Gambling enthusiasts know bad beats are part of the game. Experienced gamblers have seen plenty of them.
Yet the most painful bad beat might be the one you never see at all.
That happened Sunday as the Oklahoma State Cowboys defeated the Eastern Washington Eagles, 71-60 in second-round NIT action.
The Cowboys, who were favored by 11.5, were up by 14 as the final seconds ticked off. Eagles guard Tyreese Davis walked the ball up the court, clearly in no hurry with the game almost over. He stood near the top of the key, thought about shooting, decided not to … then changed his mind and took the shot with about a second remaining.
ESPN’s cameras cut away right as the ball left his hands to show the coaches and teams exchanging handshakes.
The shot, of course, went in, to give Eastern Washington the cover in the 71-60 loss. The final score changed on the screen, but the broadcast booth did not mention Davis making the shot.
WHAT A COVER FOR EASTERN WASHINGTON.
Eastern Washington (+11.5) shoots a 3 before the buzzer and the camera moves away. 3-pointer goes in for the cover.
pic.twitter.com/LmGMDwLwC3— Barstool Sportsbook (@BSSportsbook) March 19, 2023
It was the ultimate bad beat, sure, but you really can’t blame the ESPN production crew for not realizing the spread of that game. It appeared to be an inconsequential shot, with the game over. For anyone hanging around to see the final second of this game for gambling purposes, and who was upset that the broadcast cut to another view, perhaps it’s time to seek help.
But it’s OK to poke some fun at the incident.
The cameraman definitely had Oklahoma State -11.5…
What a back door cover by Eastern Washington ✅ pic.twitter.com/rwstYzKReI
— SportsBettingDime (@SBD) March 19, 2023
