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Kentucky beating Iowa State outright Sunday would result in a $175 payout for every $100 bet on the moneyline. The Wildcats come into this second round game as a +4.5 underdog.
One of the most successful programs in college basketball, it's quite rare for Kentucky to come into the 2nd round of an NCAA Men's College Basketball Tournament as an underdog, though it did happen last year. The Wildcats went on to advance to the Sweet 16 as a +2.5 underdog against Illinois.
They nearly didn't make it this far this year however.
Otega Oweh rescued Kentucky with a buzzer-beater from just inside half court to force overtime, then hit the tiebreaking free throws in the extra period as the seventh-seeded Wildcats beat No. 10 seed Santa Clara 89-84 on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
In an electrifying finish to regulation that defines the words “March Madness,” Santa Clara's Allen Graves drained a 3 from the right wing with 2.4 seconds left to put the Broncos ahead 73-70. Oweh received the inbound pass, pushed the ball up the court and pulled up to the left of the midcourt logo to launch his desperation heave. The ball was midair when the buzzer sounded, and it banked in for the tie.
“As he raised up, he said, ‘That’s a bucket,’ and then threw it off the glass,” second-year Kentucky coach Mark Pope said.
Iowa State had no trouble taking care of business against Tennessee State on Friday.
The second-seeded Cyclones ripped off a 23-0 run to take control. They rolled from there to a 108-74 win over over the No. 15 seed Tigers, setting up the matchup with seventh-seeded Kentucky for a spot in the Sweet 16.
- Ean Lamb, Gambling911.com
