LIVE FROM VEGAS: March Madness Sights, Sounds And Stories

Written By Andrew Champagne on March 18, 2022
Live Las Vegas March Madness

The last 24 hours or so have been quite a whirlwind here in Las Vegas.

I arrived late on Wednesday from the Bay Area for our yearly March Madness trip to Las Vegas. My dad had already been here for a few days, and our first day of four together coincided with the tournament’s initial round.

To put it bluntly, for a significant part of Thursday, we felt as insignificant as bugs on a windshield in Las Vegas.

However, an incredible turn of events in the day’s final hours rectified numerous sports betting mistakes, ones that accumulated in a manner that experienced gamblers will instantly comprehend.

Here’s the first March Madness recap …

At 9 a.m., Dad is still somewhat upset about Wednesday night’s events. He was hoping for Rutgers to defeat Notre Dame, but the Fighting Irish ultimately won in double-overtime.

His quote:

I strongly dislike Notre Dame. I detest the golden domes. As a Catholic, I can’t bear any ill feelings towards Touchdown Jesus, but I ABSOLUTELY LOATHE THE LEPRECHAUN!

Alrighty, then.

At 9:15, the staff at Bally’s sportsbook faced criticism for not displaying the Michigan-Colorado State game on a large screen as Thursday’s March Madness was about to begin. One particularly disgruntled viewer even went to the extent of sarcastically demanding ‘The View!’ to be put on, instead of adjusting his own television at his desk to locate the game.

Rewritten: Sidebar #1: Avoid behaving like this individual. Your humor may not be received as well as you anticipate, and you may come off as privileged and demanding.

Additional Note #2: It seems that the sportsbook of Bally’s is set to be completely revamped in the upcoming rebranding to Horseshoe Las Vegas. This is quite disappointing. Despite its somewhat out-of-the-way location, it’s a great place with excellent staff.

At 9:40, Dad starts enthusiastically watching the Providence-South Dakota State game. He’s rooting for the Friars. After they make an early run, he shouts, “blow these guys out of the gym!”

At 9:42, the spirited Jackrabbits, undoubtedly among the top five D1 mascots, score several points during a fast break, resulting in a shift in Dad’s mood. He exclaims, “Can we play defense just ONCE?!?!”

At 9:50, the day’s first appearance of a drink server prompts this conversation.

Dad: “Does the coffee machine function?”

Server: “No, however the Bloody Mary machine is operational!”

Dad: “…you’ve encountered me previously.”

Eventually, the drink arrives. In one of the day’s less exciting March Madness games, Providence prevails and covers.

Things start falling apart

At 11 a.m., my father has developed a fondness for Longwood. The Lancers, boasting a record of approximately 10 wins and one loss in games that dad wagered on, are about to compete against Tennessee. In anticipation of this match, my father purchased a Longwood shirt from the school’s store and is now wearing it with pride.

At noon, Tennessee swiftly moves on to sink seemingly every shot they take. Longwood is putting up a spirited defense, contesting each shot. Regardless, the Vols are dominating them by consistently making challenging shots. Eventually, Tennessee secures a resounding victory. Nevertheless, Dad manages to salvage an over/under score to mitigate the damage.

At 12:30, after a swift lunch at the nearby food court’s Sbarro, I, your intrepid writer, acknowledge a mistake. I mistakenly included a CBI game in my March Madness bets, selecting Middle Tennessee State with a -6.5 advantage over Cal Baptist.

I verified whether the spread had altered prior to my assumption of a 2 p.m. kickoff. It was at that moment when I observed “3/19/2022” printed on the ticket. The match is scheduled for Saturday, and unbeknownst to me, I had placed a bet two days in advance.

The story’s lesson is this: sensory overload is a genuine phenomenon, boys and girls.

A buzz begins to build

At 3 p.m., Gonzaga faces a challenging match against Georgia State. The game remains competitive well into the second half, but is quickly dominated by the top-seeded Bulldogs. This is a positive development since many spectators expect Gonzaga to score between 22 and 24 points. The rest of the game is predictable…

3:30: Gonzaga surges ahead, expanding their lead to a staggering 26 points. Many start to believe in a miraculous cover, only for their hopes to be dashed by a last-minute scoring push from Georgia State that flips the outcome against-the-spread. Disappointment fills the air as the game concludes with Gonzaga winning by 21 points, the clock striking zero.

