March Madness has yet to officially begin, but Dave Portnoy has already declared the tournament ‘over’ for him after he badly missed on a bet.
While the first round of the NCAA men’s tournament doesn’t begin until Thursday, there were two games of First Four action on Tuesday, including a pair of 11-seeds facing off in North Carolina and San Diego State.
With the Aztecs 4.5-point underdogs for the game, Portnoy decided to back them to cover the spread, as he made a bold declaration to his followers on X.
‘I’d like to make an announcement. My entire NCAA tournament rests on SD State covering tonight,’ he said before the game. ‘If they cover I will dominate this tournament start to finish. If I lose I’m cooked.’
Unfortunately for Portnoy, San Diego State didn’t come close to winning, let alone covering the spread, as they were blown out 95-68.
‘My tournament is over. It was fun while it lasted,’ the Barstool Sports founder said while the game was still going on. ‘Sd State sucks.’
Dave Portnoy declared his NCAA Tournament ‘over’ after San Diego State lost to UNC
San Diego State were considered 4.5-point underdogs but were blown out 95-68
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UNC has been the subject of massive controversy since being selected for March Madness on Sunday, as it notched just a 1-12 record in Quad 1 games and fell short of a tournament-worthy résumé in the eyes of most ‘bracketologists.’
However, the Tar Heels were given the very last at-large spot in the field of 68 over the likes of Indiana and West Virginia.
Fans have angrily pointed out the fact that UNC’s athletic director Bubba Cunningham is also the NCAA selection committee chairman, though he wasn’t actually allowed to vote for his school while he and others decided on the field.
In fact, his vice chair Keith Gill said he wasn’t even allowed in the room for talks concerning the Tar Heels.
Nonetheless, West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey announced afterwards that he was taking legal action against the NCAA for leaving the Mountaineers out.
Portnoy, meanwhile, was previously angered by another March Madness development as he said Michigan were ‘screwed’ by the the NCAA selection committee.
His alma mater were rewarded with a five-seed after beating Wisconsin in Sunday’s Big Ten tournament final, while the Badgers got a three-seed themselves.
Portnoy called the selection committee ‘lazy’ for giving the Wolverines a five-seed, which sees them face a tricky UC San Diego team on Thursday night.
With the Big Ten tournament final only ending minutes before the bracket is revealed, the committee generally ignores the results of the game in terms of seeding.
