USC Baylor backdoor cover

The NCAA tournament has seen some crazy finishes this year, but the University of Southern California Trojans delivered one of the best that only mattered to those who bet on the game, recording a backdoor cover for the ages.

In Sunday’s game against three-seed Baylor, the 11th-seeded Trojans were down by six points in the final seconds. Given that the against-the-spread line opened as Baylor -6.5 and finished at -5.5, some of those who bet on the Bears to cover looked in good shape (with others set for at least a push) when a last-second three clanked off the rim. However, forward Chimezie Metu was in the lane halfway towards the free-throw line when the rebound went right to him with just 1.7 seconds to go. He casually tossed it back towards the hoop with one hand, and it bounced off the front rim and in just as the game ended, giving those who bet on USC an amazing backdoor cover.

The sports director at Caesars Palace said over a hundred thousand in bets was swung by this:

Plenty of others weighed in on Twitter, too:

We’ve seen some other crazy backdoor covers in this tournament, including Oklahoma State against Michigan, but what’s really impressive about this one is how many things had to go exactly right. If the rebound had taken a slightly different angle, this probably wouldn’t have worked, as only one other Trojan was anywhere near the hoop. Moreover, Metu had to grab the ball in the air and throw it right back towards the hoop before landing, as there wasn’t enough time for him to come down with it and shoot. It all worked out remarkably well…for those who bet on USC, at least. At least those who bet on Baylor can tell a story about a legendary bad beat.

Correction: this post originally got the game’s location wrong. It was played in Tulsa, not Las Vegas.

[Ben Koo on Clippit]

About Andrew Bucholtz

Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.