4: I handle two irritating individuals one after the other. I queue up to make a horse racing wager, and a cashier is arranging things at his counter. A diminutive man in a towering green hat confronts me, pushing me towards a window I wasn’t directed to. I dismiss this, only to find another person encroaching on my workspace to sort out his things while he’s in line to place his own bets.

Again, refrain from being these individuals. The consequences of gambling are genuine and they’ll find a way to catch up with you.

Welcome to the madness

At 4:10 p.m., the basketball match between Kentucky and Saint Peter’s commenced. Before I arrived, I predicted that my most substantial wager of the weekend would likely be in favor of the Wildcats over the Peacocks. Saint Peter’s had faced considerable offensive challenges in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, leading me to believe they would struggle to counter Oscar Tshiebwe’s inside game.

At 5:30, Saint Peter’s shows no signs of backing down. Kentucky’s guards are tightly marked by the Peacocks. Despite Tshiebwe’s successful plays inside, the game remains close due to subpar performance from the backcourt. It seems like the game is heading into overtime.

Saint Peter’s has officially pulled off the upset. Kentucky is out, and my most substantial March Madness wager of the day has gone up in smoke.

At 6:20, a tweet was shared by @ZeroStarReviews, showcasing a screenshot of my previous game analysis. I wasn’t tagged in the tweet and I only noticed it because people tagged me in their responses. I’m fully open to being held accountable for my posts, especially if my analysis doesn’t stand the test of time. However, I believe it’s only fair to tag the person you’re discussing and provide them with an opportunity to respond.

Interesting tidbit: The tweet criticizing me currently has 20 retweets and 208 likes, at the time of writing this. A similar tweet criticizing the iconic Dick Vitale for his prediction that Kentucky would win the national championship only has three retweets and eight likes. Seems like I’m more influential than I thought. Who would have guessed?

Rebounding from a March Madness disaster

At 7 p.m., Dad and I reconvene at the Burger Brasserie, located between Bally’s and Paris. We enjoy surprisingly delicious cheesesteaks and decide to participate in an 8 p.m. poker tournament at Bally’s.

I wouldn’t call myself the reincarnation of Stu Ungar, even though I do love a good card game and hunting down reasonably-priced tournaments. Our options were quite scarce during our two trips in 2021, and our regular haunt, Flamingo, was unfortunately shuttered. This left Bally’s as our go-to spot for budget-friendly poker in that area, so that’s where we headed.

9: My dad abruptly leaves and goes to the sportsbook to catch the end of the Murray State-San Francisco game. Surprisingly, we both support the Dons, who unfortunately lose in overtime. While he’s engrossed in the game, I manage to win a few rounds of poker.

I’m the player with the smallest stack among the remaining nine out of 30. The tables are merged into one, and the only reason I make it there is due to splitting a pot with a straight I got on the river just prior to the consolidation.

At 10:15, I find myself as the player with the smallest stack among the remaining seven players. I manage to survive an all-in bet. My hand, pocket 8’s, gains an advantage due to a Q-8-Q flop against a player with a larger stack holding A-K.

At 10:30, I find myself as one of the two players with the least chips, with only four players remaining in the game. Only three of us will get a payout. Before the flop, I go all-in with a pair of 4’s. The other player with a small stack calls with an Ace and a Jack. Lucky for me, I hit a third 4 and knock him out of the game.

10:45: Sadly, the story doesn’t get the perfect fairy-tale ending. I end up in third place when my pocket jacks lose to a paired ace. However, I still walk away with a significant amount of money. Before departing, I quickly calculate my winnings.

It appeared unlikely that I would score at the poker table when I barely made it to the final table with around five big blinds. Nevertheless, I fought my way into the money, which balanced out my day.

All in all, it’s a happy recap

College basketball gave me a tough time, and gambling Twitter nearly followed suit. However, the feeling of returning to Rio with my funds restored, in anticipation of a weekend filled with gambling and quality time with my dad, was exhilarating. If you assumed that a single game’s incorrect prediction would spoil my weekend, I regret to inform you that it didn’t. After a restful night, I’m all set to dive back in.

Interested in tracking the entire trip? You can find me on Twitter at @AndrewChampagne. Don’t forget to check back at PlayNevada in a few days for a recap of the weekend’s activities.

Photo by Frank Franklin II / Associated Press
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Andrew Champagne

Andrew Champagne, an award-winning writer and handicapper, currently serves as a Content Manager for Catena Media. Originally hailing from upstate New York, he has since relocated to Northern California.

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