College hoops bad beat: Ridiculous finish sinks Kansas bettors, and under bettors too

With about 10 seconds left, Kansas grabbed the ball, leading by 9. NC State didn't foul.

Somehow, Kansas didn't cover the 8.5-point spread.

Kansas was an 8- or 8.5-point favorite at BetMGM, depending on when you bet it. Most of the game, NC State kept it close in the Battle 4 Atlantis game. Then KU's defense clamped down, the Jayhawks kept scoring, the Wolfpack missed some free throws and the Jayhawks led 80-71 in the final moments.

Bettors who had under 153.5 felt pretty good too with the total sitting at 151.

There was still one more possession to sweat. Or so bettors thought. NC State had it in the final 20 seconds after a missed free throw by Kansas — remember that one, those KU bettors who had -8 — and charged upcourt for one final (so we thought) shot.

NC State didn't hit the rim and Kevin McCullar of the Jayhawks grabbed it. NC State was harassing McCullar but it didn't seem like they'd foul. But McCullar felt the pressure and heaved a pass downcourt. Uh oh. NC State's Casey Morsell picked off the pass. Oh no. And yep, just before the buzzer he hit a 3-pointer. NC State didn't foul after that and the game ended.

Kansas 80, NC State 74. KU tickets ripped up. Under tickets ripped up.

When Morsell hit the 3 you could hear the crowd react, and it was mostly an unhappy reaction. We all know why.

You can argue that Kansas bettors didn't deserve the win anyway, because NC State was covering nearly the entire game. But all Jayhawks bettors will remember is the final seconds.