to face a very tough number one-seeded Kansas Jayhawks squad.

The Wildcats are on a ride few outside of Davidson expected.

Their first-round victory against seventh-seeded Gonzaga brought a smile to Wildcats fans who had not experienced moving beyond the first round since 1969. The second-round triumph over No. 2-seeded Georgetown, the Big East regular-season champion, produced goose bumps.

And Friday night's defeat of Wisconsin, the Big Ten champion, provided plenty of reason to party.

This isn't Chapel Hill, where students hit snooze until the Final Four.

When the Davidson fans assemble again at Ford Field on Sunday to see their 10th-seeded Wildcats play top-seeded Kansas in the final of the Midwest Region, they hope to see history of a modern kind made by a college with 1,700 students.

Led by the sharpshooter Stephen Curry, a son of the former N.B.A. player Dell Curry, the Wildcats (29-6) have won 25 consecutive games. If they beat Kansas (34-3) to reach the Final Four, it will be an upset of historic significance.

The odds are against Davidson making it to the Final Four, however.  Kansas has reached the Final Four 12 times and has won two national championships. Davidson, near Charlotte, N.C., is from the Southern Conference, a midmajor circuit. The Wildcats have never been in the Final Four. Davidson lost its only two previous regional finals, in 1968 and 1969.  Still, the odds have been against Davidson since Day One. 

Five buses were being chartered full of Davidson fans, assuring they have a vocal presence Sunday evening. 

This one tips off at 5:05 pm EST and should be widely viewed. 

BetOnline is offering betting on all the remaining NCAA Tournament games.  - Be sure to claim your cash signup bonus (contingent upon deposit) by mentioning bonus code: Gambling911

---

Dan Shapiro, Gambling911.com

Originally published March 30, 2008 9:44 am EST