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5 wild endings that swung millions for bettors on the first day of March Madness

5 wild endings that swung millions for bettors on the first day of March Madness

No. 14 Yale rallies late to cover against No. 3 LSU

No. 4 Florida State passes on easy basket that would have covered in final seconds against No. 13 Vermont

Closing line: Florida State -8.5

Final score: Florida State 76, Vermont 69

How the ending played out: Vermont had kept things close all game, but Florida State began to pull away late in the game, building up an 8-point lead that made Seminoles backers think they might be able to cover once Vermont started fouling.

Instead, with the win wrapped up, Florida State gave up an easy basket in the closing seconds, then passed up a wide open bucket on the final possession to let the clock expire. A fine win for Florida State fans, but a heartbreaking bad beat for their bettors.

No. 11 Belmont pushes No. 6 Maryland to the brink

Closing line: Maryland -3

Final score: Maryland 79, Belmont 77

How the ending played out: Maryland took the lead with three minutes left and never gave it back to Belmont, but Belmont kept things close enough to cover in the end. Maryland's Darryl Morsell had the chance to make the bet a push with a final free throw with two seconds left in the game, but missed.

No. 11 Saint Mary's falls just short against No. 6 Villanova

Closing line: Villanova -3.5

Final score: Villanova 61, Saint Mary's 57

How the ending played out: Saint Mary's almost was able to claw back against the Wildcats, hitting two jumpers in the final 35 seconds to cut the Nova lead to four. But their last two possessions would end with a miss and a turnover, spoiling the day for Gaels fans and bettors alike, and leaving Villanova backers victorious.

No. 3 Purdue ices the cover with a few late free throws against No. 14 Old Dominion

Closing line: Purdue -12.5

Final score: Purdue 61, Old Dominion 48

How the ending played out: While the game was never in doubt for Purdue, those betting on the Boilermakers had to sweat until the final seconds before their bet was won. Old Dominion scored a layup with 12 seconds left to cut the Purdue lead to 13, but couldn't find one more point to cover the spread.