Great Moments in Gambling History: Refs Call Shaky Foul at the Buzzer, Duke Covers the Spread

Duke was favored by five against Utah, and it looked like the Blue Devils were headed for an easy cover after leading by double digits for much of the second half. But as often happens with these games, the final minute got wild, and the Utes actually pulled within five, trailing 62-57 with less than five seconds left.

Utah appeared to want to foul Quinn Cook in the closing seconds, but the refs didn’t give it to them. Finally, a Utah played grabbed Cook as the horn sounded. Game over? The refs didn’t appear to call a foul, and Utah players headed for the locker room.

But wait! The refs went to check the monitor – why, the game was over? – and determined Cook was fouled with :00.7 left, putting one of the best free throw shooters in the ACC (89 percent this season) on the line.

Cook missed the first!

But then he made the second, and Duke won by six, 63-57, covering the spread (depending when you picked the game, you could have had 4.5, 5 or 5.5 … maybe even 6).

Another Great Moment in Gambling History … well, if you had Duke. If you had Utah … you’re just a little pissed off.